 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Molloy
Date: 2008-04-13 03:22
I play full-boehm clarinet (old Selmer), and I sometimes use the lowest note in the clarion as an alternative middle-line Bb. It's a little resistant and stuffy with the usual register key, although it has excellent pitch. With side Bb trill opened instead of the register key, it loses the resistence and stuffiness and is the best-sounding of the Bb's (this isn't very practical, because it requires a little contortion to finger it that way).
It got me wondering about the lower notes on a basset clarinet. Is there a usable A, G# and G at the bottom of the second register? Do they require inventive venting?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: davidsampson
Date: 2008-04-13 05:13
Hmm, well on a Low C bass this doesn't work very well. On my selmer 67, Eb/Bb works, but its badly out of tune. Low D/A is too terribly out of tune to even consider using. C#/G# and C/G very rarely will even respond, and when they do its thin, stuffy, and a completely wrong note. Not sure if this applies to basset clarinet too.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-04-13 09:59
Years ago (Crikey! 20 years ago now I think of it!) on my Selmer 10S basset I tried using low D as an alternative throat A, though the tone quality was poor (much worse than the low Eb as Bb) and the lower notes to C just didn't want to know. Low Eb as a Bb was the only real safe alternative note, though still a bit fuzzy. Same can be said about using low Eb on my full Boehm Series 9 A as a throat Bb.
Using notes from low D to C as alternatives to throat A to G, you really need another speaker key lower down the top joint so they overblow cleanly. Experiment by using the trill keys or throat G# keys as speaker keys - though trying to nudge the side keys with all your RH fingers down is pretty much impossible without something coming adrift.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2008-04-13 09:59)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2008-04-13 10:05
Molloy
The short answer to your question is no, at least on my Basset clarinet. What they are good for is playing multiphonics as a full boehm is. The multiphonics in Berio's Sequenza work best on an instrument with low Eb.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2008-04-13 15:30
Try opening the throat G# key to improve the "speaker" key location in the lower clarion. It's almost handy to get to.
Bob Phillips
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
