Ive played Bb clarinet for almost 4 years and I've only been playing Bass Clarinet for 2 days now for an ensemble piece, and this really helped. Thanks(:
Oh my goodness! Thank you sooo much, I was having a bad problem with sound on my upper register even after 3 years on bass clarinet and my lesson teacher never told me this! Thanks again
Im learning lower and higher notes on bass clarinet and whenever i tried playing a low note it either squeaked or came out high. I tried what you said and it helped alot :)
I used to march bass clarinet. In a 280 piece band, I could actually hear myself in the recordings. I was the leader of a 4 person bass clarinet section and I swear I was 70% of the sound. We were always told to play louder and I was the only one who could. Also, I could "squeak" my way to match the high first trumpet screams if I really wanted to lmao
"Playing louder" has a bunch of stuff associated with it. That's a good idea for a video actually. In the mean time, let me say a couple things here: 1) Make sure you are inhaling enough air. Seriously, most people don't use 1/2 of what their lungs are capable of when breathing normally. Take a breath. Now take a DEEP breath. See the difference? To play any wind instrument, you need to ALWAYS take those DEEP breaths. 2) Make sure your reed isn't too soft -- or too hard. 3) BLOW! really blow!
Hey everybody! I love all the comments -- keep them coming -- but if you would like me to respond to specific questions, please make me a video response. I can't help you if I can't hear you!!
Hi, I am unable to play the high C. It squeaks there too. Every note on the left hand in the upper middle register squeaks and is also really hard to blow. I showed it to a tech and he said it's my embouchure issue and the horn is good.
He doesn't talk about air speed and support in this exercise that is definitely brilliant... or whether the strength or weakness of the reed play a part in all of this... consider moving a tighter column of air for the higher notes... so everything compacts... experiment... of course, it's a two year old post. LOL
Im about 5 years too late so you probably already figured it out by now but one thing that really helped me when playing these notes was shaping my mouth. A lot of people don't tell you how to play these notes and they probably don't realize how hard it is especially on a crappy bass clarinet. You have to shape your mouth differently when you reach these notes. Using looser embouchure and relax your top teeth
I always got frustrated with high note because of the register key but now I see how I can now play high C without holding the register key I never had a good voicing for it now I'll be able to play the high notes thanks!
Thank you so much for all this AWESOME advice. Now that I think about it, I have used that Uh sound and I know that my 2nd chair bass clarinet and I both tighten out mouths in the Clarion register. I cant wait to practice tomorrow and apply what I have learned! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MY FELLOW BASS CLARINETIST!! 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
@poptartpencil i have switched over to the bass clarinet just about a month ago from the actual clarinet and my band director has told me that none of the keying is differant but at the bottom of the bass clarinet there is an extra key but you dont have to worry about that at all!!
@earspasm You are right about the mechanical problem! I found out that one of the keys (the G#1 key) was leaking. I had it repaired and it made all my problems disappear!
Zac I play bass clarinet and I had he same problem. What I did was I relaxed my lips to get in the higher notes. If u are biting on the reed to hard it will squeak and it will prevent from playing and hitting in the high notes and the low note see it this will help
I just started playing Bass Clarinet after playing Bb for a year, and my band teacher asked me to play with the 8th graders at a competition on Bass so I hope this helps
This is basically overtones. The woodwind director at my high school had me do them on my alto sax. I have been able to do overtones on my Bb soprano clarinet and with the lower notes on one of the basses at my school because I didn't use enough air.
@ClaraPTherapy Try adjusting your embouchure. What happens when you make your facial muscles tighter? Looser? With the mouthpiece farther in your mouth? Less? Experiment with your tonguing, and start very lightly. And practice often. (Bb soprano is my primary, by the way.:3 )
Thanks for this instructions! I have a somewhat related problem: at 4:35 you say: "you probably can't go down into your right hand..." but that actually is my problem. I cannot hit the low notes (esp. A,G# and G) right without them jumping to the higher register (E,D#,D). I have no problems playing them in scales (either legato or staccato) but hitting them after a rest is really difficult, especially with accents but also pizzicato. Do you have any voicing hints on that? Thanks a lot!
