Contrabass Digest
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1998-10-30

 
list                           Fri, 30 Oct 1998           Volume 1 : Number 14

In this issue:
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 09:00:24 EST
From: LeliaLoban@aol.com
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: NASAbasso?

Speaking of subwoofer menaces.... Today (Oct. 29), The Washington Post carries
a front-page story by Joel Achenbach and Kathy Sawyer, "'Hurricane Glenn' at
Full Throttle," about today's shuttle launch.  (The article is also available
online, at www.washingtonpost.com.)  The story says that the liftoff weight of
Discovery is 4.5 million pounds, mostly fuel, and that,"The acoustic shock
waves created by the explosive liftoff are so intense that 300,000 gallons of
water are to be released into the trench beneath the thundering spaceship to
keep the vehicle from being ripped to pieces."  (Whoa, that's one helluva spit
valve!)  I've never seen a launch, but it must be quite something, even from
3-1/2 miles away, the closest that viewers are allowed.  Wonder what pitch a
space shuttle sings?  Tune in at 1:30 p.m. EST and find out....

Lelia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Roll over Beethoven / Tell Tchaikovsky the news."
--Chuck Berry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 10:33:49 -0500
From: Michael Cogswell <Michael_Cogswell@gtsi.com>
To: "'list@contrabass.com'" <list@contrabass.com>
Subject: RE: NASAbasso?

Interesting.  I had been told long ago (back in the Apollo days) that the
water was to keep the main engines from melting the launch pad.  There are
huge flame tunnels to channel the exhaust away, and they emit incredible
clouds of steam.

As for the noise, I was part of a team that was researching remote detection
of missile launches long ago.  We were able to detect and verify the
acoustic signature of the Saturn 5 launches from more than 1000 nautical
miles away over land and somewhat further over water.  Those puppies were
LOUD and the initial acoustic pressure was enormous.

MikeC (A lurker who loves seismic music and is blessed with a daughter who
plays Bass, Contra-bass and Contra-alto clarinets.  When she wants to get my
goat, she threatens to buy a piccolo.)

-----Original Message-----
From: LeliaLoban@aol.com [mailto:LeliaLoban@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 1998 9:00 AM
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: NASAbasso?
----------
Speaking of subwoofer menaces.... Today (Oct. 29), The Washington Post carries
a front-page story by Joel Achenbach and Kathy Sawyer, "'Hurricane Glenn' at
Full Throttle," about today's shuttle launch.  (The article is also available
online, at www.washingtonpost.com.)  The story says that the liftoff weight of
Discovery is 4.5 million pounds, mostly fuel, and that,"The acoustic shock
waves created by the explosive liftoff are so intense that 300,000 gallons of
water are to be released into the trench beneath the thundering spaceship to
keep the vehicle from being ripped to pieces."  (Whoa, that's one helluva spit
valve!)  I've never seen a launch, but it must be quite something, even from
3-1/2 miles away, the closest that viewers are allowed.  Wonder what pitch a
space shuttle sings?  Tune in at 1:30 p.m. EST and find out....

Lelia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Roll over Beethoven / Tell Tchaikovsky the news."
--Chuck Berry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 08:18:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Robert Groover <groover@netcom.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Acoustical engineering

> Acoustics is a specialty of mechanical engineering ...

Some acoustical engineers would disagree with that!
See the webpages for the Acoustical Society of America and the Audio
Engineering society.

> ... holds several patents.

I've written several for Compaq - there are some interesting issues in
sound reproduction with portable computers.  Some of the speaker
companies are quite active patenters too.  (Now if anyone knows of a
musical instrument company with patenting needs, that would really be
interesting!)

Robert Groover   groover@netcom.com   (PGP key on request)
Member ECS, AVS, ACM, OSA, Sen.Mem.IEEE, Reg'd Patent Atty
        "All men by nature desire knowledge."

