Contrabass Digest
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1998-11-17

 
list                           Tue, 17 Nov 1998           Volume 1 : Number 28

In this issue:
 

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

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 11:08:19 -0600
From: "Steve Rea" <srea@uaex.edu>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: What do I do??????

>From my experience, I'd have to side with Gregg on this one.  The lower register
on my Buescher was about the only thing I could reliably play, and, with effort,
part of the upper register to about G.  Anything above that was nearly impossible
on it, and then only with a good reed, even with my 25 years of experience playing
bass clarinet.  The Buffet gives me an octave above that fairly easily.  I have no
doubt that my audition with the Arkansas Wind Symphony would have had much
different results with the Buffet than they did with the Buescher.  Hmmm ... perhaps
now it will!

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

>>> <CoolStu67@aol.com> 11/15 12:26 PM >>>

>I could have an excellent shot at FIRST CHAIR in the TEXAS ALL STATE BAND
>this year if I were playing a good bass clarinet (or contra), and those baritones are
>just for marching season.

This is definitely an unfounded complaint. Instruments don't play themselves,
you know. Do you believe the principle bassist of the NY Philharmonic wouldn't make
All-State if he played on a Selmer Bundy? I don't think so. And let me tell
you one thing; last year at the Florida All-State Convention, the first four
saxes all had student models; the first chair had a Bundy 2! And the last
chair had a Selmer Super Action 80 Series, and the fifth had a Selmer Mark 6,
both highly regarded professional saxophones.

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

Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 09:14:53 -0600
From: "Sam Henson" <s210031@acad.nwmissouri.edu>
To: <list@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: Re: TubaXmas, Sub-Freezing Performances

Does anyone know about a tuba Christmas in the Kansas City area?
-----Original Message-----
From: Fmmck@aol.com <Fmmck@aol.com>
To: arehow@vgernet.net <arehow@vgernet.net>; list@contrabass.com
<list@contrabass.com>
Date: Saturday, November 14, 1998 7:55 PM
Subject: Re: Re: TubaXmas, Sub-Freezing Performances
 

>In case no one noticed, the URL didn 't work as provided.  By trial and error,
>I found that it would work if the "www." was deleted, making
><http://php.indiana.edu/~philliph>.
>
>There were directories of the Tuba Christmases organized several ways
>including by state.  Boston and New York City were included, but I didn't see
>one specifically for Rockefeller Center.  (That is in NYC, isn't it?)
>
>Fred McKenzie
>------------------------

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

Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 10:25:12 -0600 (CST)
From: Jean Adler <jean@espressocom.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: What do I do??????

This message to Gregg....I know you are frustrated.  I remember being your
age and being one of the best musicians in my school and playing on a
sub-standard bass clarinet.  But I managed to make All-State 3 years, 2 of
them as first chair. I am surprised to hear that other schools have much
better instruments.  I assumed Texas put all their money into football
programs ;)  ;)  ;)
Is there any possiblity of renting an instrument for the short term?  Are
you seriously considering sticking with the bass clarinet?  When treated
right they will last many, many years.  Any chance of your parents
co-signing a loan and purchasing your own horn?  My personal preference is
the Buffet Prestige with the Low C extension.  Although both of my soprano
clarinets are LeBlanc I was not at all happy with the LeBlanc bass
clarinet.  The response in the high register didn't compare to the bass.

Keep in mind that it takes some effort "breaking in" a new istrument. I
have had my bass for 18 months and it still seems new.  As far as the bass
orns are concerned I have never tried one.  If you are interested in some
wonderful recording of bassets try to find these:  The Mozart
divertimenti K439b Music fir Basset horns by the New World Basset Horn
Trio.  It is a french recording, the recording company is Harmonia Mundi.
Another nice recording is by ECM New Series 1565/66 and includes the
Masonic Funeral Music K 477. Mozart loved the basset horn and featured
them on this piece.  The recording is by the Stuttgart Kammerorchester and
is conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.  It is a 2 CD set and also includes
3 piano concertos and the Symphony is G minor.

I understand your frustration in not having a decent horn to play.  I
played 25 years before being able to afford the instrument I currently
play.  The price on instruments will never go down.  If you are truly
serious about having a horn of your own I hope you can find a way to
purchase one of your own.  If you want some names and phone numbers of
companes let me know.  However the companies don't always have the
instrument you want on hand.

Personally I would pick the bass clarinet.  I have played some contra but
the parts usually bore me.

