Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [bass-clarinet]

The bass clarinet is one of the larger instruments in the clarinet family, sounding an octave below the standard, soprano Bb clarinet.

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More volume from a Bass Clarinet

I play the Bass Clarinet in a few Wind Bands. A constant problem I've always had is feeling drowned out whenever the band plays in a normal dynamic - the tone and pitch of the instrument are easily lost. I also find myself frequently the only bass…
Chris
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Bass clarinet notation in the Rite of Spring and other pieces

I am a clarinettist so I am a little embarrassed to need to ask this. I have not played the bass clarinet. I am looking at a miniature score of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (Dover Miniature Scores). Towards the end of The Ritual Action of the…
badjohn
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Instrument Switching Question: B flat to Bass Clarinet

I'm writing for a classical style orchestra: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, timpani, strings — two parts each, except timpani and strings. There is one spot where I think a bass clarinet would fill out the orchestration…
Adam Gluntz
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Bass Clarinet: Rubber vs Plastic Mouthpiece?

I play Bass Clarinet for a school band, and may have to buy my own mouthpiece. I'm wondering what the difference in tone quality is between a plastic and rubber mouthpiece, and if a rubber one is more difficult to play?
GunnarJ
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When I play G, why does it come out as F on bass clarinet?

I'm new to bass clarinet, and I seem to be following the button chart accurately to play a G, which indicates to press no buttons. However, when I measure the note with a tuner, it clearly plays an F and sounds like an F. The tuner was verified to…
lol_im_ella_hi
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Are bass clarinet and tenor sax notations played an octave lower?

I am totally blind, and I read music Braille. I also use a MIDI keyboard to make musical tracks using a sequencer. Recently, I had a piece, October by Eric Whitacre, transcribed into Braille music. I noticed that the bass clarinet and the tenor sax…
HeavenlyHarmony
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History of Russian Clarinet/Bass Clarinet low notes

In the music of mid-century Russian/Soviet composers, it's common to assume that bass clarinets extend to low-C and that Bb clarinets might have a low Eb key. I know from many sources that this was a problem for Western clarinetists playing this…
Michael Scott Asato Cuthbert
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Writing for bass clarinet in Bb in the same range

The written ranges of clarinet and bass clarinet are shown in Wikipedia as following: clarinet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarinet#/media/File:Clarinet_range.svg bass clarinet:…
Student
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Clarinets in the Rite of Spring

I am studying a miniature score of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (Dover Miniature Scores). For the clarinets, I see this in the instrumentation page: Clarinetto piccolo (D, Es) 3 Clarinetti (B, A) (Cl. II = Cl. b. II) Clarinetto basso (B) (=…
badjohn
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How hard would it be to switch from a bass clarinet to a soprano sax?

I am currently playing a bass clarinet in my concert band, but my parents want me to switch to a "lighter" instrument. I looked through different options, and saw the soprano saxophone. If I were to make the switch, how hard would it be (Embouchure,…
Agent Eric
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What is the diameter of a clarinet and bass clarinet mouthpiece?

I'm looking for the diameter of the connection point for both the clarinet and bass clarinet. The part in red below.
ThomasReggi
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