I am in 6th grade and I am in band and guess what I play . Yes a base clarinet. So that's why I am watching some of these videos to help me play . Thank you very much for making this video sure .😀
i play bass at my school with another girl. (Diff. mouth piece and reeds) and what we found out is, that the bass works better with hot air in it. So if you blow air into but not really play, it gives it a more bold sound. Hope That Helped! =)
@bOStoN321123 so, I think you have a mechanical problem. On most bass clarinets there is a mechanism that changes which register hole that is opened by the register key -- one larger register hole for B-C-D in the clarion register, and the smaller, higher one for notes above those. I bet you are having an issue with that mechanism if you cannot play above D. I'd have a repair person check it out.
@ClaraPTherapy Oh, and make sure your reed is in good condition; it shouldn't be chipped, cracked, split, etc., smelly, or discolored from extensive use. If you still don't seem to be improving after all of this, it may be time to have your instrument viewed by a repair specialist.
This is great stuff for players who have a good quality mouthpiece and good reeds that match the facing curve of the mouthpiece. If you are playing a cheap student mpc that is really only good for making a sound before you take your first lesson, get a new mouthpiece and then try the voicings.Otherwise you will be very frustrated.
@sverbern So you're saying in the fundamental register you have this problem? I say this because A in the fundamental = 3rd partial E. Most of the voicing issues people have are in the clarion register (between in-the-staff B up C above the staff). If you're hitting 3rd partial E when playing an A, I think it's possible you might have a mechanical problem with your instrument or your mouthpiece. Either that, or you are playing with a very high tongue position...but I would bet the former.
*when you got your bass clarinet less than a week before your audition and you're on your second day and the only problem you have is the top notes of the second octave and the third :')*
Oh wow, I had no clue about this stuff. Thanks, this video is really helpful. The only notes I seem to have a chronic problem with are B, C, and C# (i.e. when switching registers) due to smallish hands. Any tips to make it a little easier?
@bigdybadman this will take about 2 years of solid practice to master I'm afraid. It's not a magic pill :) Sorry! (But do practice it - it will make all the difference in your playing)
JM Volta (principal BC in orchestre national de France) speaks of " la troisième clé d'octave" seating in the throat. With this kind of voicing you can get every high note without squeezing mouthpiece. Old bass clarinet (beginning of XX century) have no half plate to play acute register so bass clarinettist must use this technique ( my own teacher, principal at the nouvel orchestre philarmonique de radio France, play so on his very old buffet bass clarinet)
hi, i have been clarinet for about 3 years and i am switching to bass clarinet next week. i was wondering if anything is different fingering wise or anything else. thx
I was playing a piece is concert band today. And there was a low C, the one right below the low D#. I as well as another freshman cannot find the fingering anywhere. What is it?
Cherlyn, in order to play high notes on the bass clarinet you will need to work yourself up to at least a 3 strength reed. If your using a stock mouthpiece, get rid of it. I use a Selmer C* with a 3 fibercell reed on a Yamaha bass, great combo. I'm working on voicing without the register key, it's hard!
Whenever i play that really high c i usually get a weird note that is like humming and if i play high d (the one on a line of course) then i lower my thumb off of the register key it will go down to g
Hey just wondering Do you think you can make a video on how to play louder. My teacher keeps telling me to play louder but i couldnt i even searched it up and the only answer was to play more faster which doesnt help.
Cad you do a tutorial on how to gliss on bass clary? I can gliss on regular clarinet but the bass has keys and no holes. I've seen u do it and some other people but I can really do it myself.
I dont know what I am doing wrong but I can play the bflat clarinet just fine but when I play bass clarinet I can barely get a note out without squeaking
This makes me think of brass instruments a lot, especially the French horn that I play. I could NEVER play above throat B-flat when I tried to pick up a bass clarinet and blow. Couldn't figure out the correct voicing for the upper register!
