Great, now I think I want to see a garklein recorder and contrabassoon play a medieval song together! Wouldn't mind seeing more recorder and bassoon duets.
The problem with this test is that the formant make-up of the bassoon and the contrabassoon is quite different. They have vastly different timbres. The Contraforte is a closer match to a bassoon digitally dropped down an octave. Your sub-contrabassoon won't sound like this, unless you take special care to design it acoustically to match the formant structure of the bassoon (which is probably not physically possible given the size of the reed that would be required).
+Trent Jacobs I completely agree that it is an imperfect test, but until the prototype is playable I feel it's the best I can do that wouldn't be total guesswork. The first time I did this (look for "The Possible Sound of the Subcontrabassoon") I started by comparing a digitally pitched down bassoon to a contrabassoon to give context to my fakery. Perhaps I should prepare a quick version of that to add as a disclaimer to these videos. Thanks for the comment!
Might I recommend playing the part on contra twice as fast and slowing it down? It might be harder to pull off perfectly, but I'm guessing that the sound quality would be better. Just a suggestion
please can you make another update vid of the sub- conta? like show what PHYSICAL stuff you have done or another body work vid or something. or do you already have one coming? if so when do you think it would be uploaded?
I promise you, I'm always working on the subcontrabassoon. When I'm not making videos it's because the progress I've been making isn't terribly interesting or has already been covered. Right now, I'm busy updating the keywork to the new body joint dimensions. All in-progress physical body joint construction has been based on the new dimensions but the keywork had not yet been updated. Since I want to drill the post holes at the same time as the tone holes, I needed to get the keywork 100% settled before proceeding with the physical construction. Thanks so much for following the project! I hope to have more to show you soon.
But soon composers will be able to write entirely new subcontrabassoon solos! Taking the range of the organ pedals and adding the musical flexibility of a woodwind.
thanks for the feedback! I can't wait to see a sub contrabassoon in full orchestras and everything. im saxophone man myself, I play tenor and.baritone saxophone. but I'd love to learn how to play bassoon. is there any nice bassoons you can recommend under 1500. if thats even possible?
Short answer; not really. Unless you luck into a bargain from someone who doesn't know what they have, you couldn't really get a decent bassoon for $1500.
+Steven Marcus I will do my best. The potential musical limitations of this lowest register is, in my opinion, the biggest unanswered question about this project. When I think back to my first experiences playing contrabassoon, I remember the lowest register sounding impossibly low; to the point where I had great difficulty recognizing pitch and hearing it as anything other than a sound effect. However, with time and experience, Bb0 now seems as normal to me as Bb3. As I've worked on these "sound tests", including many others that I didn't upload, I've become quite confident that the register down to A-1 could be used to meaningfully augment a slow bassline by doubling it an octave lower. And honestly, even if that's the only thing a subcontrabassoon could meaningfully do, I would still argue that it is worth building. (An analogy I've used in the past is "if you're a painter, you may not use the color neon purple very often, but that doesn't mean you'd want to live in a world where that color was completely impossible to recreate.") With this "intriguing" excerpt, I used the bassoon to give my mind something to latch onto for pitch, but put enough space between the voices in the hopes that I wouldn't hear the subcontrabassoon as a mere "color" of the bassoon line, but as an independent voice. I called it "intriguing" because, for me anyway, it worked more in that regard than any other prior "sound test". Obviously, the real subcontrabassoon will sound different than my digital fakery, but it nevertheless increases my hope that the subcontra could be more useful than simply augmenting the bass.
Sorry, I may have worded that poorly. What I mean is that I wouldn't expect the prototype to be ready any sooner than a year but it could be quite a bit longer than that.
No, the prototype is not finished. I'm currently working on the first six body joints and preparing to start work on the bends and remaining body joints. The image in the trailer is a CGI rendering I made based on the original CAD plans.
The chorale was quite nice. The Garklein recorder/subcontrabassoon duet....was different.
I am a composer, and I love it... But sounds like a washing machine
Yeah
nah, you need it in the right context; try to write for it and see if your mind changes
Great, now I think I want to see a garklein recorder and contrabassoon play a medieval song together! Wouldn't mind seeing more recorder and bassoon duets.
Would make for excellent evil music.
The problem with this test is that the formant make-up of the bassoon and the contrabassoon is quite different. They have vastly different timbres. The Contraforte is a closer match to a bassoon digitally dropped down an octave. Your sub-contrabassoon won't sound like this, unless you take special care to design it acoustically to match the formant structure of the bassoon (which is probably not physically possible given the size of the reed that would be required).
+Trent Jacobs I completely agree that it is an imperfect test, but until the prototype is playable I feel it's the best I can do that wouldn't be total guesswork. The first time I did this (look for "The Possible Sound of the Subcontrabassoon") I started by comparing a digitally pitched down bassoon to a contrabassoon to give context to my fakery. Perhaps I should prepare a quick version of that to add as a disclaimer to these videos. Thanks for the comment!
