I originally played the soprano clarinet before branching to the sax and about 3 years ago in my schools wind ensemble I was asked to play Bass clarinet. At that point i was primarily a bari sax player so the transition was not that big. So the first year it was not too terribly hard Now I play all the saxes in some band or another at my school and play bass clarinet too. I have made all state on alto, tenor and bari and bass clarinet and i can honestly say that it was easy to learn because I already knew the (soprano) clarinet and sax.

Good luck in your Desicion!
keep playin!

 

Lots of info at Ed Palanker's site.

There are some distinct differences between the soprano and bass. But if you can learn to control the bass it will help all your instrumental playing. I just picked it up last year - I've been playing soprano clarinet and sax for decades - and, man, I love that beast!

 

I like bass clarinet, and you might, too. It's harder than the sax, but not quite as hard as clarinet. Give it a try.

 

Thanks for the comments! I was also wondering wether it is hard to produce a good tone on the bass clarinet compared to clarinet (Bb sop.)?

 

When it comes to tone, I think having a good mouthpiece is more important, more critical, with the b.c. than with the soprano clarinet or any of the saxes.

 

so, would it be harder to have a good tone with standard mouthpeice on bass than soprano?

 

I think it's easier to get a good tone on bass than soprano. Listen to some professional players to develop your tone concept. Lawrie Bloom of the Chicago Symphony has some nice videos on Youtube. Bass clarinet embouchure is actually more like a sax embouchure than soprano clarinet. Try to equalize lip pressure all the way around the mouthpiece, take MUCH more mouthpiece in your mouth than soprano, and use lots of air. Use a medium-strength reed. Sure, you can get a loud, fat lower register with a 1 1/2 or 2, but the upper register will be hard to play. Use, at minimum, a 2 1/2 reed, especially if you're using a standard (beginner's) mouthpiece. If finances allow, buy French-cut reeds (the ones with the bark cut straight across). Don't neglect work on long tones on the notes above the break. If you get those notes sounding good, the low register takes care of itself.

 

thanks lomaserena! i've heard that you use less air presure but more air on bass than soprano, and this is one of the thing's I struggle doing on sop.(lots of air pressure/speed)-so would less air pressure but more air be more like saxophone rather than clarinet?

 

Right. Less pressure, slower air speed, greater volume of air. Rather than the soprano, where you're trying to force high-pressured air through a small opening, the problem on bass is holding back the air you're putting into the horn so that you're not gasping for breath every few seconds. The type of bass clarinet (French) played almost exclusively in the US and Canada has a huge interior volume, much greater than you might expect for an instrument only an octave lower in pitch than the soprano. The amount of air needed is more similar to what's needed for a bari sax than a tenor. You're asking all the right questions. Good luck.

 

I prefer both and wouldn't want to choose one over the other.

 

Ones a small black stick of death and the other is a large black stick of death.

I prefer the sound of bass clarinet to soprano. Same with square/pulse waves from a synth--I prefer the lower frequencies.

 

Ones a small black stick of death and the other is a large black stick of death.

That's so true. :mrgreen:

Personally I could never get on with the bass clarinet. I love listening to it. It's not an easy beast to get around just in terms of the hand stretches (or it wasn't for me). Tone I found tricky too but I should most likely have tried a few mps to help there. I'm a reasonably proficient tenor sax and soprano clarinet player (UK grade 8) but the bass clarinet defeated me.

I suspect David Spiegelthal's remark may be referring to doubling sax players who dabble in a bit of bass clarinet - that would have been me.

Having said all that, I would encourage the OP to go for it if the instrument appeals.

 

Thanks again so, overall do you think it would be hard switching from sax(alto+tenor)/soprano clarinet to bass clarinet???

 

It shouldn't be hard, and your sax experience will likely make getting used to the embouchure easier. Go for it.

 

It just takes some getting used to. Your low register will probably sound good, right away. The clarion requires more control and will take a little more time. And the fingering is altered for the altissimo so there's a bit more of a learning curve there. It's hard enough so that a run-of-the-mill player might get discouraged but if you give it a few weeks and apply yourself you'll be able to join the ranks of the bass clarineteers.

 

I've been specializing in bass clarinet since the 8th grade. I'll put it this way: the musical world is filled with incompetent or mediocre bass clarinetists, while there are very few really good players. So draw your own conclusions about how difficult it is to play. This is just my personal opinion.

 

A few years ago at the bass clarinet festival, there were so many excellent bass clarinet players, I almost couldn't believe it at first. I was amazed really at how many very high level players were there. Almost all of them I've never heard of before, there was no reason to, because what they do wouldn't in any way make me hear them anywhere, and I'm pretty active in hearing bass clarinet players when I can (search for more bass clarinet music, etc.). I'm sure all the players there are no where near everyone, probably a minority of all good players (some that I do know who are excellent weren't there.