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 13:11:36 -0600
From: "Steve Rea" <srea@uaex.edu>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

Just received my new Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet yesterday.
Never could go that high!  Never could go that low!  I was lucky to
go above a G on top of the staff on my old horn.  Now, I can play
nearly an octave above that, and almost effortlessly!  At orchestra
practice last night, I had a part that doubled the tuba, and we were
vibrating the floor down to that low C!  Wow!  What I have been
missing!

There's also a second opening on the bell (the first is for the low C)
which doesn't have a key, but, if I cover it good with my heel, I can
almost get a low B - I don't care to be a contortionist, though - just
playing around with it.  Does anybody with an 1193 model know
what that second opening is for?

Also, I didn't get a fingering chart with it (or, hardly any documentation
for that matter), which I hoped that it would have, mainly to answer a
question I've wondered about for a long time.  There are four keys on
the right side of the clarinet family that RH1 can operate.  The first one
is used for first-line Eb.  What are the other three keys for?  I've never
used them, but, just curious.
 

Stephen Rea <srea@uaex.edu>  http://www.uaex.edu/srea
Oracle Certified Professional in Database Administration
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 13:18:58 -0600
From: Jean Adler <jean@cyberbean.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

Steve Rea wrote:
> Just received my new Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet yesterday.
> Never could go that high!  Never could go that low!  I was lucky to
> go above a G on top of the staff on my old horn.  Now, I can play
> nearly an octave above that, and almost effortlessly!  At orchestra
> practice last night, I had a part that doubled the tuba, and we were
> vibrating the floor down to that low C!  Wow!  What I have been
> missing!
>
> There's also a second opening on the bell (the first is for the low C)
> which doesn't have a key, but, if I cover it good with my heel, I can
> almost get a low B - I don't care to be a contortionist, though - just
> playing around with it.  Does anybody with an 1193 model know
> what that second opening is for?

Steve,
I have the same instrument....getting it was like Christmas, my
birthday, and every other holiday involving gifts all rolled into one.
I had orchestra last night too.  We are doing the Strauss Death and
Transfiguration.  I have this wonderful very soft part that goes to a
low d.  I can play it at a whisper.  Believe me, you are going to love
this horn more and more every day.

I will take a look at my horn when I get home from work and see about
the other opening on the bell.

Take a look at the thumb keys.  The low d can be played with one of the
thumb keys, or with the right hand.  The extra keys took a bit of
getting used to.  But when I play my soprano I feel cheated.

Best of luck with your new "baby."  And welcome to the wonderful world
of the extended range bass clarinet.

Jean Adler

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 11:33:08 -0800
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

>Just received my new Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet yesterday.
>Never could go that high!  Never could go that low!  I was lucky to
>go above a G on top of the staff on my old horn.  Now, I can play
>nearly an octave above that, and almost effortlessly!  At orchestra
>practice last night, I had a part that doubled the tuba, and we were
>vibrating the floor down to that low C!  Wow!  What I have been
>missing!

Congrats on the new horn!  Sounds wonderful.

>There's also a second opening on the bell (the first is for the low C)
>which doesn't have a key, but, if I cover it good with my heel, I can
>almost get a low B - I don't care to be a contortionist, though - just
>playing around with it.  Does anybody with an 1193 model know
>what that second opening is for?

Venting/resonance.  Some instruments (e.g., oboes, shawms, crumhorns) have
traditionally had holes in the bell, or otherwise past the end of the
useful fingered holes, to improve the sound/timbre/intonation of the
instrument.  I suspect in this case that it makes your low C sound like the
rest of the notes nearby, rather than the distinctly different "bell tone".
Ever notice how you can usually recognize a woodwind's lowest note by its
distinct timbre?

>Also, I didn't get a fingering chart with it (or, hardly any documentation
>for that matter), which I hoped that it would have, mainly to answer a
>question I've wondered about for a long time.  There are four keys on
>the right side of the clarinet family that RH1 can operate.  The first one
>is used for first-line Eb.  What are the other three keys for?  I've never
>used them, but, just curious.

