Is Bass Clarinet Easier to Play?
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- Опубліковано 4 бер 2021
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We hear from a lot of students and band directors who think that bass clarinet is easier to play than soprano clarinet. Is that really true, or is bass clarinet actually more difficult? It's time for some clarinet mythbusting!
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With all due respect, I think whether or not bass clarinet is easier to play than soprano clarinet really depends on the individual player and how comfortable they are with the low clarinets(alto/BH, bass, etc.) So many clarinetists(and saxophonists) who mainly play soprano find the bass more challenging, but for me it's the other way round: I've been excelling on bass so much that many people associate me with the bass clarinet(partially thanks to the shortage of bass clarinetists during my teenage years), but my progress on soprano has been relatively stagnant, and a few other top pros have also had this experience. Ultimately it'd be the best to be adept on both, then see what your career paths lead you to!
That's a great point! A lot of clarinetists have a natural affinity for either the low or high clarinets, and playing any instrument at a high level is incredibly difficult and labor intensive. In this video, we're trying to address the common belief among grade school students and some band directors that bass clarinet is less difficult and doesn't require a proper embouchure.
@@ClarinetHQ I totally understand where you're coming from and what the idea of this video is, and I do agree with your overall point that the bass clarinet isn't necessarily easier than the soprano, I was just pointing out that there is no single absolute answer to the question. And yes, a proper embouchure is required, though the embouchure varies a bit on the 2 sides of the Atlantic(the European approach I was trained under tends to favor an "O" shaped embouchure which allows the use stronger reeds even on more open mouthpieces). I guess the whole misconception with the bass clarinet being easier is due to it often being neglected in grade school settings as band directors often put their focus elsewhere which is pretty sad!
I took to the bass clarinet straight away, the instrument really taught me how to love playing music and find the fun in any piece or part. Always will have a special place for me.
Plus the sound/resonance "chefs kiss"
I started playing clarinet when I was 6. Played b-clarinet till I was 11 and now I have been playing both b and bass clarinet for about two and a half years. In my opinion they both require skill but the skill set is just different since the properties of the two clarinets are obviously apart. So it really only takes a good and solid basic technique and lots of practise, love from Finland :)
I absolutely agree! Thanks for sharing your experience. Very cool to have a viewer from Finland!
I played B flat clarinet in grade 8 and now for grade 9 i’m playing bass clarinet!! i’m so excited!!!
That's great! Bass clarinet is so much fun, especially when your whole head vibrates playing the low notes! Let us know if there are other bass clarinet videos we should make, and good luck!
I love the sound of the Bass clarinet. The best bass clarinet solo ive heard is from Toby the Tram Engine Season 1 Theme
Also it looks like a Saxaphone but sounds like a Bassoon
I played clarinet for years. Then in my 30's I started playing tenor sax. I can tell you first hand, the lower instrument is WAY easier on the mouth. My mouth burns out with the clarinet, it never burns out with the tenor. And while these are two different instruments, the embouchure is very similar between tenor and bass. So no, I would disagree.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Some people are definitely drawn to the lower woodwind and others find that the higher woodwinds naturally fit them better. The tenor and bass embouchures are certainly similar, so your preference for bass clarinet makes sense.
this is my first year in band (im in grade 8) and i started on bass clarinet. ive never played soprano clarinet but it's nice to know that there may be some advantages
That's great - I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I do!
I’m also in grade 9 now it’s my 3rd year I started as a Bb Clarinet but a few months later my director said “ hey you are very good at clarinet so I decided would you rather play soprano clarinet or bass clarinet”. So I look at both and said maybe bass clarinet will be challenging to play so I chose it . I didn’t doubt that decision yet
I used to be terrible at covering the soprano clarinet holes properly and the bass clarinet pads really helped me. My “aim” has improved now though and I think I can probably play the soprano clarinet just as well
That's really interesting! It makes sense since your fingers have a little more margin for error with bass. Thanks for sharing!
I've been playing bass clarinet from 6th to 12th grade now and I think people think it's easy because we always get the lower parts of pieces.
I could see that. If you're always playing the secondary part then it might seem easy. We know the truth, though 😎
I personally think that both Bb clarinet and bass clarinet are both difficult in their own ways, one is not objectively harder they’re just objectively different
We agree!