Now "incompetent or mediocre" bass clarinetists, I don't know so many. Excluding beginners, students who are stuck on bass, etc. Where do all those mediocre bass clarinetists play? Just curious. Usually when I go to concerts, or just players I know, they are relatively high level players, either solo or in orchestra, chamber music, etc.

 

thanks you all! i was wonering because basses are slightly(very) pricey, would it be best to rend one to start??

 

Renting rather than buying a new horn is the way to go, but they're not terribly cheap to rent and you may have to call around to find one. For the cost of half a year's rent, you may be able to find a good used student instrument for sale here or elsewhere, and if you find bass isn't to your liking, you can sell it and recover most of the purchase price. Cheapest of the commonly available student horns are Vito and Bundy(SelmerUSA), Jupiter is a little more expensive, and Yamaha is top of the student line. There are some Chinese and Indian-made instruments on the internet that you do NOT want. Stick with the name brands for now. If you're playing in a school group, the school may be able to supply one.

 

sorry for the typo's in the previous post! I think that renting would be a good decision(because it would be easier if I didnt like the bass) although, like you said, renting is not cheap. But I think renting, then buying would be the best decision. What do you think?

 

It will likely be difficult to find one available for rent, and expensive if you do. Like lomaserena already suggested, if you play in a school group it's probably a good first step to see if they have one you can use.

 

My school wouldn't have one, and im quite sure on that! but I might be able to borrow one from where I have my music lessons!- or if I did jump in and buy a second-hand one straight away, what are the makes I should look into/avoid??

 

ive heared about bundy's, vito 's and noblets, are these any good makes? let me know.
Also if there are any other good makes i shoud look into/should awoid?

 

Also if there are any other good makes i should look into/should avoid?

Well, you should look at Yamahas as well. Some people don't like the single body models - the long case can be awkward to handle and the long rods are more easily bent. But I just mention this based on what I've heard.

 

avoid*

 

thanks, a 2 peice-body would be the best idea! But do they make any older instruments(bundys/vitos etc.) that have a 2 peice body?

 

As far as I am aware, the typical plastic-bodied student instrument is a one-piecer, or a "fixed two-piecer", ie the two joints aren't meant to be taken apart (but can if necessary) and thus have the long case.

There are other instruments around, typically made of wood or hard-rubber, that have a 2-piece body; but as their past is often somewhat sketchy, you need a seller with a sensible return policy.

The one-piece thingy isn't just bad - there are a lot less things that can go out of whack, and that probably is what made them survive in a rough school environment. I have an old Artley/Bundy in a new Protec case, and all in all it's not more unwieldy than the average (but heavier) two-piece case.

 

Out of all of the bass clarinets that I've 'borrowed' for pit stuff the Bundys have out performed any of the newer Yamaha and Vito versions. They were more 'robust' sounding and not stuffy in the upper register.
I've got a decent mouthpiece, so that may be part of it...

 

is the hand stretch difficult? (with a bc to low Eb) Because I heard that it is easier with a bass to low C--is this true?

 

If it's the same model, just low Eb vs. low C, then the hand position for the same keys is pretty much the same. The only differences are that the low C models have extra keys for your pinkies and thumbs, plus sometimes some of the other keys can be just the tinyest bit different (usually insignificant, and more often tehre is no difference at all). If you compare different models then the keys can feel different regardless of how low the instrument can play.
I play a low C model and IMO it is a little more cumbersome to play overall, especially when standing.

I'm also looking to play bass cl. How do tenor sax reeds compare to specific bass clarinet reeds? Tenor has them beat in terms of price, availability, and range of reeds, but how does the sound compare?

They can work. Sometimes they don't. Some players consider the same setup to work, or not. So you have to try the same stup of player, mouthpiece and reed to find out if it plays well for you.

 

I'm also looking to play bass cl. How do tenor sax reeds compare to specific bass clarinet reeds? Tenor has them beat in terms of price, availability, and range of reeds, but how does the sound compare?

 

They help you to overcome one of the bass's challenges: the limited projection, specially on "low cost" horns like the Vito. The sound becomes a bit more edgy, but not bad.
Now, as I said before, it is also a first step to mistreating the horn.

 

I do like the bass clarinet, but it is probably the most widely (and wildly) mistreated horn in jazz history. Please, let's have mercy.

 

In your opinion, whch bass wouldyou rather go for? A student yamaha ycl-221ii, or a Selmer Bundy??

 

Yamaha. It's a more refined horn. Thing is, you can get 2 used Bundys for the price of a used 221-II, so if money's an issue, get one of those wild, woolly, and free-blowing Bundys. If you buy new, definitely get the Yamaha. New price isn't that much more than Vito or Bundy.

 

Play both, and choose whenever plays better for you. If you get serious about the instrument neither of those will be your last bass clarinet.

 

Careful with the Yamaha bass clarinets, I've encountered two of them that were pitched so high that the necks had to be pulled out excessively to play at A-440. Otherwise they are very good student instruments. The Bundy (aka Buescher or Selmer-USA) is less refined playing-wise, but is cheap to buy used and is built like a tank.