 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-03-24 03:46
For players of Buffet Prestige basses (the current model from 1999 onwards), which notes or intervals make you nervous of them not speaking so well compared to others?
The two notes I have the most problems with are the upper register Eb and the F# with the standard fingering - the tone quality and response of the Eb isn't as good as the notes around it and the F# can kick when played as repeated staccato notes.
It takes some doing with different embouchures and mouth shapes to voice these notes and to get the best response from them, but is this something these basses all share? I was speaking with someone tonight who had problems with her upper register Eb as well - the same trouble I have with mine as the Eb seems very reluctant to speak, probably due to it being at the uppermost limit for the lower speaker vent.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: bassklarinetrrrr
Date: 2015-03-24 04:03
For clarification's sake -
Are you referring to the clarino or altissimo Eb/F#? If it's the latter, I highly recommend staying away from standard fingerings for altissimo notes on bass clarinet at all costs!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-03-24 04:45
Upper register - not altissimo.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Jeff Chan
Date: 2015-03-24 09:52
Chris,
I play on a 1193 Prestige bass clarinet and with careful adjustment, the clarion Eb and F# can be made to respond just as well as the notes around them.
For me, the keys are proper pad sealing and proper adjustment of the bridge mechanism as well as the linkage that closes the top (F#) pad on the bottom joint. Very small rotations of the adjustment screws (as little as 5 degrees of rotation) have a great affect on the response of these notes.
Given what I have seen of the beauty of your customization work on soprano clarinets, I have no doubt that you can make the appropriate adjustments on your bass clarinet.
Good luck with your issues,
Jeff
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Author: Wes
Date: 2015-03-24 10:37
The 1193 Prestige bass clarinet I purchased from Howarth's was perfectly adjusted and I have not found any bad notes. I assume that Howarth's did a post factory set up on it and I've found it to be simply great. I worked on the stock Buffet mouthpiece, thinning the rails and some other things, and it is quite good also. Since I mostly play soprano clarinet, saxophone, and oboe, I haven't played it as much as I would like to, however. Thanks for asking.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-03-24 11:02
The most noticeable problem I have with the upper Eb is when slurring from open G up to the Eb (keeping the appropriate RH fingers down when playing open G) as the Eb felt hesitant and veiled by comparison to the open G. While I expect a difference in tone colour, I wasn't really expecting the not-so-good response, especially right in an exposed orchestral solo.
But it has been a fair while since I played bass in an orchestral setting and I spent time just playing the G-Eb interval to try to smooth things out.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2015-03-24 14:10
I don't have any problem with the Eb but the F# is sligthly tricky. I sometimes use the banana F# instead, but usually not.
Re anyone saying all notes are fine, I would be cautious...
For example, before adjusting the neck register hole I asked many people about it. A couple of extremely good bass clarinet players who use this model said they just don't have the problem I described (among several). By coincidence, these players got a chance to try my modified neck and when they did, they could feel the issue.
Point is that unless someone is right there with you and you can try stuff... it can be difficult to know exactly what you mean.
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Author: jonrussell20
Date: 2015-03-25 14:46
I'm sure some adjustments can help, but a lot of it is getting the proper voicing in your mouth. This register is the most different between Bb and bass; on Bb it sings so easily, while on bass it is basically the least resonant register. As a result there's a strong temptation to tighten and bite to get the notes to speak, but you actually need to do the opposite: keep the air moving and relax, give it space to resonate. This is especially true when crossing the break -- it's really important not to close off the air or bite. Again, I'm sure some adjustments could help, as others have suggested, but there's also a lot you can do just with your air and mouth shape.
Jonathan Russell
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-03-25 17:55
That's what I have been experimenting with the register changes - breath support, mouth shape and tongue position to voice the upper register. It has helped clear things up but the slight resistance is probably due to the length of the amount of tubing involved - from a short tube note for the G to a greater length of tubing for the upper Eb, being double that of a Bb clarinet so takes more doing.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2015-03-26 20:37
While I don't play a prestige, I'm guessing that these notes are close to or at the neck register transition points in the clarion, and while the double register mechanism is an improvement, it is still a bit of a compromise and notes and control are not solid at the transition point. I found that I have more nonunifomity in notes in that region with an easy-to-play, 'well' broken-in reeds, and that my most uniform response comes when I play an almost new (and slightly resistant) reed that makes me work a little on all notes, but gives me most uniformity through that region.
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