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list Mon, 14 Sep 1998 Volume 1 : Number 88In this issue:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Re: Low-C Bass Clarinet
- Re: Low-C Bass Clarinet
- Re: Low-C Bass Clarinet
- Re: list V1 #84
- contrabass clari altissimo?!?!?!?
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 22:29:22 EDT
From: CoolStu67@aol.com
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Low-C Bass ClarinetNo offense is meant in this comment... it is just my strong opinion. First
off, I understand a low C bass would surely enhance your playing by increasing
your range, but it isn't going to make you a better player. "Inferior
instruments" is a strange term because it is an abstract term. Inferiority is
in the eye of the beholder. I play the alto sax and own a YAS-23 (the bottom
of the barrel) with no high F# key. Is this going to bring down my strengths?
Absoultely not. I would not say this instrument is inferior at all... in fact,
I have been at a higher chair than two people with a Selmer Mark 6 and a Super
Action 80 S2 at All-State! These are regarded as the best saxes in the world,
but alas, I have beaten them with a bottom level Yamaha! Also, on my beginner
sax with no F# key I am able to play chromatically up to a C above the highest
F with my altissimo skills. And I have been able to reach a low A below the
lowest Bb with some foot work. So, inferior instruments are limiting your
strenths? I think not. Bottom line... if you own a "lesser quality" instrument
your strengths ought to be able to overcome the limits your instrument has.Stuart
- Eb Alto sax
- Bb Bass clarinet
- EEb Contrabass clarinet>I am currently a senior at Monroe-Woodbury High School. As a performer
>in one of the best Wind Ensembles in New York State, I played bass
>clarinet in DeMiejj's "Lord of the Rings." This incredible symphony
>called for notes below E-flat a number of times. Throughout my
>playing, i have found that the extended range would be very
>beneficial. Unfortunately, my school cannot afford to buy one. While
>they are expensive, the young lady would benefit from having one if
>she wants to play for years to come. Any gifted musician should not
>be held back by the limits of an instrument. I know because inferior
>instruments have limited my ability to show my strengths numerous times.------------------------------
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 17:05:09 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jean Adler <jean@espressocom.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Low-C Bass ClarinetMichael,
Amen to that about inferior instruments. I played on "crappy" ones for
most of my high school career. However, my parents were very poor, they
couldn't have purchased a decent soprano clarinet let alone a bass
clarinet for me. It is a sorry state of affairs in the educational system
in this country that talented kids have such lousy instruments yet the
football teams in so many schools go without nothing. But don't get me
started on school sports.
As per your comments about the Trilogy....what a fun piece to play. I
believe I have played a couple movements with my favorite being "Gandolf".
Great English horn part if I remember correctly.
Best of luck in your career. you may be interested in knowing that I am
now lucky enough to have enough money to provide a scholarship for a low
wind or brass student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Always
looking for a good bass clarinetist who can take advantage of the "Adler
scholarship".Jean Adler
On Sun, 13 Sep 1998, Michael Famulare wrote:
> I am currently a senior at Monroe-Woodbury High School. As a performer
> in one of the best Wind Ensembles in New York State, I played bass
> clarinet in DeMiejj's "Lord of the Rings." This incredible symphony
> called for notes below E-flat a number of times. Throughout my
> playing, i have found that the extended range would be very
> beneficial. Unfortunately, my school cannot afford to buy one. While
> they are expensive, the young lady would benefit from having one if
> she wants to play for years to come. Any gifted musician should not
> be held back by the limits of an instrument. I know because inferior
> instruments have limited my ability to show my strengths numerous times.
------------------------------Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 22:00:43 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jean Adler <jean@espressocom.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Low-C Bass ClarinetStuart,
I agree with you on some of your points. I was an All-Stater for 3 years.
Two of them first chair. I played on a plastic horn. I can only imagine
how much nicer my tone quality would have been had I owned the horn I have
now. There is a huge difference in bass clarinets. I currently own 2
(guess that makes me the ultimate nerd) and the difference between the 2
of them is incredible. They are both grenadilla but the key mechanisms
are completely different and the amount of air I need to play them varies
greatly. Even from 2 "identical" instruments there are enormous
differences. Why do people try out so many?
As a former band director it used to break my heart to see some of the
junk my students played on. Even the most accomplished musicians couldn't
make some of those instruments sound good. There comes a time when some
of the instruments are no longer worth fixing. Most of that in my
experience came about either because the instrument was a piece of junk to
start out with or was not taken care of. And many young people don't take
the time to care for their instruments properly. I won several
instruments that have been in my family or my husband's family for
decades. Because they were treated with respect they still play great.