As a person that was a clarinet for around 1 month I can say that (in my opinion) bass is much easier. Also I am in 7th grade but I started as a clarinet but I was going to be a saxophone but I hated the clarinet because of the open holes. The open holes always was super hard and eventually I gave up the clarinet and was the first bass clarinet in 6th grade (covid had stopped band for 2-3 years). I now love the bass clarinet and I eventually want to join jazz band (as a clarinet) but I have to wait a year to tryout.
My opinion bass clarinet is harder
Advantages of it is the closed holes and can be sat on the floor disadvantages Slightly different fingerings for low F and E and High C and B, Very Wide, Bigger Mouthpiece, harder to put high notes out but still easy, and ginormous
I played bass for 10 years. I stopped 6 years ago. I'm tempted to get back into it but don't know where to start or what to play as I won't have an instructor
It's tough coming back after a long break, especially without an instructor. My best advice is to take it easy. Find music that's fun and not too difficult. Don't expect yourself to sound like you did 6 years ago right away. It'll take time. Just enjoy playing bass. It's a great instrument! You could try some of our free play-alongs (music at www.clarinethq.com/freemusic), but there's a lot of good music out there.
So this was my first year on bass. I made tmea region on soprano freshman and sophomore year and my lesson teacher wanted me to switch to bass to try and make all state. At the start it was a slightly jarring switch but now that I’m more comfortable switching between the two I wouldn’t call bass easier. It has its challenges like playing fast passages which can be slightly unruly on leaps and breaks and low register stuff past Eb but having played on soprano for 5 years prior I would say having that experience has made certain aspects like high range much easier on bass
First of all, congratulations on making region band as a freshman! You have a really great perspective. I hope other people read this. In the end, playing both probably makes you a better overall clarinetist.
don't know how I got Bass Clarinet video lol, but this might explain my issues moving from the Bari Sax to the Soprano.
Going from bari to soprano is tough! The soprano mouthpiece feels so tiny in comparison.
Question: Even if you don’t fully know the Clarinet, can you still switch to Bass Clarinet since it’s the same notes but just an octave lower? I know the notes on the Clarinet but I just haven’t played a lot of long songs on it because sometimes out of nowhere, probably because it’s really old, it makes a dusty sound that can’t change the pitch.
You could absolutely switch to bass. Some people feel more comfortable playing bass than soprano, and you'll never know unless you try! You should also consider taking your soprano clarinet to a repair tech, if you can. The dusty sound might be your instrument not working properly.
I have been play soprano from 4th to 6th grade just this year I wil be switching to bass and soprano is already hard enough there was a time when I just could do 4 bar phrasing and had to breath like every 2 measures and had harder parts to so from what I have heard from our past bass clarinets that the music was more simpler than what I was doing
Good luck switching to bass! I love playing the low clarinets! Bass clarinet parts tend to be less technical, but they're challenging in other ways. Because the bass is so much longer, you need to push more air out of the instrument in order to make a sound. You'll get used to it. Just focus on taking big, relaxed breaths, and make sure you have good tongue position. (Here's a video that can help with that: ua-cam.com/video/3dJb_EOH9QE/v-deo.html)
@@ClarinetHQ thank you so much honestly we need more people like you
I play the Bb clarinet right now and my school is giving me the option of switching? I am better playing the low notes on my Bb clarinet so I’m thinking of doing it. I also know I want to do Marching Band in high school so what should I do? Any tips?
It is really common for bass clarinet players to march Bb soprano (regular) clarinet during marching season and then switch to bass during concert season. Sometimes marching tenor saxophone is an option - but that depends on your school and its instrument inventory. Tenor saxophone is also in Bb and uses a lot of the same fingerings.
If you want to get better at playing higher notes - and this applies to bass clarinet, too - you should make sure your tongue position is high enough and that you're using fast, cold air with a good embouchure. We have videos that can help point you in the right direction! Here is our High Note Hacks playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLFQufybMvJhSkn6Nucim5rhGBrEznoHkb.html
Keep us updated and let us know if you have any other questions!
@@ClarinetHQ Thank you :)
I play clarinet in honor band, but i want to switch to bass clarinet. My friend plays it, i love the sound, and i want to play with the low instruments for a change
I am currently playing bass in a community band and LOVE IT. It really is a nice change from playing higher parts :) Let us know how your switch goes!
@@ClarinetHQ 👍
bass clarinet is more "awkward" but soprano parts are way harder
Bass clarinet can definitely feel awkward, especially if you're short like me. 😀 It's a shame that it doesn't get more love in band music. There are some great, and really difficult, pieces for bass out there.
