 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sultan
Date: 2009-03-09 01:52
I have a Yamaha YCL-220 bass clarinet (Vito clone) and I'm wondering if it is sounding as it should or is something wrong with it.
1. From low Bb down to low Eb (bottom of its range), the clarinet sounds strong and clear, with a nice warm tone.
2. From low B natural to low D natural, the tone is OK but somewhat airy sounding.
3. Eb, E, and E# sound very airy and weak. Sometimes the keys seem to resonate too at these notes, making it sound even worse.
4. F, G and A (just under the break) sound OK, but maybe slightly airy.
5. The Bb just under the break sounds very airy and weak, just like the E.
6. Over the break, once warmed up well with a good reed, it sounds nice, warm and smooth up to high G (space above the treble clef).
7. I can't get any good reliable sound in the upper clarion above G. Sometimes I can play a high A with some body to the sound but I have to be warmed up really well and really push.
8. I can get a decent sound in the little bit of altissimo that I can play in.
So now as to what I want to know:
1. Should the E and Bb just under the break sound weak like this or is something possibly wrong with the instrument (or me?).
2. Should the upper clarion be playable on a student bass clari or is a double register key model needed? I've seen that student soprano clarinets can go up there with ease but should student basses be able to do that too?
P.S. One more thing: the register key often sticks and is slow to come up if it hasn't been hit in the past minute. What should I do about that?
For now I get by with freeing the key by and before playing each piece but it is cumbersome and sometimes it isn't possible. Also, if I've been playing in the chalumeau register for a few minutes and suddenly have to switch to clarion without time to free the key and it gets stuck, it can be really annoying.
Post Edited (2009-03-09 03:05)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-03-09 08:44
(disclaimer: I play an Artley plastic bass and some of my comments may pertain to other plastickers as well, some may not)
Airy notes are often caused by inappropriate (often: too little) venting - the pad doesn't open enough and the air rushes past the (open) pad which may cause airiness and occasionally flat pitch.
Upper clarion (G and up) is often a challenge with single-register basses. No way past that except finding the magical reed/mouthpiece/instrument combination, and a lot of practice. If you have a leak (even a minute one), this will cause additional grief. Basses are more sensitive to incontinence than eg sopranos.
Per the register key - first, drag a damp cloth between pad and pip - often, stickiness is caused by residue of sodas ingested prior to playing. As the register key opens by spring force only (you can squeeze as much as you like, won't help), it is a prime (and acoustically obvious) victim of sticking.
If the pad or cork is worn, the register pipe may have left a deep impression where the key acts like a plug and not a simple valve. If the register tube has sharp edges, this aggravates and accelerates the deep seating. So have your pad replaced in that case. I usually store the bass with a piece of business card between register pad and register tube, that stops the cork from developing too deep a seat.
In a nutshell - have your bass inspected in regular intervals. Do not drink sweetened sodas prior to playing. (Gin & Tonic fall into the same category I'm afraid to report). Drag a damp microfiber cloth between pad and tonehole if you experience sticky noises.
--
Ben
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Author: 78s2CD
Date: 2009-03-09 20:15
I agree mostly with Ben's suggestions. An additional point I picked up was that you said the keys vibrate. Some vibration may be normal, but if it's really noticeable it may indicate a problem with the instrument. You didn't say if the keys under your fingers vibrate or if trill keys, A/Ab keys etc. are vibrating. If the keys under your fingers are vibrating, then the pads may not be seating well. Perhaps pads that are supposed to come down together need adjustment. The poorly seated pads may also cause the levers to vibrate, but another likely cause is that the springs may not be exerting enough force, and may need to be re-arched.
Hope this helps,
Jim Lockwood
Rio Rico AZ
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Author: sultan
Date: 2009-03-09 20:51
Thanks for your replies. I always avoid soda and sticky drinks and gargle before playing to avoid causing further stickiness. I'll give the damp cloth a try today before I play and I'll report back when I do. Also, I've noticed that the the register key spring is quite weak; that might also be adding to the problem.
The upper clarion is indeed challenging and its good to know that its not really my fault. The venting seems to be fine and the tone isn't *too* bad; it sounded acceptable earlier today when I played with a good reed.
Now as for the resonating keys, it is rather intermittent. The keys that I'm not pressing are the ones that sometimes vibrate when I play an E but they only do sometimes. Luckily its only slight and not too noticeable by others. I can't really tell which key vibrates though.
One more thing that I just remembered: the left hand D key (its a sandwich key, of which the bottom part with the pad) likes to get stuck in the down or half down position, but the pad is not the problem. The adjustment screw for the keys there likes to tighten itself every 2-3 of days, even if I don't play the instrument, causing it to the key to get stuck. Thus I have to carry a screwdriver with me to loosen the screw every time it gets stuck. I can live with it but its annoying. Any ideas why the screw it tightening itself and how I can stop it?
Post Edited (2009-03-09 21:33)
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-03-09 21:49
I'd think sweetened sodas would make less of a difference on bass, as the sodas would only make it into the mouthpiece and neck. Still a good idea to avoid.
By the time you notice anything wrong with your bass, it's very likely that there are lots of things that could be worked on to improve the instrument's condition. It's a horrific rube goldberg contraption, where one key being slightly off can throw a good portion of the instrument out of adjustment. If you have to loosen a screw on a regular basis, the horn is WAY overdue for work.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-03-09 23:36
EEBaum wrote:
> I'd think sweetened sodas would make less of a difference on
> bass, as the sodas would only make it into the mouthpiece and
> neck.
That's exactly what I thought too. But the function appears to reference the square of the circumference of the tone hole, which is not quite in favour of the bass clarinet. :-)
--
Ben
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Author: sultan
Date: 2009-03-09 23:46
"That's exactly what I thought too. But the function appears to reference the square of the circumference of the tone hole, which is not quite in favour of the bass clarinet. :-)"
What do you mean by that?
Anyway, given that I have a multitude of little problems, I think I may as well send it in for service. Other than the routing screw loosening I've been having to do recently, the horn hasn't been serviced for almost 4 years, and I guess its [over]due now.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-03-10 00:10
"the function appears to reference the square of the circumference of the tone hole"
?????
In any case, If I'm playing bass on a regular basis, it most definitely needs to see a tech about once a year. Two years of on-and-off playing (including two plane trips) since its overhaul, things recently started getting a bit funky... the fact that it lasted this long and only now started to bother me is a testament to the fine work of the technician.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-03-10 00:21
> "That's exactly what I thought too. But the function appears to reference
> the square of the circumference of the tone hole, which is not quite in
> favour of the bass clarinet. :-)"
> What do you mean by that?
The bigger the tone hole, the bigger the negative impact of a sticky pad. Ask a sax player and you'll know what I mean.
--
Ben
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-03-10 13:48
>>The bigger the tone hole, the bigger the negative impact of a sticky pad. Ask a sax player and you'll know what I mean.
>>
True. I play bass sax. Anything wrong with those bell pads makes the sax unplayable.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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