This is a dream instrument. This could add such rich textures to so many compositions.
Bass: Sound from the Depths.
Contrabass: Sounds from the Abyss.
Subcontrabass: Sounds from the...
Help me to find a word.
The Garklein scares my cat! She likes the subcontra though; like purring.
This was awesome and i actually like the other duet you did for that recorder and Subcontra.
Might I recommend playing the part on contra twice as fast and slowing it down? It might be harder to pull off perfectly, but I'm guessing that the sound quality would be better. Just a suggestion
+Max B (Maxderman) I neglected to specify, but that's exactly what I did.
Nice Garklein recorder with subcontrabassoon hahaha
Should add the rest of the double reed family all together
please can you make another update vid of the sub- conta? like show what PHYSICAL stuff you have done or another body work vid or something. or do you already have one coming? if so when do you think it would be uploaded?
I promise you, I'm always working on the subcontrabassoon. When I'm not making videos it's because the progress I've been making isn't terribly interesting or has already been covered. Right now, I'm busy updating the keywork to the new body joint dimensions. All in-progress physical body joint construction has been based on the new dimensions but the keywork had not yet been updated. Since I want to drill the post holes at the same time as the tone holes, I needed to get the keywork 100% settled before proceeding with the physical construction. Thanks so much for following the project! I hope to have more to show you soon.
The only melodic situation I could think of where this register is appropriate is in a solo written for the pedal of an organ
But soon composers will be able to write entirely new subcontrabassoon solos! Taking the range of the organ pedals and adding the musical flexibility of a woodwind.
can i buy one for 20 dollars plzz
Kaplop Kaplop
Maybe the cardboard cutout or the music
ha pizz so you want to buy a cello
"The Most Horrible Thing I Have Ever Created" -> *Armus* from Star Trek TNG S1E22
Ok. It's confirmed. I'm gonna try my damndest to play Bassoon well for concert band this year (I'm in 10th grade) :P
thanks for the feedback! I can't wait to see a sub contrabassoon in full orchestras and everything. im saxophone man myself, I play tenor and.baritone saxophone. but I'd love to learn how to play bassoon. is there any nice bassoons you can recommend under 1500. if thats even possible?
Short answer; not really. Unless you luck into a bargain from someone who doesn't know what they have, you couldn't really get a decent bassoon for $1500.
hmm ok. well thanks!
In the example of the melody played in the bassoon coupled with the subcontrabassoon 3 octaves lower, you were "intrigued." Can you elaborate?
+Steven Marcus I will do my best. The potential musical limitations of this lowest register is, in my opinion, the biggest unanswered question about this project. When I think back to my first experiences playing contrabassoon, I remember the lowest register sounding impossibly low; to the point where I had great difficulty recognizing pitch and hearing it as anything other than a sound effect. However, with time and experience, Bb0 now seems as normal to me as Bb3. As I've worked on these "sound tests", including many others that I didn't upload, I've become quite confident that the register down to A-1 could be used to meaningfully augment a slow bassline by doubling it an octave lower. And honestly, even if that's the only thing a subcontrabassoon could meaningfully do, I would still argue that it is worth building. (An analogy I've used in the past is "if you're a painter, you may not use the color neon purple very often, but that doesn't mean you'd want to live in a world where that color was completely impossible to recreate.") With this "intriguing" excerpt, I used the bassoon to give my mind something to latch onto for pitch, but put enough space between the voices in the hopes that I wouldn't hear the subcontrabassoon as a mere "color" of the bassoon line, but as an independent voice. I called it "intriguing" because, for me anyway, it worked more in that regard than any other prior "sound test". Obviously, the real subcontrabassoon will sound different than my digital fakery, but it nevertheless increases my hope that the subcontra could be more useful than simply augmenting the bass.
please carry on the comment
MY EARS
Every Wyomingite with their awesome sound systems with huge subs: *_S H O O K B Y T H E B A S S_*
so you have any guesses/predictions to when the instrument will be finished?
+Aaron Hastie I'm still working on the "no less than one year" timetable. It may be happening slowly but it is definitely happening! :-)
+Richard Bobo that's a lot sooner then I would have thought, thank you for replying
Sorry, I may have worded that poorly. What I mean is that I wouldn't expect the prototype to be ready any sooner than a year but it could be quite a bit longer than that.
+Richard Bobo ah
its so low, i can only hear the overtones on the subcontra
wait have u already built it? was that it in that picture?
No, the prototype is not finished. I'm currently working on the first six body joints and preparing to start work on the bends and remaining body joints. The image in the trailer is a CGI rendering I made based on the original CAD plans.
Well I am very looking forward to seeing and hearing the prototype when you do get it built
vincent vadachino Thanks! Hope to have more videos coming soon!
Just found your channel! Subscribed. Also, it's been a year. What's the progress update? :)
Sounds like a fart.
Trash💕
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