I'm having issues with Notes on a Eb ContraAlto with a few notes above "Thumb C" I need to hit the "E" above that C I know the fingerings and I can hit them on my clarinet. I just can't get above a "D" I'm using a Vandoren 3 strength. Main reason I'm asking is because I'm getting stuck on my all-region music. -_-
my problem is my bass clarinet is a school hire one and it is really sharp below a B but really flat above it. I'm getting a new instrument next year thank god. which is also the schools but its a really good one with a low C extension.
please help me. i have been playing for 5 years and i CAN NOT play above a D. not the D where you play with 1&2 right above middle C. its the D where you play basically a low G with the register key. i cannot for the life of me play higher. ive watched this video countless times and still cant do anything about it. help?
How about a tip on playing the high C. haha. I can't get it out for the life of me. It could be the clarinet body I'm playing on. It's not a GOOD one. It's a Bundy... Which is not good. It's also older. I've borrowed it from my school. Any tips on how to play it? I really can't. I squeak. Not always often but usually. I march with this instrument, also. I am OKAY with most notes but some are worst than others. Please help?
Everything makes sense now. I didn't know I that I had to uncover the pin hole for upper register notes. So much time wasted overblowing with frustration!
Okay. How do I play the register can you help!? make a video on how to hold your mouth and everything.... because when i am in band, i have to brig everything down an octave bc i can't do it up the octave...
hi, so im doing a concertino of karel husa and pratically all the notes are above the staff and i tried you method of getting the high notes out but do you have any other ways also to play high notes?
I've been playing clarinet for 1 year, bass for 1 year. I rarely squeak and I can currently hit A5 above staff. However, when I play notes F, G, and A above middle C it sounds really airy and almost toneless. Also, when I have to play the "oompah/waddle" in a piece, with notes below the staff, the articulation makes spit excrete from my mouth and the mouthpiece gets very wet. I tried sealing my lips around the mouthpiece as best I can, but still no luck. Help please?(:
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Ive played Bb clarinet for almost 4 years and I've only been playing Bass Clarinet for 2 days now for an ensemble piece, and this really helped. Thanks(:
same here!
How NOT to squeak on the bass clarinet: Don't play.
Arimel09 seems legit
Arimel09 ME when anything in life is hard
James Kaprowski Same
yeah, it's puberty.
Oh my goodness! Thank you sooo much, I was having a bad problem with sound on my upper register even after 3 years on bass clarinet and my lesson teacher never told me this! Thanks again
This has blown my little bass clarinet mind I really struggled playing high c with no register key😮😮😮
I can't even play the lower notes without squeaking... What do I do then?
Im learning lower and higher notes on bass clarinet and whenever i tried playing a low note it either squeaked or came out high. I tried what you said and it helped alot :)
your mouth is too tense
Ling ling practice
Curium YES
I’ve been told to use a lot more air
speaking is what i am known for in my marching and symphonic band on my bass clarinet.
David Vang how do you even march with a bass clarinet
I march bass clarinet, and its just like marching a tenor or bari sax
Except it's much lighter...
I used to march bass clarinet. In a 280 piece band, I could actually hear myself in the recordings. I was the leader of a 4 person bass clarinet section and I swear I was 70% of the sound. We were always told to play louder and I was the only one who could.
Also, I could "squeak" my way to match the high first trumpet screams if I really wanted to lmao
Also, #concertcontrabass
"Playing louder" has a bunch of stuff associated with it. That's a good idea for a video actually. In the mean time, let me say a couple things here: 1) Make sure you are inhaling enough air. Seriously, most people don't use 1/2 of what their lungs are capable of when breathing normally. Take a breath. Now take a DEEP breath. See the difference? To play any wind instrument, you need to ALWAYS take those DEEP breaths. 2) Make sure your reed isn't too soft -- or too hard. 3) BLOW! really blow!
Im in my last year of middle school and been playin 4 three yrs and I got really lazy started squeakin alot and this was really helpful
Simple, concise, and well articulated lesson. Thank you so much
Incredible that this video is twelve years. Thank you for your videos 😁
I can play high notes but when I tounge the note it always "squeaks" how can I fix that?
Try to make sure there isn't too much reed in your mouth and have good quality tone air and you'll be on a roll
Joco Filmz wow
I play Bass Clarinet in band and let me tell you squeaking is a BIG problem for me but after watching this video it helped me alot THANK YOU!!!