By the way, who is conducting the Band this year?  One of my favorite
music memories is playing under John Paynter in All State Band in 1976.
One of the pieces had a small chamber ensemble.  As the first chair bass
clarinetist I was in the group.  Yep, that is a nice memory.

Best of luck in your endeavors.  Oh what i would have done to have had you
as a student when I was teaching.

Jean Adler

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

Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 12:01:57 EST
From: Heliconman@aol.com
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: TubaXmas, Sub-Freezing Performances

In a message dated 98-11-14 17:44:04 EST, you write:

>----------
>When are the Boston and Rockefeller Center Tuba Xmases?  I would love to
>hear one!
>
>Robert Howe
>------------------------

TubaChristmases in MA are...

In NY state as follows... In Wickford, RI on 12/12
In Keene, NH on 12/6
In Maine... In Burlington, VT on 12/6
and Essex, CT on 12/12

For details, check out their website at...
<http://www.php.indiana.edu/~philliph>

I forgot to mention the flugabone, double bell euphoniums and the Bb althorn
that was played a couple of years ago which was made in the 1860's. He said
it's a bit difficult to hear this tuba since the bell points backwards over
his shoulder, as it was designed as a parade horn to be played to the troops
behind you.

Cheers!
Heliconman@aol.com
aka
Bonedaddy@Connections.ultranet.com

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

Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 18:22:19 -0600 (CST)
From: Jean Adler <jean@espressocom.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: MOzart

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on the Mozart divertimenti for
Basset Horn trio?
Thanks,
Jean Adler

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

Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 21:34:17 -0800
From: "Jason Hsien" <jasonavhs@email.msn.com>
To: <list@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: What do I do??????

-----Original Message-----
From: Gregg Bailey <greggbailey@hotmail.com>
<everything snipped>

Okay... I kept the name on top after reading that massive message to make
sure the original asker gets the answer.

In all honesty, don't limit yourself to " *professional* " horns. Try
others. I've heard folks play suberbly on plastic Vito's. Similarly, I've
heard people (I'm one of them, admittedly) who have an excellent horn (in
this case, a Mark VI Tenor) and played like Tomorrow just arrived and gave
you a slap in the face for ruining a perfect day. (I hurt myself playing).
Try some intermediates. Agreed, avoid the beginners, but some upper
intermediates may do the trick at a more reasonable price.

Also, if money is tight (and whose isn't?), see if you can arrange to rent
an instrument, possibly used and already broken in, from a local music
store, just until whenever it is that your band director buys those new bass
clarinets. (As a woodwind, be ready to wait a long while for that. It's true
what that fellow said... Band directors love brasses. Sometimes, you wonder
what's the point of having 10 sousaphones, when they all just go back to
storage after December. Just be glad he puts it at #2.) You might find a
good deal, and if you're serious about playing on later, possibly for a
major or minor, if the horn works well, you might even be able to arrange a
rent to buy arrangement.

And finally, don't be discouraged with a bad horn or if you don't get the
Prestige. Yes, Buffet a a great horn (I'm a big Buffet fan), but don't try
to judge an instrument you've never personally played (I'm assuming you
haven't tried it, only seen it and heard recommendations). It could be you
love the sound that you get out of the Buffet if you try it, but then find
that you love the Leblanc or Selmer or Yamaha (Don't laugh. Yamaha's are
really good.) more. (Of course, being a Buffet fan, that's impossible...
<j/k!>)

And one final piece of advice. It's good not to ask musicians "What horn is
better?". Which is better is all up to the player, but fellow musicians can
offer suggestions. And, I recommend you give the Selmer's serious thought
over the Buffets. I personally prefer Selmer, though I will always love my
Buffet. (Did I say I was a Buffet fan?)

Good luck!
--
jasonavhs@email.msn.com  /  conANDave@email.com
ICQ UIN 191252 ========/  Support Taiwan Independance
"It kind of makes you wonder why man considers himself such a big screaming deal."
                         -Hobbes, Calvin and Hobbes
"How the hell did you get this job?"
                         -David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
A! WK[r]+++ YK- P&B--- DT+ SL+++ SK++ RR-- GDF--- PO I+ E42 H42 PonYiddishXSniff

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

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 12:52:39 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time)
From: Frank D Diaz <Frank.D.Diaz@wdc.com>
To: list@contrabass.com,  greggbailey@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: What do I do??????