But they were also good quality instruments to start out with.Jean
On Sun, 13 Sep 1998 CoolStu67@aol.com wrote:
> No offense is meant in this comment... it is just my strong opinion. First
> off, I understand a low C bass would surely enhance your playing by increasing
> your range, but it isn't going to make you a better player. "Inferior
> instruments" is a strange term because it is an abstract term. Inferiority is
> in the eye of the beholder. I play the alto sax and own a YAS-23 (the bottom
> of the barrel) with no high F# key. Is this going to bring down my strengths?
> Absoultely not. I would not say this instrument is inferior at all... in fact,
> I have been at a higher chair than two people with a Selmer Mark 6 and a Super
> Action 80 S2 at All-State! These are regarded as the best saxes in the world,
> but alas, I have beaten them with a bottom level Yamaha! Also, on my beginner
> sax with no F# key I am able to play chromatically up to a C above the highest
> F with my altissimo skills. And I have been able to reach a low A below the
> lowest Bb with some foot work. So, inferior instruments are limiting your
> strenths? I think not. Bottom line... if you own a "lesser quality" instrument
> your strengths ought to be able to overcome the limits your instrument has.
------------------------------Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 15:50:31 CDT
From: "Stephen Del Rea" <srea@uaex.edu>
To: list@contrabass.com (Contrabass-list)
Subject: Re: list V1 #84> of the highest of the three levels. In addition to her personal instrument,
> he has provided her with a resin Bass Clarinet for marching (yes, they march
> bass clarinets) and both a contra-alto and contra-bass. (Which alsoI marched briefly with a contrabass clarinet! The trombone
players behind me had to be on their guard whenever we made
a turn and I swung that big thing around! My neck couldn't
handle it, though, and it was a little longer than I could
reach for those right-hand notes. (Speaking of high school
hijinks, did anyone else ever put wheels on the end of your
instrument case and pull it behind you on your bicycle?!)
Stephen Rea <srea@uaex.edu> http://www.uaex.edu/srea
Oracle Certified Professional in Database Administration
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 18:27:49 CDT
From: "Gregg Bailey" <greggbailey@hotmail.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: contrabass clari altissimo?!?!?!?Help!! Last year I made the Symphonic (first) Texas All-State Band on
bass clarinet, and this year I would like to do the same but on
contrabass clarinet. The low clarinets all try out on the same music,
but altos are grouped together, basses are grouped together, while
contra-altos (contraltos?) and contrabasses are grouped together. This
year's tryout music calls for many altissimo notes, all the way up to
G!!! I have no idea how to finger altissimo notes on a contra. I'm
assuming altissimo notes do exist for contras, and I'd like to "blow
them away" with playing the notes as written. Even if altissimo notes
on contras are possible, I'm sure that most contra players won't play
those notes--I honestly don't know what us contra players are expected
to do----take them down an octave?
I have access to 2 Bb contrabasses, both metal and Leblanc. One is the
paperclip style, but with 2 different regester keys and range to only
low D. The other is the straight model, but of course has only the one
regester key. I prefer sitting in a chair to play a contra, but I don't
think I want to mess with the 2 seperate regester keys on the paperclip
model. So, I guess I'll just try out standing up with the straight
model.
At All-Region 2 years ago, the contra player played contra full time,
but had to have both the Eb and the Bb, and the alto player played alto
full time. LAST year at All-Region, the contra player only had the Eb,
and had to play bass clarinet part of the time (whether or not there was
actually a BBb part I don't know), and the alto player had to play
soprano clarinet part of the time. Last year at All-State, we had FOUR
contras in the top band, but all were Eb's. I don't know if there were
Bb parts or not.
I would think that if any given piece of band music calls for a
contra-alto, it definitely calls for a contrabass. Is this the case???
I hope so, because I really want to play BBb full-time at All-Region and
All-State. If I ended up with a part for a bass clarinet, I think I
would just play contrabass anyway. Having to mess with a contrabass AND
another instrument is SOOOOO difficult, because I refuse to lay the
contrabass down on the floor. Last year in the school band, we played
"Music for Prague 1968" and I played BBb contrabass. The other 2 pieces
I played bass clarinet on. I always had that big, long case in front of
me, and every time we changed pieces, it was a huge ordeal for me to
change instruments. Especially at the contests where I had even less
room on the stage to maneuver the instruments than I do in our huge band
hall!!!
I have seen one other Bb contra try out before, and he had a nice
Selmer rosewood. Of course he wasn't very good at playing it,
especially with his heart not being in the contra. I sure wish I could
have access to a Selmer. I could have at band camp, but they wouldn't
let me touch it; I had to play a 340 Leblanc instead. That one is such
that the bell will go on only one way: pointing forward. So why is it
that all pictures I see of those have the bell pointing backwards??????
I don't understand how that's even possible. They're not low D models,
because the bell goes all the way up. Speaking of, the bell on the one
at band camp was very wabbly; is it supposed to be? It made it very
insecure to play.
Well, I hope to hear alot of replies!!
-Gregg
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End of list V1 #88
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