Hey everybody! I love all the comments -- keep them coming -- but if you would like me to respond to specific questions, please make me a video response. I can't help you if I can't hear you!!
Hi,
I am unable to play the high C. It squeaks there too. Every note on the left hand in the upper middle register squeaks and is also really hard to blow. I showed it to a tech and he said it's my embouchure issue and the horn is good.
He doesn't talk about air speed and support in this exercise that is definitely brilliant... or whether the strength or weakness of the reed play a part in all of this... consider moving a tighter column of air for the higher notes... so everything compacts... experiment... of course, it's a two year old post. LOL
Im about 5 years too late so you probably already figured it out by now but one thing that really helped me when playing these notes was shaping my mouth. A lot of people don't tell you how to play these notes and they probably don't realize how hard it is especially on a crappy bass clarinet. You have to shape your mouth differently when you reach these notes. Using looser embouchure and relax your top teeth
Excellent. Just ordered my bass clarinet. Been playing soprano for a few months. Sax......that’s like going on holiday!
I always got frustrated with high note because of the register key but now I see how I can now play high C without holding the register key I never had a good voicing for it now I'll be able to play the high notes thanks!
@poptartpencil Fingerings are the same (except for the added notes on a low C bass clarinet)
When did Adam Savage start playing Bass Clarinet?
Thank you so much for all this AWESOME advice. Now that I think about it, I have used that Uh sound and I know that my 2nd chair bass clarinet and I both tighten out mouths in the Clarion register. I cant wait to practice tomorrow and apply what I have learned! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MY FELLOW BASS CLARINETIST!! 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
I worked very hard on voicing back in high school. I'm so glad I did.
@poptartpencil i have switched over to the bass clarinet just about a month ago from the actual clarinet and my band director has told me that none of the keying is differant but at the bottom of the bass clarinet there is an extra key but you dont have to worry about that at all!!
Haha thx👌 I'm 13 I'm in band and thx to u I won't squeak anymore! Bass clarinets rules!!!
Yay bass clarinet!
@earspasm You are right about the mechanical problem! I found out that one of the keys (the G#1 key) was leaking. I had it repaired and it made all my problems disappear!
this is the best description i ' ve ever heard... thanks!!!!
I can play to a high B flat
Nice explanation & demonstration. Thanks for posting!
Thank you ! This is very helpful. I started clarinet 3 month ago.
I don't play bass clarinet, but I'd like to try it. However I've done that exercise on my clarinet to help me with my high notes.
Zac I play bass clarinet and I had he same problem. What I did was I relaxed my lips to get in the higher notes. If u are biting on the reed to hard it will squeak and it will prevent from playing and hitting in the high notes and the low note see it this will help
I just started playing Bass Clarinet after playing Bb for a year, and my band teacher asked me to play with the 8th graders at a competition on Bass so I hope this helps
@WingedTigerGuy It's ABSOLUTELY a voicing issue.
thanks, i'm only using the soprano clarinet now, but this is great advice!
This is basically overtones. The woodwind director at my high school had me do them on my alto sax. I have been able to do overtones on my Bb soprano clarinet and with the lower notes on one of the basses at my school because I didn't use enough air.
I can really relate to saxophone I might try this since I'm having a hard time with my high notes
@ClaraPTherapy Try adjusting your embouchure. What happens when you make your facial muscles tighter? Looser? With the mouthpiece farther in your mouth? Less? Experiment with your tonguing, and start very lightly. And practice often. (Bb soprano is my primary, by the way.:3 )
I have the same problem! i really thought I was the only one for a while or that something was wrong with my clarinet
Thanks for this instructions! I have a somewhat related problem: at 4:35 you say: "you probably can't go down into your right hand..." but that actually is my problem. I cannot hit the low notes (esp. A,G# and G) right without them jumping to the higher register (E,D#,D). I have no problems playing them in scales (either legato or staccato) but hitting them after a rest is really difficult, especially with accents but also pizzicato. Do you have any voicing hints on that? Thanks a lot!