Gregg, to answer some of your questions:

1) Adolphe Sax's bass clarinet was the model from which the general shape our present
horns are based on. It had a neck similiar to modern ones, but the bell was metal and
straight sending the sound into the floor. I believe this was in the 1840's. Once the
patent ran out, others made them too, eventually going to the modern bell design.

2) Vent holes: for any reed instrument to overblow (octave or 12th), each low register
note would ideally require its own register vent. This is not mechanically practical, so
1-3 vents are typically used. Their positions are a compromise that allows the best
possible intonation for that number of register vents. Often these compromise positions
leave a lot to be desired. Soprano clarinets get along fine with 1 vent (you could argue
that throat Bb should have its own). Bass Clarinets work with 1 or 2, but I prefer 2. Most
student horns have 1 (it's cheaper to make). Leblanc has been promoting their pro-models
with single vent for years. I don't know a single pro who will touch a Leblanc like this.

3) Basset Clainets are "new" to the musical scene. They've been available since the early
80's (anyone know otherwise ?) and are mainly used to perform Mozart's clarinet concerto
in its "original" form which included notes below E. Wolfgang Sadler (is this correct ?)
the clarinetist who Mozart wrote it for suposedly had such an instrument. There are also a
few modern pieces calling for extended range A clarinet as well. After Mozart and until
about 1970, there was no call for this type of instrument.

4) Your horns. I know the feeling. My school district had 101 schools and a $6,000.00
repair budget !! My folks paid for repairs themselves.

You may have to live with your present horn. It's cheaper than buying a Buffet. Don't try
to fix the horns yourself. Home fixer uppers come to the shops I know frequently and ask
the repair staff to check their work. This is bogus ! The shops say either we repad the
horn, or you take it somewhere else. Take your horns to a good shop, and tell them "I know
they are school horns, but I want them repaired right". Insist on having pads replace if
required. A few hundred dollars could reallly help out.

5) On the contra's: I would first tune middle C below the staff and then tune the C in the
middle of the staff. Forget the open G. The throat tones on any contra I've played have
all been flat. The lower notes should be in tune if the middle C is. For the throat tones,
all I can suggest is lip them. Any suggestions out there ?

Frank Diaz
 

----------

From:  Gregg Bailey[SMTP:greggbailey@hotmail.com]
Sent:  Sunday, November 15, 1998 12:08 AM
To:  list@contrabass.com
Subject:  What do I do??????