If you mean the four trill keys, the lowest is for Eb, and the next (well,
typically the bottom two together) gives an alternate F# (T RH-trill3/4):
this is about the only way to trill F-F#, and is handy in key sigs like Db
that have both F and Gb in scales.  The top two are handy for trilling
Bb/B/C, depending on your horn.  The Bb alternate is typically less
necessary on the bass clarinet, because the octave mechanism usually
includes a separate Bb pad for the throat Bb, but on soprano clarinet one
often finds that playing Bb using the A key plus the 2nd trill key works
better than the "standard" fingering using the octave key.

Grant
 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green                        gdgreen@contrabass.com
sarrusophones and other seismic devices
list@contrabass.com             http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 12:51:37 -0700 (MST)
From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@nmsu.edu>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

The four keys that are 'jumped' on the right side of your clarinet are as
follows, bottom to top:

Eb/Bb -  t x
    x
  4 o
  ---

F# -  t o
    o
  3 o
  ---

Trill A/Bb   A
  o o
  2 o
    o
  ---

Trill A/Bnat   A
  o o
  1 o
    o
  ---
 

J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
One of Key's 30,000 Friends
--------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 15:55:31 -0500
From: Michael Cogswell <Michael_Cogswell@gtsi.com>
To: "'list@contrabass.com'" <list@contrabass.com>
Subject: RE: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

Is yours the new 1193-2 or the previous 1193?

If you join the Klarinet list (to subscribe to the digest, e-mail: klarinet-digest-subscribe@sneezy.org),
Francois Kloc, the Woodwind Product Specialist for Boosey & Hawkes and is
the person who performs the tuning for Buffet in North America is online and
answers questions.

MikeC

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 15:32:11 -0600
From: "Steve Rea" <srea@uaex.edu>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: RE: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

1193-2.  Is that good?

Stephen Rea <srea@uaex.edu>  http://www.uaex.edu/srea
Oracle Certified Professional in Database Administration
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
 

>>> Michael Cogswell <Michael_Cogswell@gtsi.com> 10/29 2:55 PM >>>
Is yours the new 1193-2 or the previous 1193?

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 18:11:48 -0500
From: Michael Cogswell <Michael_Cogswell@gtsi.com>
To: "'list@contrabass.com'" <list@contrabass.com>
Subject: RE: RE: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

I am unqualified to answer such an apparently simple question.

It has certainly been well reviewed on the Klarinet list, so well that I am
considering breaking down and getting one for my daughter.  The original
1193 had several optional resonance keys, but M. Kloc told me via e-mail
that the issues that created the need for the optional keys had all been
addressed with the -2 version.  I'm anxious to see one for myself.

MikeC

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Rea [mailto:srea@uaex.edu]
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 1998 4:32 PM
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: RE: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet
 

----------
1193-2.  Is that good?

Stephen Rea <srea@uaex.edu>  http://www.uaex.edu/srea
Oracle Certified Professional in Database Administration
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
 

>>> Michael Cogswell <Michael_Cogswell@gtsi.com> 10/29 2:55 PM >>>
Is yours the new 1193-2 or the previous 1193?
 

------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 18:54:40 EST
From: CoolStu67@aol.com
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet

Vibrating the floor with only a concert Bb? Wow... you musta been with a low
Eb bass for a LONG time!!! Hehe, sorry, just a cheap shot from a contra
player! :) Have fun with your new bass... I wish I had one like it! (I've only
got a Yamaha plastic-resin low Eb) Maybe one day I'll get a low C model.

Stuart
 -Eb Alto sax
 -Bb Bass clarinet (YCL-220 I think, low Eb)
 -EEb Contralto clarinet (Selmer Bundy, low Eb [not as low as Grant's])
 

>Just received my new Buffet Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet yesterday.
>Never could go that high!  Never could go that low!  I was lucky to
>go above a G on top of the staff on my old horn.  Now, I can play
>nearly an octave above that, and almost effortlessly!  At orchestra
>practice last night, I had a part that doubled the tuba, and we were
>vibrating the floor down to that low C!  Wow!  What I have been
>missing!
>
>
>Stephen Rea <srea@uaex.edu>  http://www.uaex.edu/srea
>Oracle Certified Professional in Database Administration
>University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

------------------------------

End of list V1 #14
******************
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