I am in 6th grade and I am in band and guess what I play . Yes a base clarinet. So that's why I am watching some of these videos to help me play . Thank you very much for making this video sure .😀
i play bass at my school with another girl. (Diff. mouth piece and reeds) and what we found out is, that the bass works better with hot air in it. So if you blow air into but not really play, it gives it a more bold sound. Hope That Helped! =)
@bOStoN321123 so, I think you have a mechanical problem. On most bass clarinets there is a mechanism that changes which register hole that is opened by the register key -- one larger register hole for B-C-D in the clarion register, and the smaller, higher one for notes above those. I bet you are having an issue with that mechanism if you cannot play above D. I'd have a repair person check it out.
@earspasm it;s really nice. have you tried the privileges? how do you arrange a trip to paris to get it. i read your paper :D very helpful
Great video, very helpful. Thanks.
I can shatter glass with my bass clari lad
@ClaraPTherapy Oh, and make sure your reed is in good condition; it shouldn't be chipped, cracked, split, etc., smelly, or discolored from extensive use. If you still don't seem to be improving after all of this, it may be time to have your instrument viewed by a repair specialist.
Me: let me do this on the alto clarinet so I can actually do all of my notes on the contrabass clarinet
This is great stuff for players who have a good quality mouthpiece and good reeds that match the facing curve of the mouthpiece. If you are playing a cheap student mpc that is really only good for making a sound before you take your first lesson, get a new mouthpiece and then try the voicings.Otherwise you will be very frustrated.
I'm going to start playing I played clarinet for 3 years now
@sverbern So you're saying in the fundamental register you have this problem? I say this because A in the fundamental = 3rd partial E. Most of the voicing issues people have are in the clarion register (between in-the-staff B up C above the staff). If you're hitting 3rd partial E when playing an A, I think it's possible you might have a mechanical problem with your instrument or your mouthpiece. Either that, or you are playing with a very high tongue position...but I would bet the former.
Im in the symphonic band at my high school. I cant get abouve high G. How do you "voice" correctly?
*when you got your bass clarinet less than a week before your audition and you're on your second day and the only problem you have is the top notes of the second octave and the third :')*
I feel that.
Oh wow, I had no clue about this stuff. Thanks, this video is really helpful. The only notes I seem to have a chronic problem with are B, C, and C# (i.e. when switching registers) due to smallish hands. Any tips to make it a little easier?
hey, real nice tip man! can you post more videos with more tips? this is helping the bass clarinet comunity a lot! thanks!
@bigdybadman this will take about 2 years of solid practice to master I'm afraid. It's not a magic pill :) Sorry! (But do practice it - it will make all the difference in your playing)
Really helpful.
Thanks for the video, it really help me play better and I did an ISSMA contest and I won because of your videos!! Thank you so much >_<
JM Volta (principal BC in orchestre national de France) speaks of " la troisième clé d'octave" seating in the throat. With this kind of voicing you can get every high note without squeezing mouthpiece. Old bass clarinet (beginning of XX century) have no half plate to play acute register so bass clarinettist must use this technique ( my own teacher, principal at the nouvel orchestre philarmonique de radio France, play so on his very old buffet bass clarinet)
My mouth feels crazy when I play
Dude, you rock.
I can't play a high G or above plz help
NightmarexDarkrai Same. my name director is a douche and made me play Clarinet for the marching season and I completely lost my amboucher.
thanks so much kind sir
man you're of gerat help, thankzzz very much
hi, i have been clarinet for about 3 years and i am switching to bass clarinet next week. i was wondering if anything is different fingering wise or anything else. thx
I was playing a piece is concert band today. And there was a low C, the one right below the low D#. I as well as another freshman cannot find the fingering anywhere. What is it?
i cant even hit a c. it just sounds like buzzing.
Cherlyn, in order to play high notes on the bass clarinet you will need to work yourself up to at least a 3 strength reed. If your using a stock mouthpiece, get rid of it. I use a Selmer C* with a 3 fibercell reed on a Yamaha bass, great combo. I'm working on voicing without the register key, it's hard!
Dang you look like you could be my clarinet professors son
Whenever i play that really high c i usually get a weird note that is like humming and if i play high d (the one on a line of course) then i lower my thumb off of the register key it will go down to g
I need help with notes above a.. the register key notes basicly. i cant get them out at all. i can get all the other notes from A and lower.
