Bass Clarinet Help, Problems with highish notes Options

[Halka]

Musical Maniac now has the bass clarinet in her clutches! It's a Vito Resotone. She's having problems with notes involving the speaker key not sounding properly and coming out squeaky. Any suggestions as to the most likely causes and possible solutions? Thanks!

[kingsley13]

I've only played a bass clarinet once, but when I did, I found I could only in the lowest register. My music had C and D in the next register which I couldn't play. I asked the girl who usually played bass calrinet at school and she said that those notes were very hard to get out and she could rarely play them.

Are these the notes you are talikng about, because I think they might be one of those problems with everyone?

[clarinetkitteh]

Ah I remember struggling with those notes too. I adjusted to them after a few sessions, but I remember it was just a matter of adjusting my breathing while playing long notes (long notes: the solution to all problems) until it worked: trial and error basically! I found myself using just my normal clarinet embouchure with a little bit more mouthpiece in my mouth, though it took a lot of air and breathing control to get it to sound right.

[Halka]

I've only played a bass clarinet once, but when I did, I found I could only in the lowest register. My music had C and D in the next register which I couldn't play. I asked the girl who usually played bass calrinet at school and she said that those notes were very hard to get out and she could rarely play them.

Are these the notes you are talikng about, because I think they might be one of those problems with everyone?

Yes, I think those are just the notes in question! I will get MM to post something herself, by way of explanation, if it turns out I am wrong.

[CJB]

The 2nd register on a bass is a bit of a compromise. I can't remember for sure but I'm fairly sure the Vito doesn't have the double register key mechanism which makes it a little easier.

The answer is (as always (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ) practice. She needs to keep the embouchure fairly relaxed and will require loads and loads of air and support. Make sure she is taking a reasonable amount of the mouthpiece into her mouth, her lip should sit at the same relative position on the reed as for her Bb reeds.

Try approaching the really awkward notes from above. Start on a G and establish the sound, then slowly work down ensuring each note sounds properly. Keep the air flow up and keep the volume fairly high. Once she starts to get a feel for how the notes feel then try approaching from below again. It's probably also worth playing around with different reeds/re positioning the reed on the mouthpiece.

Initially also it is worth only attempting to slur onto these notes then reattempt the tonguing later.

It will come eventually but you do have to approach bass as a different beast and not assume that just because you can play Bb bass will come automatically.

[Halka]

CJB, many thanks for this. MM has read your comments, and I will remind her about them next time the bass comes out. Things did go a little better today, but yes, I think that I, at least, thought playing the bass would be more straightforward than it seems. It had not occurred to me that this was going to be yet another instrument that she was going to have to practise. Oh, dear! More fool me!

Her teacher will take a look tomorrow, but I'm not sure how much experience of basses he has.

Fortunately, all her wind band parts for this term stay very low!

[OllytheClarinet]

When I started playing the bass, I had this problem, but then I switched to a different instrument... though you may not be able to do that... maybe try a different reed? Actually, I think it would be best to take it to someone who knows the mechanisms, it might be that the register key is a bit slow/stiff. But I asked someone, and they said the bass should have about the same register as a Bb clarinet (though an octave lower obviously). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[oldromola]

At the very beginning of this year I bought a lovely Yamaha entry level bass clarinet (YCL 221) with a view to having lessons on it. This New Year's resulution has so far not been achieved as shortly afterwards I started re-learning the Bb clarinet. However.........

I find the lower register of the bass very easy to blow indeed and the sound is just so gorgeous. I haven't had all that much difficulty with the higher register but my tone up there is dreadful. I suspect that to play the bass clarinet well in the upper registers requires (a) some lessons (b) months of regular prectice and © probably a harder reed than I am currently using.

[Halka]

Frustratingly, Musical Maniac, had to leave the bass at school after wind band last week for one of the teachers to use in another group. She hoped to bring it home this weekend for practice, but could not find it in its usual place in the music department. So, little practice has happened since last weekend.

She and her clarinet teacher did spend some time on it last Monday, and he mentioned he knew of a nice suite of pieces for bass, based on the characters from Winnie the Pooh. He was going to dig it out for her to prepare, possibly for performance after Christmas, but it's uncertain how much access she'll have to the school instrument to practise on, and perfect those dodgy notes.