@@ClarinetHQ I started playing bass a few years ago. There are difficult parts for bass but many more soprano parts are harder. I play both in a community band (I fill in when the regular bass player is out) and the bass parts are almost always easier. I would say, however, that it can depend on the person. The bass fits better in my large hands and I have a lot of lung capacity. It took a while for me to learn to play longer phrases on bass but I no longer struggle with that.. The embouchure is very different but I wouldn't say it is easier.
When I play soprano clarinet usually the notes are much busier, that's what makes B.Clt easier ! THE MUSIC ITSELF ! 🙂🙂🙂
That's true. Although, there's a lot of great (and very difficult) solo and chamber music for bass clarinet (some great orchestra parts, too). Bass clarinet doesn't get a lot of love in band music though. 😢
i’m a sax player primarily (classical alto and soprano) but my clarinet skills are kinda bad tbh. but with bass it felt almost natural to pick up. (i will add i also play bari in my school’s wind ensemble/jazz band but alto and sop are what i play 95% of the time)
That makes a lot of sense. I think bass works pretty well with a sax embouchure. I play a lot of tenor sax and feel like I play bass and tenor very similarly.
@@ClarinetHQ i completely agree. just with tenor i wouldn’t suggest a pinched embouchure like i see most bass clarinet players who start playing tenor sax do
The misconception that the bass clarinet is easier to play has to do with the fact that in band music the bass clarinet mostly plays simpler parts. that teh Ssoprano clarinet.
A professional bass clarinetist should master a few additional skills : het/she must be able to read bass clef and G clef equally proficient . For band music it is sometimes required to be able to read bass clef and transpose it up a tone . This makes it possible to read (2nd) bassoon parts and bari sax parts. In the symphony orchestra one should be able to read bass clef parts a semitone lower in order to be able to play ass clar in A parts: e.g. ravel, La Valse, Piano concerto for the left hand and in Mahler symphonies this might appear.
You forgot to mention the Bass Clarinet has a reed twice the size, the length is twice as long, the bore is twice as wide and it has a curved bell at the bottom. All of that translates to TWICE the air! 😂
Madam which Bflat company clarinet do you use? Model no
Thanks for the question! Meredith plays on Backun Model F and Mike on Backun MoBa, which both fall under the professional clarinet category.
@@ClarinetHQ Thanks madam
Does bass clarinet have any high notes like the Bb clarinet? I might be switching to bass soon and i cant do certain high notes on my Bb clarinet so it got me curious
Good question! The range on bass clarinet and B-flat (soprano) clarinet are pretty similar, so you can play the same high notes, although you almost never need to play that high in band music. What's great, though, is that many players find the high notes on bass clarinet a lot easier to play than the high notes on B-fat.
yeah its pretty much the same and its harder in the higher registers but once you practice a lot and find the voicing for those notes you can hit them more consistently. When I played soprano I could barely touch the high c sharp but now on bass im hitting the highest g
That's awesome - Finding the voicing is half the battle!
Iden: The bass clarinet can go up to 5 octaves(if you have a low C bass with at least a double if not triple register mechanism), though 4 octaves will suffice unless you're a specialized soloist!
So I play bass clarinet professionally and love it. The range of the bass clarinet to the Bb are very similar. Any note you can play on bass you can play on Bb, it will only sound an octave lower. Hope this helps.
An interesting video. However, it sounds a bit funny to refer to the smaller instrument as "the Bb clarinet" because BOTH instruments you're playing are pitched in Bb. "Soprano clarinet" would make much more sense. Of course I realize the soprano instruments are available in different pitches, but Bb is essentially the "default" pitch and most common.
That's true! I'm not sure why it's become the norm to call the soprano clarinet B-flat when there are others in the clarinet family also pitched in that key.
I know a lighthouse that needsca fog horn 😂
Yes and no.
Great answer!
@@ClarinetHQ I personally generally find bass clarinet more fun to play because of its larger, more versatile range, its 'niche' factor, its cosmetics (I think it looks so badass), and its dark, inky sound.
Agreed! Inky is a great way to describe bass.
Bass clarinet just sounds BETTER! (Sorry, not sorry.)
bro I play bass clarinet and I can defiantly say bass is far easier than Bb. Some may think otherwise but as a pro bass clarinetist I can say for sure that if you play Bb, just switch to bass.
I switched to bass like 2 years ago (in 7th grade im in 9th grade now). I think it'd basically the same honestly bass is just a little boring.