 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Reese Oller
Date: 2023-02-06 23:24
In my fifth grade year, my band director asked for a volunteer to switch to bass clarinet, but no one went for it. To me, that kind of makes sense, as we were all learning Bb clarinet and were very small, but every year since then, only I ever showed any interest. Talking to my fellow clarinets in junior year of high school, I've found out that people seem to be afraid of the bass clarinet. Personally, I've not found the transition difficult, and the bass clarinet is a wonderful instrument! Does anyone else see this apprehension in clarinetists?
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Author: kdk
Date: 2023-02-07 01:53
I can suggest two reasons.
One is that the bass clarinets in most schools are either sub-par instruments or, if they are decent instruments, they're too often not in good mechanical condition. The result is that a school clarinet player who tries to play it for the first time is faced with an unresponsive, fuzzy sounding instrument that squeaks a lot.
Another is that in a band, the bass clarinetist tends to become a permanent player on the instrument. His identity as a clarinetist is replaced and he often never gets to play soprano clarinet in that band again.
There are a number of other possible reasons - the size, the cost of reeds, the fact that most band directors can't help much with basic technical issues. I think it may not be so much fear of the instrument as hesitancy to give up what the student can already do successfully.
Karl
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2023-02-07 02:33
I've never played bass. I blew one numerous times when a band director. Perhaps a fear of high notes on it?
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Author: Klarnt
Date: 2023-02-07 02:46
One additional reason why some Sopranos are apprehensive to switch to Bass (at least in lower level bands) is because of the perception that the music is 'boring'. Speaking from personal experience the school's instruments were always in poor condition, so I only went back to the Bass when I got my own.
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Author: Johnny Galaga
Date: 2023-02-07 05:46
Another honest feedback is that switching to bass makes everyone think I'm less of a musician than the sopranos and that really just doesn't do wonders for my ego, now does it?
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2023-02-07 06:14
I switched to Bass Clarinet in junior high. I thought "That's cool! It looks like a saxophone!" so I wanted to play it.
None of that other stuff entered into my mind about identity, playing boring music, or whatever.
If anything, my guess would be that parents may have just PURCHASED the clarinet or are paying to rent one... and why tell Mom and Dad that you want to switch?
Or that you need new (more expensive) reeds... again?
The younger they are, the more it's a 'risk' to see if they'll stick with it, so the money that's spent... is already spent. Why would a kid want to ask the parents for more money for something to 'try'?
If the director wants Bass Clarinet players, let the director take the 'risk' of the reeds and other things so the parent doesn't have to.
Getting back into playing after 20 years.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren M15 Profile 88 (non-13) mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren blue-box #3.5 reeds
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Author: Reese Oller
Date: 2023-02-07 06:31
Speaking on behalf of my school's basses, they are in excellent condition (partly thanks to my insistence). As far as reeds, they're provided to anyone who wants them, and any technical issues are quickly found and fixed. As far as being typecast as a bass clarinetist, it's true, I am. But that's because my director thinks of it as a specialty skill that he values, same with Eb. I play bass and contrabass in my school's top band, and all of the clarinets in marching and Symphonic (middle) band as a kind of utility guy. My B.D. was slightly inaccurate in telling me how to switch, but I taught myself well enough-- I'm often allowed to "rattle the ceiling" on bass and contrabass! I'm lucky enough to have parents who respect my musical needs, and while I use school instruments, I don't lack reeds for them. High notes are indeed a doozy, but with a vandoren BD5 and 3.5 strength reeds, they positively sing, while the low notes growl. I absolutely love bass clarinet and play it whenever needed!
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2023-02-07 09:41
I relate to David Kinder's post.
When I was in 7th grade (first semester), I heard/saw bass clarinets for the first time. Two of the eighth grade girls played bass.
I fell in love with the sound, and was allowed to "check one out" over Christmas break. I began playing bass the following semester. Being a shy kid, the two eighth grade girls intimidated me greatly - they teased me a lot, but I loved the instrument and stuck with it, making all-state two years later.
In consideration of playing bass clarinet, I never had any of the negative thoughts mentioned in the earlier posts (at least not at the time). In fact I just loved playing bass. The look, the feel, the sound...even the parts.
Being in a small school with a small band, the bass was very exposed and demanding. If I made a mistake, the entire group knew it. That provided good motivation, and was quite challenging/fun.
Moving to bass clarinet benefited me a lot in the areas of counting, rhythmic accuracy, breath support, being nimble, confidence, etc. Being shy, I would have just hid in the sound of the soprano section, but the exposed parts of the bass forced me to be independent.
It is true - though - that some of the negative things folks mentioned above did come into play a little later. I was well-known as a bass player of some ability (in the context of high school/college playing), and it became difficult for me to refrain from being called on to play bass in various ensembles. There were many good soprano players, and few good bass players...so the conductors and leaders always tried to put me on bass. So, in that light - it was a bit of a trap.
I think most of the snobbery I felt from soprano-only players was short-lived and occurred in the final two years of high school - then vanished in college.
Overall, I feel playing bass at a somewhat early age was (can be) a benefit.
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: Reese Oller
Date: 2023-02-10 21:45
These reasons make a lot of sense. I, personally, didn't choose bass clarinet, but now that I've been playing it, I wouldn't choose Bb over bass. So being typecast is okay for me in this case; plus I have many more instruments to play in other bands/ orchestras in my area, such as bassoon or saxophone.
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