Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 12:04:02 -0700
From: "Grant Green"
Subject: [CB] Chimes?
Enjoy,
Grant
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Grant Green Contrabass.com
Sarrusophones & contrabass winds
**NOTE NEW ADDRESS**
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Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 15:22:45 -0400
Subject: Re: [CB] Chimes?
From: Michael C Grogg
Once upon a time I used to sell Orff instruments. There
were whole families of diatonic xylophones and metalophones, with the
larger ones being single note units. The seller also has a
contrabass chime listed for auction, so my guess they are selling some
odd remainders of a group. I have emailed the seller to find out
if the bar is wood or metal. Looks like it could be maple bar with a
plywood box. In the old days the boxes were made of fine Baltic
birch with rosewood and aluminum bars.
Sonor has a whole bunch of single bar instruments with resonator
box below. Start at little paper weight sized ones with a
2inch or so bar and get larger.
Michael
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Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 12:25:39 -0700
From: "Grant Green"
Subject: Re: [CB] Chimes?
Hi Mike,
So, do you know what size are we talking about here? There's no
scale in the pictures: these things could be six inches long, or sixty,
as far as I can tell from the listing. Is this a DIY Marimba Eroica?
What pitch? C1? C2?
Thanks,
Grant
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Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 12:37:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Grant Green
Subject: [CB] Subcontrabass flute in concert!
Here's one you don't hear every day...
>From the flute list:
--- Helene Rosenblatt wrote:
> Date: Fri,
29 Oct 2004 09:26:50 -0700
> From: Helene Rosenblatt
> Subject: Concert Announcement - Rocky Hill,
> Connecticut -Subcontra bass flute debut
> To: FLUTE@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>
> For those of you in the vicinity of Connecticut... Charter
Oak Flutes (in its 11th year) is presenting:
> "Fall Fantastical Flutes"; 4 PM at St. James Roman Catholic
Church; 767 Elm St.; Rocky Hill, CT
> 860-529-3979. This concert will present a wide variety of
music including music for boomwackers and
> headjoint; as well as Phyllis Avidan Louke's Native
American Soliloquy for Flute Choir. I am also
> debuting my Subcontra bass flute #12 by Jelle Hogenhuis at
this concert! I get to play everything
> from piccolo to subcontra bass (and some drum) on
this concert!
> Viginia Katz Church is the coordinator of the flute choir.
Performers are: Sarah Bouchard;Susan
> Burgess;Viginia Church;Laura Gabor;Helene Rosenblatt;Mary
Sand;Mark Vickers; Heather Wagner
> (also bass guitar) - with guest Boomwackers and Gayla Matos
on Guitar.
>
> Helene Rosenblatt
> Chambermusic1@yahoo.com
=====
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Grant D. Green
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Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 15:41:02 -0400
Subject: Re: [CB] Chimes?
From: Michael C Grogg
My local school system has some of these larger ones. The
largest instruments I have seen had a bar length about 2 foot
long. Generally played with a mallet that looks about like a big
superball on a stick.
A bass note by Orff standards, but hardly contrabass or lower by
ours.
Michael
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Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 15:31:26 -0500
From: "Gregg Bailey"
Subject: [CB] Subcontra bar
I have seen these large single-note bars at a TMEA convention
(Texas Music Educators Association). Their catalog offered notes
down to 8' C (CC). The catalog called the first few notes in the
CC octave "subcontrabass", and at about E or F, the terminology
switched to "contrabass", and a few notes higher, the terminology
became just "bass". So, the one on ebay is probably between CC
and EE. Nice sound, although 5-octave marimbas possess these
notes as well.
-Gregg
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Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 17:13:11 -0400
Subject: Re: [CB] Subcontra bar
From: Michael C Grogg
The seller advises that the bar on the subcontra chime is some
kind of wood.
Michael
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Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2004 00:07:35 +0200
From: Terje Lerstad
Subject: [CB] Bassett clarinets
Not exactly contrabass, but it may be of interest : My 2
most recent clarinets are a Bb bassett clarinet and a C bassett
clarinet, made by the Canadian Stephen Fox. The Bb is an extension of a
Leblanc L300 Bb clarinet, and the C consists of the upper joint of my
Leblanc LL C clarinet and a specially made lower joint which is a copy
of my C clarinet, but extended to low C.
So what's the point having these instruments? As usual,
everything with bassett has Mozart as an important composer. For
the Bb, there are several fragments of quintet movements, and of course
the "Parto, parto" aria from Titus. I have already played Robert D.
Levin's complete version of an allegro in Bb for bassett clarinet in Bb
and string quartet, and there are enough meterial to make a complete
4-movement quintet in Bb major. That is an important project working
on. By the way, since Stadler was a low register specialist, you
can find some low D's and C's in Mozart's operas scores (2nd clarinet
parts).
I have always thought of the bassett clarinet in C as the
ultimate modern orchestral clarinet: It descends to the equal of an Eb
on the A clarinet, and you can play all clarinet parts on the same
instrument. And now I have the instrument!
Look at the .jpg picture: The first is with the 2 bassett
clarinets and an ordinary Bb clarinett. the second is a comparison
between the C bassett and an ordinary A clarinet: the C bassett going
1/2 tone lower is actually shorter than the A clarinet.
Did you know that both Prokofieff and Villa-Lobos wrote all
their clarinet parts in C descending to low C?!
Terje Lerstad
PS. I have just finished my second piece for bassett clarinet in
C: a duet for the newly developed (by the norwegian percussionist Kjell
Tore Innervik) quarter -tone marimba.
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From: "Robin Roberts"
Subject: [CB] Lelanc contra
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 23:37:43 +0100
I have followed the many interesting and informative messages on
this site for some months and now seek your advice on how best to sell
my Leblanc contra-clarinet. It was purchased new about 20 years
ago, has not had a lot of playing and is in excellent
condition. I am based in the U.K. and from my initial enquires
there are not many people here who would be interested in its purchase.
The instrument is a Leblanc, Paris number 2712 and extends
to low C, includes the case and all accessories. If sold
overseas I guess the cost of transport would be quite high.
I have photos of the instrument which I took with the initial intension
of advertising it on e-bay but now I'm unsure. Any advice on
methods of finding a suitable buyer and what can be realistically asked
for its sale would be most welcome.
Robin Roberts.
***End of Contrabass Digest***