What do people like me do???  I want to play a Buffet Prestige low C
bass clarinet soooooo bad, though I would settle for anything of
*professional* quality.  My family doesn't have that kind of money.  The
band does, but my band director put the possibility of buying 3 new bass
clarinets at #2 on this year's priority list, and only #1 could be
accomplished:  getting the marching baritones overhauled.  Now, granted,
the baritones DO look better, but give me a break.  I could have an
excellent shot at FIRST CHAIR in the TEXAS ALL STATE BAND this year if I
were playing a good bass clarinet (or contra), and those baritones are
just for marching season.
     My whole situation is VERY frustrating.  I am so incredibly
enthusiastic about playing bass and contra clarinets, yet all the ones I
have access to SUCK THE BIG ONE!  They were entry-level or intermediate
horns to begin with, and they aren't much better half a century later!!!
I am so extremely inhibited; I can't show off my true potential because
the basses and contras I have access to are so bad for what I need them
to be able to do.  I was fine with them in beginning band, but I'm
BEYOND that.  I made 6th chair in the first band at All State last year,
and everybody else above me had virtually brand new professional bass
clarinets, most notably Buffet.  Yes, I am pleased with having made the
first band at all, but now my goal is 1st chair, and I don't see how I
can possibly reach that goal on these crappy horns.  And it's not just
that.  They're frustrating to play in everyday use.  It's very
discouraging.
     So, which is better:  a Leblanc 340 contra, or a Selmer (Paris)?
Also, is the general consensus that the new Buffet Prestige Low C bass
is the best out there?  I want to know about Adolphe Sax's "revised"
bass clarinet that was supposedly completely straight.
     I still haven't decided which I want to go to State on:  the bass
clarinet or either of the 2 Leblanc BBb metal contras (one straight, low
Eb, the other looped, low D w/ 2 vent keys).  My true passion, I guess,
is the contra, but the bass seems to play less horrible than the
contras.  Also, the contra seems to be neglected part-wise.  Apparently,
parts have to be handwritten out half the time for them.  What's the
point?  I wouldn't think that these handwritten parts would be fun!
I've noticed that when the director or somebody makes up a part, it's
usually such that the entire thing could be played down an octave,
especially if it's a low C instrument.  What's the fun in that?  You've
got this long instrument that sounds cool in the low range, and you have
to play in a higher octave which the bass clarinet could play in its low
range.
     I like the idea of playing a BBb contra best, but I'll probably end
up going on the bass since it seems to not play as bad as the contras.
Ho-hum.  :(   I must sound like I feel sorry for myself.  I DO!!  All
these other schools have nice basses and contras, and the players don't
appreciate them.  I of ALL PEOPLE would appreciate them, and I have no
access to such critters.  I can only imagine in my head what
professional basses and contras sound like.
     With both of the contras, I have the same exact tuning problem:
the upper end of the instrumetn (low register, of course, from open G up
to throat Bb)is extremely sharp with the neck all the way in, while the
low end is in tune, with the exception of the lowest notes, which are
flat.  When I pull the neck out to where the open G is in tune, the low
end is extremely flat, with the very lowest notes being extremely flat.
To be in tune as best as possible, I have to have the neck all the way
in, and lip the upper notes (open g to throat Bb)WAY down, which sounds
horrible, and I also don't have time to think about that when playing.
I also had this problem when playing a newer Leblanc BBb contra at band
camp.  So that's 3 seperate Leblanc BBb contras, all with the same exact
tuning problem.  What's the deal?  It's very embarassing in the
ensemble.
     Why can smaller clarinets get away with only one vent hole?
     Has anyone had experience with a bassett clarinet?  Those seem so
neat to me.  Why are there A clarinets when bassett clarinets are the
same thing but with the extension?
     Why is the Bb clarinet polycylindrical while low clarinets are
strictly cylindrical?
          Does anybody know why Buffet doesn't make a BBb contra?  I
suspect that they will eventually, and that it will be the best ever!
     I talked to a representative of (I think) Emerson flute company at
the State convention last year, and she said that they were going to
design a contrabass flute.  Anybody know more?
     Supposedly a band nerd is defined as someone who owns their own
alto clarinet.  Hey!  I like the alto clarinet!
     Yes, Steve Rea, I AM jealous of your bass clarinet.  The vent hole
in the bell is a great idea!  I've always hated the foghornish tone of
the Eb on all the basses I've played.  Same for Bb clarinet.  All notes
sound nice except for low E.  So, why wouldn't they include a mechanism
for closing the hole on the bell for a low B?  I was already thinking
that if I had my way about it, basses and contras would have a low b key
directly to the left of the C and C# thumb keys.  This configuration
would be exactly the same as the 3 thumb keys on a Yamaha bass, except
the 3 keys would of course be for C#, C, and B rather than D, C#, C.
     Why aren't Bb's made with low C extensions?  Also, why doesn't a Bb
have seperate pads for throat Bb versus the register vent like a bass
does?  If it's due to both needing to be at the same place lengthwise on
the tube, then the arm for the vent key would just bend back down for
the vent pad to be at the same level as the Bb pad.  Throat Bb would
then sound good with the normal fingering!!!
     Has anyone ever played on a Selmer rosewood bass clarinet?  What's
it like?
     I'm glad I have all of y'all's support!
     -Gregg
 
 

>>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.)

     Hey!  I bought a piccolo from a pawn shop!

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------
 

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

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 13:05:24 -0800
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: More horns...

Here's the latest list of available horns....
 


Enjoy!

Grant

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green            gdgreen@contrabass.com
                    http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 13:46:45 -0800
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: What do I do??????

>What do people like me do???  I want to play a Buffet Prestige low C
>bass clarinet soooooo bad, though I would settle for anything of
>*professional* quality.  My family doesn't have that kind of money.  The
>band does, but my band director put the possibility of buying 3 new bass
>clarinets at #2 on this year's priority list, and only #1 could be

A few thoughts....

If you have access to a better horn (perhaps from your teacher), perhaps
you could demonstrate to your band director the degree of difference the
horn will make.  It *might* have an effect on how he sets priorities next
year, although it may not help this year.  On the other hand, if the
difference is dramatic, you may inspire him to help you find a solution.
If nothing else, you may be able to convince him that the school horn needs
a professional overhaul.

A lot probably depends on the director's perception.  I imagine some band
directors look upon the bass (and lower) woodwinds as a place to park their
underachievers.  If this is the situation, new bass woodwinds will rarely
be a priority.  If he or she sees the lower woodwinds as an essential part
of the band's sound, your chances are better.  How many low woodwinds does
your band use (bari sax, bass/contra clarinets, bassoons...), for what size
band?

