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 Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Paul Aviles 
Date:   2020-11-21 17:04

Hey guys,



Just saw this and thought it was about the coolest accessory since the gel thumb rest.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI-mFqWKMFY







.................Paul Aviles



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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Djudy 
Date:   2020-11-22 21:01

Anybody tried this one ? (after all not every costume has a belt) https://www.thomann.de/fr/jazzlab_saxholder_pro.htm





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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: sdr 
Date:   2020-11-23 01:17

Of course!! Been using this for bass clari for two years. Check out Michael Lowenstern’s YouTube channel and website (<www.earspasm.com>) — you can purchase them there. Really a great product.

-sdr

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Tom H 
Date:   2020-11-23 01:56

I believe the bari sax player in our band has used some sort of suspenders/device like this for years, maybe decades. Never really gave it a thought 'til I saw this video. I guess his was hand made.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2020-11-23 03:36

I think BG also made a sling that attaches to the player's belt to take the weight of the instrument off the neck. I did this sort of adaptation for a bari player many years back as he was finding the weight too much around his neck and was using a harness sling which he still didn't like all that much. During a rehearsal I hitched up the harness type sling he was using to his belt so the straps run over his shoulders and didn't pull into his rib cage as harnesses do which worked a treat.

I used a JazzLab one for bass sax when marching with it rather than the usual sling or a harness as it could be hidden under my tunic as well as the weight of the instrument being supported by the shoulder brackets, just like a bass drum carrier (which I also played with another parade band).

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Paul Aviles 
Date:   2020-11-23 08:03

The video ends with CLIPS so that the "shoulder belt" can be used attached directly to pants (or a skirt).







..................Paul Aviles



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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: clarnibass 
Date:   2020-11-23 13:11

I tried it... maybe not this one exactly, not sure, but same idea that it attaches to your pants. What I didn't like was... it gave a slight wedgie and it's also not the most comfortable if you don't put your shirt inside your pants, which for me is at least 100% of the time.

There are plenty of options that are not a neck strap.
I use a long peg when the least weight is the most important.
For more freedom of movement, I use two harnesses. One is a regular shoulder harness and the other is a SaxHolder.

Still worth trying, others might like it.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Paul Aviles 
Date:   2020-11-23 13:46

You don't tuck your shirt in on stage?






.................Paul Aviles



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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Katrina 
Date:   2020-11-23 19:51

Can't wear a dress with it either. I often wear tops/shirts which are meant to be untucked. I love love love my saxholder. I also use it for soprano clarinet with a hair binder to attach to the thumbrest since I have an older clarinet.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: tdufka 
Date:   2020-11-23 20:49

The BeltHeld strap didn't work at all for me. As Clarnibass points out, If the strap is hooked to your belt, there is indeed the issue of the pants hiking up, especially if one is of lanky physique. I ended up making a support out of a small folding tripod mic stand that is adjusted so that I can use the same BC peg length when sitting down or standing up. Works really well.

Still looking for a good neck strap solution for more active playing...

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: sdr 
Date:   2020-11-23 21:54

Just a reminder that you can put a belt around your waist without running it through belt loops. It can go OVER your untucked shirts and OVER your dresses and skirts. You'll have to cinch it up a bit so it doesn't ride up too much but still works with this strap.

-s

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Paul Aviles 
Date:   2020-11-24 00:04

I guess though this idea is really oriented for bass clarinet after all. There you really only need some stability from pushing the horn forward and away from you. (no fear of wedgy for that modicum of force).






................Paul Aviles



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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Max S-D 
Date:   2020-11-24 03:07

I have a beltheld strap and it works great. It doesn't give me a wedgie, but I could see it happening under the right circumstances. It's entirely possible that my beer belly keeps everything from riding up any higher.

The main drawback is that it really requires a certain wardrobe to work properly, since you need to be wearing a belt and you need to have your shirt tucked in. I typically perform in jeans and a t-shirt and never tuck my shirt in under normal circumstances. I've tried playing with the tucked in t-shirt, which is ok, but not really my style. I tried just tucking in the back of the shirt, which looks awful. I settled on wearing an untucked flannel or a jacket over my tucked in shirt, but I tend to run pretty hot in that stuff.

At a more "classical" gig where I am already tucking in my shirt and wearing a jacket, wardrobe wouldn't be a problem, but I've never had a gig like that where I needed to stand.

