[chops2200]

I've been thinking about getting a bass clarinet and teaching myself and start taking some lessons on it eventually. I'm going to sell my keilwerth tenor sax, and I'm hoping that will help towards a Bass Clarinet.

How much should I plan on spending on a bass clarinet? I'm currently at school majoring in Jazz Composition and I feel like this would be a serious move, and would open up a lot of possibilities in my own music, and would probably help in terms of job/playing opportunities. So...I'm serious about adding the Bass Clarinet to my instruments, but I don't have a ton of money to buy a top of the line...and I'm not sure if that is the best move at this point.

Any advice on a few models to check out? What should I look for in a Bass Clarinet that I might not know to coming from the Sax world.

Thanks for the help, any other advice would be great.

 

[Carl H.]

Talk to your schools lowest band's director and see if he needs a bass clarinet in the ensemble. Tell him you would like to give it a try and he could probably set you up with a school instrument and some lessons. Learn to play before you think about buying one, they are tempermental and the cheap ones are harder to play over the full range.

 

[clarnut]

I recently played a Yamaha student horn that played pretty nice. It may do the trick to get you going until you can afford a nicer horn.

 

[dirty]

What Carl said. If you're at school, it's a great time to learn instruments (or so it seems to me), since you can borrow the school's horns (usually fairly high-quality) and generally pay less than renting (aside from tuition...). I don't know where I'm going to get bari and soprano saxes and alto and contrabass clarinets once I graduate!

 

[Gandalfe]

Learn to play before you think about buying one, they are temperamental and the cheap ones are harder to play over the full range.

Even more expensive bass clarinets can be hard to voice over the full range of the instrument. But, at the risk of sounding like I only know one song, the mouthpiece selection was the most critical part for me. The bass clarinet can be the most mouthpiece sensitive instrument you will ever play. I found nirvana in a Walter Grabner LB mouthpeice which is kinda pricy. But I will say this, that mouthpiece has impressed a lot of people including some long-time bass clarinet players and instrument repair techs.

 

[bass9396]

Mouthpiece Sensitive?

I will agree with the sensitive part of this, but I think more than anything the instrument is reed sensitive. I played on a Yamaha 4C for 7 years before I made a change and in that time I got a scholarship, learned all my 3 octave scales, and made my hay on my sound. That's because I was using Hemke 2.5 Tenor reeds the whole time. I'd say 999 of 1000 Bass Clarinetists are using reeds that're too hard. This would account for tones that lack depth or are super breathy(especially in school aged kids).

I'm in no way knocking Walter (or any other mouthpiece maker for that matter), but I just feel like you don't need a super nice mouthpiece when you're starting out. I'd ask for a piece of crap instrument and use a student mouthpiece so you can learn command of the instrument. If not, you'll be stuck in a rut where you can't play a leaky horn(or you can read all the posts around the internet from people saying they woke up one day and their instrument wouldn't play if you really need convincing) and can't cope with anything but a mouthpiece that might be out of your price range and a horn that is WAYYYYYY out of your price range, or that people don't have at your disposal. A Yamaha 4C Bass Clarinet piece is 29.95 at Woodwind and Brasswind. Save your money and begin really LEARNING the instrument.

 

[chops2200]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm pretty sure that my school does not have spare Bass Clarinets, as there aren't any bass clarinet principle players here, all clarinet or saxophone that double. I'm at Berklee in Boston right now. There's a pretty good chance I could borrow one from another player for a while. I've heard that tenor reeds on Bass clarinet work well, and I'll check out the mouthpieces. Are there any online sources for fingerings? I figure i'll start out with a ton of long tones, practicing scales, and then learning to play tunes and changes, as well as maybe a few classical etudes as my facility gets better on the instrument.

 

[Clarinetdude108]

i have yet to find a tenor sax reed i liked on bass clarinet. but thats just me.

im sure if you google you could find a fingering chart.

 

[littlemanbighorn]

I'm going to sell my keilwerth tenor sax, and I'm hoping that will help towards a Bass Clarinet.

It's funny, I did the same thing a couple years ago. I play my Bass way more than I did my tenor (but I will need a Tenor for teaching).

 

[bass9396]

As far as Tenor reeds go I love Daniel's. I know Jones Double Reeds carries them and I think Weiner has them as well. They work really well and hold up very well to adjustment. I cut back the 4.5's and they play great!

 

[bass9396]

I guess I should post about actually getting a horn! I play a Leblanc 400 series from the 60's that my parents got for $1500 in the early 90's. The same vendor I got the horn from I think sells a similar horn for $2000 nowadays. I've seen horns like this fetch upwards of $5000 on ebay. So, for good price and good horn go vintage. The older horns tend to "talk" a little better and being a saxophonist that may appeal to you. Good luck!

 

[QueenB]

i have yet to find a tenor sax reed i liked on bass clarinet. but thats just me.

im sure if you google you could find a fingering chart.

I actually preferred them to the bass clarinet reeds. I got a better sound with them. I found the bass clarinet reeds too stiff.