If your director's attentions are focused on marching band, well, ...  When
I was in high school, we marched with 5-6  bass clarinets, but I don't know
if anyone heard them.  (I marched with a bari sax: the two of us made
*sure* we could be heard ;-)  ).  The low clarinets are most important for
the symphonic wind ensemble sound, and their value to your director will
probably depend in part on the music he picks out, and the general level of
the band.  He'll probably worry about the soprano instruments first, and
then the lower brass (where weaknesses in intonation will be most easily
broadcast).  NB: I'm not saying that low brass have more problems than low
winds, just that they can make the problems apparent more easily :-)

As for non-school solutions, the remaining options are (a) find a good 2nd
hand horn (they do exist), (b) renting a good instrument, or (c) finding a
scholarship or patron.  You may be able to rent a decent horn for several
months, enough to audition and perform on.

Failing that, you do what we all do: learn to compensate for the horn.
We've pretty much all started on a crappy horn at some time, and learned to
play it decently despite its drawbacks.  Some of us have found that one
learns more from correcting the bad tendencies of a cheap horn than from
starting out on a good horn.  If you never had to adjust your intonation,
would you learn to do it?  Sure, it can be a pain sometimes, especially if
your intonation adjustment involves a few extra keys that make some
passages *really* awkward.  The more professional attitude it to take it in
stride, and excell *anyway*.
 

>contras.  Also, the contra seems to be neglected part-wise.  Apparently,
>parts have to be handwritten out half the time for them.  What's the
>point?  I wouldn't think that these handwritten parts would be fun!
>I've noticed that when the director or somebody makes up a part, it's
>usually such that the entire thing could be played down an octave,
>especially if it's a low C instrument.  What's the fun in that?  You've
>got this long instrument that sounds cool in the low range, and you have
>to play in a higher octave which the bass clarinet could play in its low
>range.

The parts *can* be great, as long as the arranger knows how.  Whether the
contra *can* play a part an octave lower isn't as important to the arranger
as what they think the composer intended.  If the arranger looks at the
current arrangement, and sees that the tubas have a low line, doubled an
octave higher by bass clarinets and bari sax, you're almost guaranteed to
get a unison with the tubas.  If the tubas and bass clarinets are playing
unison (and they do, not infrequently), your part will most likely be
unison with everyone else, and not an octave below the tubas.  My guess is
that the only handwritten parts that are likely to give you a "unique" line
are those transcribed from contrabassoon or Eb contrabass clarinet part.

And don't knock playing unison with the bass clarinet: when they're playing
fuzzy throat tones, the contra is singing in the clarion register.

Enjoy!

Grant

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

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

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 13:55:06 -0800
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: What do I do??????

>     With both of the contras, I have the same exact tuning problem:
>the upper end of the instrumetn (low register, of course, from open G up
>to throat Bb)is extremely sharp with the neck all the way in, while the
>low end is in tune, with the exception of the lowest notes, which are
>flat.  When I pull the neck out to where the open G is in tune, the low
>end is extremely flat, with the very lowest notes being extremely flat.
>To be in tune as best as possible, I have to have the neck all the way
>in, and lip the upper notes (open g to throat Bb)WAY down, which sounds
>horrible, and I also don't have time to think about that when playing.
>I also had this problem when playing a newer Leblanc BBb contra at band
>camp.  So that's 3 seperate Leblanc BBb contras, all with the same exact
>tuning problem.  What's the deal?  It's very embarassing in the
>ensemble.

With the contra, you need to tune the middle C, and open your throat as
much as possible.  Try to feel the air from the bottom of your diaphragm
all the way into the instrument as one continuous column of air, and let
your throat provide the least amount of resistance possible.  Also, try to
get your mouth cavity as expanded as possible.  These all help to bring
down the pitch, and help your tone production as well.  Breathe the horn.

>     Has anyone had experience with a bassett clarinet?  Those seem so
>neat to me.  Why are there A clarinets when bassett clarinets are the
>same thing but with the extension?

Probably because the A bassett would cost significantly more than the
"simple" A clarinet, and there are *very few* parts written that require
those two extra steps down.  There are A and Bb bassett clarinets around -
they're just pretty rare.

>          Does anybody know why Buffet doesn't make a BBb contra?  I
>suspect that they will eventually, and that it will be the best ever!

