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Re: First Low C Bass Clarinet/Low C Extension?

Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-03-03 15:49

Oehler system bass clarinets were built to low C long before it was offered on Boehm system basses. They also had automatic speaker mechanisms with three vents, sometimes semi-automatic with two touches but to keep it simple for the player, they had just the single speaker touchpiece and the mechanism did the hard work for the player.

Simple system and early pro level Boehm system basses had two simple action speaker keys with the vents in the same places as you'll see on basses with fully automatic speaker mechanisms - the thumb touch directly above the thumbplate was used from throat Bb to upper register Eb and opened the lower speaker vent on the body, then that was released and the touchpiece to the right was used from E upwards which opened the vent on the crook.

This speaker mechanism was never developed into a semi-automatic one as you'll see on oboes whereby you can remain holding the lower speaker key down and open the upper one and the lower vent closes automatically, but they went from simple to fully automatic by fitting the linkages from RH3 and the throat A key to determine which vent should be open at any point depending on which note is played.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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