As I mentioned in jo-jos thread .... In all my years of clarinetting I've never played bass clari. I had a brief go on an alto and didn't like it. Think that was a lot down to the weight on my thumb and the position of the thumb rest. Anyway...... I might (Probably will) have a chance to have a go on a bass clari over the next week or so. I may even end up playing it in a concert for the church. Depends on whether another girl gets back from her hols in time. I'd actually been asked if i'd put in the bass line on normal clari if needed and I've offered to fill in whatever parts are necessary BUT... I've had the thought of offering to do it on the bass clari that my friend's daughter has custody of for the moment (borrowed from her teacher). I've been told I can go for coffee and have a play on it if I want (which I do!!) But would I be silly to think of playing it in the concert if necessary???? It's only easy music - mama Mia and maybe the Flintstones too.....???


I also "play" tenor sax though it's not seen the light of day this year yet.... and could use this but am afraid it'd over shadow the claris and fluties .....

And I will be playing my normal Bb in the show too - Playing some of the Victorian Kitchen Garden unaccompanied.... (Current thoughts are Prelude, Spring and Summer) ..... Accompanist (never sure of that word/sp??) not available. So any thoughts on this too???

Have fun trying the bass.
See how you feel before deciding. Might be a little safer if you don't have to go over the break on it.....

Personally I wouldn't play Victiorian Kitchen Garden unaccompanied but if it works for you then go ahead.
Especially if it's an audience who moght not really know it.

Have fun!

It's best to consider bass as a separate instrument as even as a really competant clarinettist you will find some things very difficult at first (eg crossing the break!).

If the part stays mostly in the lower register you will have a LOT more fun playing it on bass than filling in on a Bb.

Try to keep your lower jaw quite relaxed, and expect it to ache after about 10 mins. The day after I got my bass I took it to a rehearsal in the hope I'd get to play for 10 mins - the bass clarinettist was away that week so I ended up playing all day.....I had a blast but my jaw felt like it was dropping off afterwards.

Thanks. My teacher suggested the Prelude. Lots of rhubato and some cuts of the rests. He also seems to think summer will work. I was thinking of throwing spring into the mix as a contrast.

I actually have very little unaccompanied music!!! Obviously would be better with accompaniment and mists and exotic NEED it but thought teh others would work better than say Mozart ....



OK. Thanks for the advice Think it's lower register but will have to check part to be sure.

I have to agree with Sbhoa in my opinion about playing the Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite. There are plenty of other works that sound lovely on unaccompanied clarinet.

Bass clarinet does take some getting used to, but as others have said, keep a relaxed jaw and probably aim not to go too high initially!

Hi, Dawn! Did you see the thread I started about my daughter's difficulties with the school's bass clarinet? It's here. She is working for her grade 7 on "normal" clarinet so is no beginner, but is certainly finding the bass very hard work. It's getting better slowly, but not helped by limited access to the instrument. I've no idea how it compares to tenor sax, but daughter just started alto sax which seems very straightforward compared to the bass clari.

We wish you luck!

Like what??? Please let me jear what you suggest. Thing is it can't be too long - whole thing only lasts 1hr and there are a number of other "acts" - a range of music and singing. I've only had a few weeks to prepare so certainly no time to go out and buy anything specially. It's now next Friday. I was hoping for accompaniment but that's not going to happen now. My teacher says it'll be ok without with a few careful adaptations to the long rests etc.... BUT....

If any other suggestions are things I already can do that's great and I may be able to change it. If not I think I'm going to have to stick with this as it's just too late in the day ....



Thanks. I shall follow up your thread And will let you know how I get on (assuming I do get chance to have a play)

See your other thread

The Ktchen Garden suite is so beautiful. I'd forgotten all about it till I read this thread.

How about Bach for solo clarinet?

http://www.clariperu.org/Bach_Solo.PDF

Plenty to choose from!


Steve

Good advice

To be honest, bass clarinet is best down low, and if you at least initially concentrate on getting the best sound you possibly can down low, you'll be doing I think the best thing.

It's also a good idea to practice using the extra key(s) to get Eb and lower (if your bass goes lower than the Eb).

Excellent advice - if you are lucky enough to have access to one that goes down to the C make use of it, irrespective of what the part says! Ok take that with pinch of salt but don't be afraid to put things down an octave in fuller scored passages.

Thanks. Just need to organise a time to play now I suspect that's all it will amount to for now - a little play - as the other girl is hoping to be back and she does an admirable job. Still I'm quite excited about it and also don't want to embarrass myself too much

Be careful - it sounds like you are at the top of a slippery slope!

