hi! i have been playing the clarinet for nearly six years, and recently our school got a brand new bass clarinet. i have now got it, and i've been playing for roughly four-five months. the fingering is the same, but i can't find ANY music apart from the band parts - does anyone play it or know where to get music for it?????
rachel xox melody_maker

You don't tend to get music for bass clarinets, because very few composers actually compose for it as an instrument on its own. The bass clarinet tends to only be used in band music. I used to play the bass clarinet, and I remember my teacher telling me that if I wanted music written specially for the bass, I would have to compose it myself. But you can just play Bb clarinet music as the bass is in the same key (assuming that you have a Bb bass?).

There is a reasonable amount of music written for bass clarinet.

There would have to be, considering that these days you can take a Masters degree in contemporary bass clarinet performance (at least in Holland).

You can also study it as a principal instrument in Australian high schools and they have a syllabus for it, I'll paste the recommended works here:

Year 11:



Year 12:



The Bass Clarinet is a fantastic instrument, good on you for taking up the challenge!

try and get an excerpt book for the clarinet, that should have some bass clarinet tunes in, that will actually be useful, if yo can make anything for yourself, and play in an orchestra

thank you!!! i think its a great instrument and i love the tone! i think i like it more than the Bb clarinet as hardly anyone plays it and it has a lovely mellow sound.i will now go and look up these pieces!! thanks again for your help! melody_maker

hey.
i had several problems finding bass clarinet music but i have found - June Emerson - to be very good. You can order a catalogue, like i did, and in it there is a medium size collection of just bass clarinet music.
vicki x

thanks so much, vicki bee!!!! this site is great, its just what our windband needs!!!! xx melody_maker xx

I wrote a set of 3 pieces for it a few years ago! But that's probably not very helpful! It's just that I think it's a great instrument too.