I've mostly moved to a standing peg this year, but also I haven't tried to gig on it yet. I could see it being awkward to deal with, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, I suppose. I have a BG neckstrap that I use sometimes as well as a neotech harness I use for bari sax. The harness is comfortable, but the range of motion of the instrument is a little limiting, which is good and bad. The harness also doesn't fit well in my case, which is important to me.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Roxann 
Date:   2020-11-24 05:38

Yes! I use the jazzlab off-the-shoulder neck strap for my Bb clarinet. I had to do a little bit of adapting as I needed a bit shorter adjustment strap. I LOVE it. Have been using it for about 3 years.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: kilo 
Date:   2020-11-24 13:58

I could see using this on tenor, but personally, I like a two-hook neckstrap if I'm playing bass from a standing position. With a single hook near the middle of the body the bass pivots two much and requires extra effort to hold it secure for altissimo notes. I didn't have the two-hook option on my Yamaha 221 but it is a lighter instrument and was easier to manage. While my 33 is heavier, it still doesn't feel as its weighing on my neck, nothing like a baritone sax. Luckily, I do almost all my playing while seated.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: clarnibass 
Date:   2020-11-24 14:37

>> You don't tuck your shirt in on stage? <<

Never. Regardless of the style of the concert, etc.

>> Just a reminder that you can put a belt around your waist without running it through belt loops. It can go OVER your untucked shirts and OVER your dresses and skirts. <<

I rather tuck in my shirt... and I wouldn't :)

>> I guess though this idea is really oriented for bass clarinet after all. There you really only need some stability from pushing the horn forward and away from you. (no fear of wedgy for that modicum of force). <<

Hmm... aren't all replies here about using it with a bass clarinet? I thought they were. At least mine was. Actually maybe worth mentioning, I've tried it only with a bass clarinet, so not sure about other instruments (saxophones, etc.).

By the way there's a "belly stick" for bass clarinet. It's a device that attaches to your thumb rest and pushes against your stomach. You can make one, but also Steve Fox makes them. The first one he custom made for me... but I stopped using it...

>> moved to a standing peg this year, but also I haven't tried to gig on it yet. I could see it being awkward to deal with <<

It's a little limiting in movement, specifically in height (obviously). It might seem like it is basically the same as sitting with the bass on a peg, but not exactly. When sitting, you can arch your back and change your head/neck angles slightly which sort of allows the feel of movement even though the height of the instrument doesn't really change. When standing with a peg, it sort of anchers you a little more. It is not comfortable (or for some even possible) to make the same slight changed with your torso, so it feels more limiting. Still not a huge issue (for me) most of the time.

>> BG neckstrap that I use sometimes as well as a neotech harness I use for bari sax. <<

I gave up on neck straps after a few minutes :)
BG and Neotech are the two harnesses I've used for a while before only using the Neotech, but that's kind of like a thumb rest position... each player might prefer a different ones. It's not perfect, but it's the best compromise of movement/weight (the BG felt uncomfortable to me after a while, but it's really worth trying as many different ones as possible).

>> The harness is comfortable, but the range of motion of the instrument is a little limiting, which is good and bad. <<

Significantly less limiting than the long peg, but it does put the instrument in a certain position. I actually use it on the side (like some sax players) with the Neotech harness.

>> The harness also doesn't fit well in my case <<

Have you tried putting it in the bell? That's where I keep mine.

>> I use the jazzlab off-the-shoulder neck strap for my Bb clarinet. <<

The SaxHolder is made by Jazzlab (I think Jazzlab is the company name?). I started using it recently and seems promising. I might only use that even though it doesn't fit in my case. I use it occasionally but need more time with it. It does allow more freedom of movement of the instrument itself than my other harnesses.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: AB 
Date:   2020-11-27 06:52

Non-tucker here.... at first glance it doesn't seem like it would be comfortable for me personally (though I'm sure a great choice for many). I LOVE my Jazzlab Saxholder though. I lost my neckstrap in a move and happened to see a good deal on one & figured why not. So glad I did. Removes weight from the neck- and pressure on the sides of the neck for me. It looks like the harness would solve that problem too.

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 Re: Bass clarinet (or sax) strap NOT on your neck
Author: Hugues Fardao 
Date:   2020-12-06 02:13

I hate neck straps but needed something for the Alto clar. I have a BG S02M shoulder strap, a leather epaulette lined with sponge, and wear it on the neck : the large epaulette is more on my shoulders and the base of my neck than on my neck only, and I feel very comfortable.

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