Can you make a how-to on Etude no. 25 on the bass clarinet? I have to learn it for districts. Thanks!
I'm a beginning clarinet and was wondering why I can't play the lower half as well as the upper half
Hey just wondering Do you think you can make a video on how to play louder. My teacher keeps telling me to play louder but i couldnt i even searched it up and the only answer was to play more faster which doesnt help.
Cad you do a tutorial on how to gliss on bass clary? I can gliss on regular clarinet but the bass has keys and no holes. I've seen u do it and some other people but I can really do it myself.
I dont know what I am doing wrong but I can play the bflat clarinet just fine but when I play bass clarinet I can barely get a note out without squeaking
As a flute player who also plays clarinet I totally get this.
My high notes don't come out at all but sometimes they will but not usually. Mine is crap anyway i need to replace
This makes me think of brass instruments a lot, especially the French horn that I play. I could NEVER play above throat B-flat when I tried to pick up a bass clarinet and blow. Couldn't figure out the correct voicing for the upper register!
What kind of bass clarinet do you play? I play a low C Buffet, and it looks to me like you play a Selmer. I'm just curious.
Huge fan, by the way.
thank you! this helped alot!!!
Woah that's amazing
I'm having issues with Notes on a Eb ContraAlto with a few notes above "Thumb C"
I need to hit the "E" above that C I know the fingerings and I can hit them on my clarinet. I just can't get above a "D"
I'm using a Vandoren 3 strength. Main reason I'm asking is because I'm getting stuck on my all-region music. -_-
my problem is my bass clarinet is a school hire one and it is really sharp below a B but really flat above it. I'm getting a new instrument next year thank god. which is also the schools but its a really good one with a low C extension.
could you make a video on why you chirp at the beginning of low notes? This has just recently become a major problem, and i need to get it fixed.
Is it the same thing like brasses, where you control your embouchure, like voicing on the bass clarinet?
please help me. i have been playing for 5 years and i CAN NOT play above a D. not the D where you play with 1&2 right above middle C. its the D where you play basically a low G with the register key. i cannot for the life of me play higher. ive watched this video countless times and still cant do anything about it. help?
How about a tip on playing the high C. haha. I can't get it out for the life of me. It could be the clarinet body I'm playing on. It's not a GOOD one. It's a Bundy... Which is not good. It's also older. I've borrowed it from my school. Any tips on how to play it? I really can't. I squeak. Not always often but usually. I march with this instrument, also. I am OKAY with most notes but some are worst than others. Please help?
if i move from a c to a low g or anywhere in my right hand i squeak but it doesnt feel like squeaking
Thank you.
Damn, I so want a bass clarinet...
gabriel lavenant you can rent them
Thanks.!
Everything makes sense now. I didn't know I that I had to uncover the pin hole for upper register notes. So much time wasted overblowing with frustration!
You should find a fingering chart
Okay. How do I play the register can you help!? make a video on how to hold your mouth and everything.... because when i am in band, i have to brig everything down an octave bc i can't do it up the octave...
Hi there I'm just starting out on the bass clarinet, any recommendations for exercises i should be doing?
hi, so im doing a concertino of karel husa and pratically all the notes are above the staff and i tried you method of getting the high notes out but do you have any other ways also to play high notes?
Who do u want to make the video Tim ciarelli
I've been playing clarinet for 1 year, bass for 1 year. I rarely squeak and I can currently hit A5 above staff. However, when I play notes F, G, and A above middle C it sounds really airy and almost toneless. Also, when I have to play the "oompah/waddle" in a piece, with notes below the staff, the articulation makes spit excrete from my mouth and the mouthpiece gets very wet. I tried sealing my lips around the mouthpiece as best I can, but still no luck. Help please?(:
thanks. i think ill have a repair shop check it out.
I use vendoren on my bass and it sounds great.......
Cool but how do I even get sounds out on that side of the register :/ I've only been playing for 6 months.
I can't even play my regiSter key notes with the register. They come out the sane as wighout the register.