I had just about convinced myself I wanted to save for a bass but would get a 'cheap' to low Eb bass then upgrade if I really got into playing bass. I was then asked to fill in on bass for a wind band play day and was lent a Buffet low C bass for the day - well despite fighting the instrument a little I had a ball at which point my original plan went out of the window and I started saving like crazy.

It does have to be said that I'm not great at self restraint - there was the memorable day I went to get a minor repair done to my Eb and returned with a new Bb as well! Whilst killing time waiting for the repair I decided to try a few Bbs to see how much more money I needed to save for my much planned Bb upgrade..........I fell in love with an ex-demo instrument that was only £200 more than I'd already saved up.

CJB it sounds like you and me are very similar in the 'restrain' (or lack of) department! I just bought a Bb clarinet worth around £900 'just to mess around with'!!!! It's not my main instrument or anywhere near it either but it was just so nice when I looked at it's specification and 'met him' at the music shop

I also have this dream of a bass clarinet and I have made up my mind: if I ever buy one it will be the low C one

No danger of that right now. If I was to have another clarinet - which I'm not - I think I'd look for an A first.

Bass is more intriguing and I don't know how I've got through 25+ years of clarinetting without even blowing one.......

Well last night the bass clarinet came to stay I got on with it so well on initial blowing that I've got myself a job playing it in the concert on Friday night The other girl isn't going to make it BUT she's gone off on holiday without passing on her music So last night I spent some mind boggling time transposing from the score where the bass part is written at concert pitch in bass clef!!! FUN ...... maybe wasn't the right word

But playing the bass is. There's not that many notes in the part and a lot of it is just rhythm - on the beat notes. Goes into the mid register (still called clarion?) a little but not a lot.


Does the bass play all the notes the ordinary Bb does?? This has an additional low Eb but not down to C(or whatever the althernative is) I can't make the higher notes sound - i.e. C above the stave etc. (Not sure I need them though I was just experimenting)


What's bizarre though is that some of the very lowest notes seem to resonate right through me making my cheeks vibrate and my sight then seems a bit blurry (due to the vibrations) Sound normal???


I occasionally have tripped up on fingering as I seem to think I'm playing sax. Oops Gonna have a bit more fun practise later.

Probably the same as going from clarinet to oboe. Mixing up the F/F# RH1 vs RH2? It usually only happens in the first few minutes though.

Just hope that your first few bars are 'pp' and not 'fff'

Steve

For ages (years, probably) I'd lapse into clarinet fingering playing sax if I was stressed at all. Especially if I was playing a piece not specifically written for sax with notes below Bb in it. I'm not at all sure I'd ever manage to be an effective doubler.

[quote name='DawnF' date='Oct 29 2009, 10:34 AM' post='889371']
Well last night the bass clarinet came to stay :)
[quote]

well, I am JEALOUS JEALOUS JEALOUS, wish I had a bass clarinet coming to stay for the night :lol:

I think maybe something went wrong with your post jojo Been playing it again tonight. It does take a whole lot of puff

Wish me luck for tomorrow

In the sax quartet I used to play in the tenor player and myself were really clarinettists we both regularly suffered from emergency clarinet fingering moments.

Re the very high notes on bass - take a look at the plate on the 1st LH finger - it should have a little hole in it for the notes above the C hold it down but don't cover the hole. I can get a full 4 octaves out of my low C bass, but I don't see much point in bass that high.....it's that bottom regisiter I have it for

I do sometimes find the vibration when playing the low notes a bit disturbing. I will occaisionally either double lip or just lift my teeth from the mouthpiece if playing very loud low notes.

Be careful - a bass will start to seem way more appealing than an A - there are more wind bands wanting a bass clarinet than orchestras looking for someone with a pair





You may find your tone on Bb improves through playing bass just through having got used to shifting much more air through the instrument.

Have fun tomorrow

Thanks: The bass has left the building - gone to the other girl who's playing it tomorrow too (Check out high notes thread for details) - Yes I know it wnt off topic! I did notice the hole though that you mention - It had kind of a double key so do I depress the other bit of it to leave teh hole open? Might get chance for a bit more experimentation tomorrow. No point wanting one - haven't the money and I wouldn't want to play it instead of my Bb anyway - It's just a bit of fun to finally get a go.

I am rubbish at sightreading on my sax. I'm always playing clarinet fingerings, or trying to press keys that aren't actually there!

Good luck for later today Dawn!

Thanks - It's going to be fine - just had a final run with the group this morning (I want a bass clarinet smilie now! )

We haven't had any new smilies for a couple of years now : I think it'd be nice to not only have a bass clari smiley, but also a saxophone, recorder, bassoon, 'cello and a conductor one