Author: Klarnt
Date: 2022-12-31 10:51
Sorry for the confusion, I should have been more clear.
By "blast off" I just meant the note went up to the next partial. So instead of sounding like a Clarion note, it was more akin to an Altissimo pitch. Probably caused by too much jaw pressure, not enough corners.
As for "electric" it's a lot harder to explain. That's just the word that comes to mind... When playing the lower Clarion it just feels like the instrument is 'rattling' as opposed to 'healthily vibrating' ('this' is the best I've got...)? It's really hard to put into words. Some other characteristics to describe the lower Clarion would be Thin and Buzzy. I guess those notes also tend to be very VERY sharp in tuning -I can't even lip it down to green with my embouchure nor voicing. The difference in tuning between lower Clarion & the corresponding Chalumeau is very extreme; the E/B is the worst offender. I don't mean to go on a tangent, but I was once told that "good tuning leads to good tone; poor tuning leads to bad tone". I wonder if the sharp tuning gives a better idea of what I'm talking about tone wise?
I used to play on a Vito Bass Clarinet, absolutely hated it. The Kessler is a massive upgrade in basically every regard. I chose Kessler because I wanted to play down to a Low C (which I actually use a decent amount), and it wasn't too much more expensive to other student model Bass Clarinets like Jupiter or Yamaha that only went down to Low Eb. Further, Michael Lowenstern reviewed the horn, and he gave me a good impression on Kessler. For its price, I like it. I have only used one other mouthpiece, but in general I don't have much access to other Bass Clarinet mouthpieces. I chose a BD5 because a retired Clarinetist recommended it to me, and it played much better than my first one. The BD5 seemed to have helped the tuning in the lower Chalumeau, as well as with projecting a mighty loud sound. To be specific, the lower Chalumeau tends to be flat, but now it's really just the Low F and especially Low E that are the main 'problem notes'. Like their Clarion brethren they also have a thin ugly tone, and are widely out of tune (FLAT -at that point I think it's the design of the instrument). With the BD5 mouthpiece I can easily get the rest of the lower Chalumeau in tune. With the reeds I am referring to the standard blue box: I have tried 2.5 reeds, too soft. Sometimes I get a size 3 reed that feels too soft... but a box of 3.5 has proven too hard so that's awkward... I have not tried V21s; what's the difference between it and the standard blue box?
Post Edited (2022-12-31 10:52)
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