_______________________________________________________________
| |
| @@@@@ @@@@@ @@ @ @@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @ |
| @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ |
| @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@@@@ @ @ |
| @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@@@@ |
| @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ |
| @@@@@ @@@@@ @ @@ @ @ @ @ @ |
| |
| @@@@@@@ @ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @ |
| @ @ @ @ @ @ @ |
| @@@@@@@ @ @ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@ @ |
| @ @ @@@@@@@ @ @ @ |
| @ @ @ @ @ @ @ |
| @@@@@@@ @ @ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@ |
|_______________________________________________________________|
| Contrabass-L: a list for discussion of contrabass *anything*|
|To subscribe, email gdgreen@crl.com with "subscribe contrabass"|
|in the subject line |
|_______________________________________________________________|
EDITOR'S NOTE: Today we have another new subscriber, "Spotlighters" <spotlite@discover-net.net>. (Please feel free to introduce yourself, if you like)
Also, I've had a little trouble keeping my subscriber list synchronized between my office and home, and may have inadvertently missed someone. If you've missed a digest, please let me know and I'll send you the back issues.
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 20:51:31 -0800
To: gdgreen@crl.com (Grant Green)
From: mgrf@pacificnet.net (Marion Garver)
Subject: Re: Contrabass-L No. 20
Hi!
I've been in Edmonton doing promotion on my cd. Anyone who would like to check it out- see my web page: www.supernet.ab.ca/~shawnp/ The one cut with processed bass flute is Temporal Reality.
As for Mickey's question about bass flutes, yes they can be loud. Mine takes some warming up and lots of air, but I can get the low notes out pretty loud.
Also, if it's amplified, bass flute can be REALLY loud!!!! I played it on a recording and in live situations with my Edmonton band the J Jonah Jamesons and the Four Flutes of the Apocalips jazz flute quartet. As for the larger instruments, I'm sorry to say that I can't answer to their loudness as I've never played them. Matthias Ziegler uses amplification with his contra-alto and octo-bass flutes. Yes, it takes lots of air.
I hope that helps!!!
Marion Garver
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 01:34:04 -0700
From: Spotlighters <spotlite@discover-net.net>
To: gdgreen@crl.com
Subject: SUBSCRIBE CONTRABASS-L
X-Url: http://www.crl.com/~gdgreen/list.html
subscribe spotlite@discover-net.net
From: Francis Firth <Francis.Firth@uce.ac.uk>
To: gdgreen <gdgreen@crl.com>
Subject: Contrabass Sarrusophone in B Flat
Date: Fri, 26 Jul 96 10:16:00 BST
Grant,
I'm sorry to hear your disappontment about the sarrusophone turning out to be in E Flat!
There is a picture of a B Flat contra in A. Baines: Woodwind Instruments and their History.
The distinctive feature there appears to be the fact that the crook (bocal in American) appears to do a complete circular loop (in fact nearly 2!) before joining the main bore of the instrument. I attach a TIF and also one showing the reed compared with a contra reed. Here are some sarrusophone reed dimensions from Baines:
| Pitch | Tip Width (mm) | Blade-length to 1st wire | Total length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano | 9 | 20 | 55 |
| Alto | 13 | 25 | 55 |
| Tenor | 15 | 27 | 60 |
| Baritone | 17 | 32 | 70 |
| Bass | 19 | 40 | 80 |
| Eb or C Contra | 22 | 44 | 85 |
I had understood that the B Flat contra was never made in the US only the E Flat instrument. According to New Grove the B Flat is 132 cm tall if that is any help.
Francis
Francis.Firth@uce.ac.uk
P.S. I don't have the address of Crystal Records with me and shall not be in the office for 4 weeks after today (Friday). I should be just as happy for the moment to be sent just the Rascher Sax CD until you have time to trace Crystal or until I return and send their address/Fax number.
Francis,
I actually have two copies of the Baines book (don't ask why), and have seen the pictures. I just assumed that the appraiser was correct, and that not all the BBb contrabasses looked like the picture (after all, the two EEb contras didn't look the same: one is quite a bit shorter than the other). Both were made in Paris (at least, they're stamped "made in Paris" - in French of course).
It was kind of like buying a regular trumpet and a piccolo trumpet, only to discover that the latter was really a pocket trumpet (a full-size trumpet with the bore much more folded to make a very compact instrument).
Still, it plays great now. I took it to the jazz ensemble gig on Friday, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to play it (ran out of time). I've been promised that I'll get to play it at the gig on Thursday.
Grant
-- [ From: Mark Trinko * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] --
There has to be someone in the western USA that plays a "low" sarrusaphone that wants to come to Las Vegas between Dec 26-31, 1996 and perform for all the contra-festival people.
Anyone know a potential player?
Mark,
I'd love to come and play at the Contra festival. It's just the worst possible time for me to go travelling (due to family/holiday committments).
I do know someone who has an "extra" EEb contrabass sarrusophone he's willing to sell....
Grant
-- [ From: Mark Trinko * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] --
I remember someone saying that a 64' organ pipe is at 17 (?) hertz.
This causes me to wonder what "wind" instruments can produce something below 30 hertz? Could everyone please list the lowest note available on the lowest of the low instruments that you know of and what hertz this note plays at?
Of course if someone knows what hertz each note on the keyboard generates this type of chart would be helpful.
Is what I am asking for possible?
Mark,
Each time you drop down an octave, you halve the frequency. If I remember correctly, A440 is the A above middle C on the piano. This means the A's lower than that would be:
| 220 | A below middle C |
| 110 | A, first space bass clef |
| 55 | A below the bass clef (open 3rd string on bass) |
| 27.5 | A, lowest on piano |
Did I forget any (not having a piano keyboard in front of me...)? If I've calculated correctly, you should be able to reach 30 Hz (and a little lower) with contrabassoon and BBb contrabass sarrusophone, and probably the CC contrabass sarrusophone and BBb contrabass clarinets (especially if the range is extended down to written C). I think the contra d'anche goes down to the piano's lowest D, while the EEb contrabass sarrusophone contrabass sax, and EEb contralto clarinets hit the lowest Db, and Kotato's double contrabass flute probably hits the lowest C. I'm not sure which note 30 Hz would be, but my guess is that its somewhere between that lowest A and the D above it.
Grant
End Contrabass-L No. 24