Probably either (a) they don't see enough of a market for one (or rather,
for another one), or (b) they're trying, but don't yet have one that
satisfies their standards.  Not a simple thing to design....

***
>     Why aren't Bb's made with low C extensions?  Also, why doesn't a Bb
>have seperate pads for throat Bb versus the register vent like a bass
>does?  If it's due to both needing to be at the same place lengthwise on
>the tube, then the arm for the vent key would just bend back down for
>the vent pad to be at the same level as the Bb pad.  Throat Bb would
>then sound good with the normal fingering!!!

You *can* get a Bb bassett clarinet, with extension to low C.  There just
isn't much call for it.  Those notes get played on alto or bass clarinet
(which are much more common).  There are one or two sopranos that have  a
separate Bb pad, and a mechanism like the bass clarinet.  Its just that
many clarinetists are more traditional, and prefer the single register/Bb
pad because "its always been that way."

Grant
 

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

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

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 16:11:23 -0600 (CST)
From: Jean Adler <jean@espressocom.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: thanks

I am writing this email to say what a great group this is.  I have seen a
number of other usergroups who aren't nearly as nice to one another as
this one is.  I know I apppreciate the help I have received in the past
from the group.
Several months ago I asked about mouthpieces as I am expecting a baby and
received lots of great advice.  I settled on the Selmer C85, series 120
for bass clarinet and am very happy with it.  As a matter of fact I have
put myself on hiatus from playing until the baby is born (somewhere
between Christmas and New Year's)  I just finished playing the Reed 4 book
for Music Man (flute, clarinet and bass clarinet). My breath control was
fine until the last 2 performances.  Guess that baby is just taking up too
much space.
Thanks to frank for the info on the Mozart basset horn trios.
And to Gregg, hang in there.  I agree with the person who said that those
of us who play low woodwinds are often considered underachievers.  Sadly
too many band directors take their worst clarinetists and stick them on
bass clarinet.  Stupid thing to do.  I have NEVER regretted switching to
bass clarinet as an 8th grader.  I play soprano clarinet quite a bit, but
I don't have the passion for the instrument like I do the bass.  As a
matter of fact rather than take the best players and put them on the first
parts I don't know why directos don't spread the students around.  3 of my
friends and I are putting together a clarinet quartet.  We plan to take
turns playing all 4 parts.
If anyone can recommend some quartets for us that would be great.  We are
all accomplished musicians and welcome suggestions.  The trouble is
finding a place to play, besides church.
Back to Gregg, I think you will see from the messages most of us have
played on bad horns at one time or another.  What annoys me is when
someone has a great instrument and still can't play it, or appreciate it.
Check around when you are selecting a college.  Make sure that they will
let you major on the bass clarinet.  There are few schools ( as far as I
know) that offer a bass clarinet major.  No wonder band directors feel the
way they do about low wind players.  When I established a scholarship for
a low woodwind or brass player I was given some grief by someone who felt
I was being too limiting.  I can't wait until the day a deserving bass
clarinetist qualifies for the scholarship.
Be aggressive in your search for a school.  And make your school counselor
do some research. That is what he/she is getting paid for.  Not just to
counsel kids in trouble.  You deserve help finding a good college that
will suit your needs.

I hope you can find someone who knows how to do repair your instrument.
When I taught I did little repair...aside from regluing pads or corks.
Finding a good repair person is like finding a good mechanic.

Thanks again to all the nice messages from this group.  I really enjoy
reading what other people have to say about their instruments and
experiences.  Now if we could only all get together and play sometime.
That would be quite the eclectic bunch.  Anybody out there want to
 commmission a work for "low" fanatics?

Jean Adler

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

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 19:15:00 -0900
From: Timothy Johnson <tjohnson@akcache.com>
To: list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: thanks

        Any one that could criticize the validity of the Bass Clarinet as a
classical voice hasn't heard Julian Spear's rendition of Chopin's Etude
(originally for cello or flute). What a glorious tone.
        BTW, I've been hearing a little about Bassethorns lately. About 20
years ago, I was shopping for a low clarinet and came across an
advertisement for a contra-bassethorn. My impression at the time was that it
had the same bore and mouthpiece as a bass clarinet, but was elongated
physically, pitched in the key of F and extended to low C. Indeed, the
picture of it showed something that looked like a bass clarinet.......
ssttrreettcchheedd.

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

End of list V1 #28
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