 

[Clarinetdude108]

the tenor sax reeds i tried no only sounded bad, but they were wild
i guess i probably could have learned to control them, but why bother when i didnt like the sound?

they were V-16 3 1/2s, which might be part of it

 

[chops2200]

is there anywhere online I can look to find a good bass clarinet for a good price? what should I expect to pay for a bass clarinet that would be fitting for my level of playing? tenor is my main focus and from where i'm at right now, it always will be, but i'd like to find a bass clarinet that I can learn on, and that will keep up with me once i've gotten better at it.

 

[Razzy]

bass9396, your advice is good up to a point. A good point that you make is that the instrument and the mouthpiece don't make the player, the player does. Of course that is true and should go without saying. However you lost me on this bit:

... I'd ask for a piece of crap instrument and use a student mouthpiece so you can learn command of the instrument. If not, you'll be stuck in a rut where you can't play a leaky horn(or you can read all the posts around the internet from people saying they woke up one day and their instrument wouldn't play if you really need convincing) ...

I don't think it should be considered a "rut" to find difficulty playing a leaky horn. Significant leaks are bad news for woodwind playing no matter what kind of instrument or style of music. If you have the lowest tier student instrument and mouthpiece, you should put out the money to take it into a good repair tech who can also instruct you in proper maintenance. Bass clarinet is particularly susceptible to knocks and bumps setting things out of alignment, so a lot of players just grow accustomed to forcing through the leaks. However there is no feeling like finally playing an instrument that is sealing properly and learning how to keep it that way.

The real "rut" and problem that you'll find everywhere is cheaply priced, and often cheaply done repair work, and students, parents and pros alike not knowing any better. They chalk it up to "well, playing woodwinds is just that difficult". Therefore the general populus is completely ignorant of what a sealing, properly vented and adjusted instrument feels like, and will never experience how important this is, particularly for a beginner. For bass clarinet I'd argue that it's even more important and sensitive than the other comparable winds to have an instrument in great repair.

My 2cents... carry on!

 

[Razzy]

is there anywhere online I can look to find a good bass clarinet for a good price? what should I expect to pay for a bass clarinet that would be fitting for my level of playing? tenor is my main focus and from where i'm at right now, it always will be, but i'd like to find a bass clarinet that I can learn on, and that will keep up with me once i've gotten better at it.

There's always ebay. Maybe you should have an experienced player/ebayer walk you through it and try to find one. I turned to ebay because I had a budget of about 500 bucks to get a bass clarinet and it is virtually impossible to find a good used or new student instrument for that price anywhere on the internet but ebay. I succeeded with flying colors to win bid on a fine old wooden instrument with great tone and pitch. It's not in very good repair and I'm still borrowing a mouthpiece so after a total investment of maybe 1200 dollars I'll have a great instrument that is in great shape and will be ready to gig. I saw some other good deals in bass clarinets there while I was browsing...

 

[bass9396]

Perseverance

Razzy,

I'm merely speaking of perseverance. I think too many people playing the Bass Clarinet are not able to control the instrument and one way to learn that is on an instrument that isn't that fantastic. I can't tell you the number of kids (playing all woodwind instruments) who can't get their horn to do something, hand it to me, and I play it just fine. You're right, leaking is a serious issue since it does, more than anything, make you play out of tune. BUT...I would not trade my years marching in the rain and playing an unoverhauled instrument while it was demanded of me that I produce a quality sound. Those were the wonder years for me. May not work for everybody, but I find it quite beneficial nowadays when I don't have hours upon hours to practice and thousands of dollars to upkeep my instruments constantly. Hopefully I make more sense now! ;o)

 

[Razzy]

That does make a little more sense. Hours upon hours and thousands of dollars are a little unrealistic though, I think. I use one of the most expensive techs around. I should edit that to say "used" because once he works on an instrument, it essentially never needs work again. The initial overhaul is a costly investment but my alto has been in perfect playing condition for several years now without needing a trip back. It's all about just being careful, mindful, and knowing where and how to spend your money in repairs.

 

[clarnut]

If you are at Berklee, you should talk to Peter Cokkinias, who is on the Music Ed faculty there. He is a great clarinet player and bass clarinet player. Take some lessons with him. He could tell you lots more about playing bass than you wil ever get off any BB! Good luck.

 

[dirty]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm pretty sure that my school does not have spare Bass Clarinets, as there aren't any bass clarinet principle players here, all clarinet or saxophone that double.

Actually, that's why your school might have a spare bass clarinet. Most students haven't had time or money to accumulate a good collection of doubles, so schools will often provide them with the less common horns.

I've heard that tenor reeds on Bass clarinet work well

That's never been my experience, although others will disagree. I found that the tenor reeds (jazz tenor reeds) just couldn't give me a dark, solid enough sound with an appropriate amount of resistance. Vandoren bass clarinet reeds work great for me.

I figure i'll start out with a ton of long tones, practicing scales, and then learning to play tunes and changes, as well as maybe a few classical etudes as my facility gets better on the instrument.

Start with the classical etudes. If you really want to get good, get the Rose 32 etudes for clarinet and start learning them on bass. I finally brought myself to start this last summer. My technique on bass clarinet has gotten so much better since then, it's scary. Even if you don't really want to play classical music, classical etudes are a great way to get your technique tight.