Hello, Im new here and I just wanted to get some advice.

Well as you can see by the title,I play the bass clarinet. I am in 7th grade and played the clarinet since 4th grade and switched to the bass clarinet. Not much different just bigger. I guess I am still a beginner so I need to know how not to make that weird sound when you tongue. I can't really explain it. I just want to know how to make crisp clear sounds. Not sure if it matters but I use vandoren 2 1/2 tenor sax reeds. My teacher said its better for me to use.

hey, I also play bass clarinet at the moment. I'm in gr. 10
I played soprano for 2 and a half years then I was switched to bass because we needed more bass line. I used to have the same problem when I was tongueing and I hate to say it, but the only way to fix it is to practice like crazy. Doing lots of scales helps. I'm playing on 2.5 bass clarinet reeds right now, but I was playing on sax reeds for a while until I ran out. What pieces are you guys playing?

2.5s sound decent for your level right now. I agree with the previous poster's advice of practicing. Scales will help out a lot. Try to alternate the articulations, slur two tongue two seems to help a lot with getting the tongue from staccato to legato.

i've never found tenor sax reeds to work as well on bass clarinet as real bass clarinet reeds, though i suppose it might just be personal preference.

Just because i'm me, i'd use a regular Bass Clarinet reed rather than a tenor sax one, that's my personal preference at least.... I'm a soon to be freshman and i play the Bass Clarinet as well, so if you have any questions i may be able to answer them, depending on what they are concerning. Good luck with your music career!

Tenor sax mouthpieces are not anywhere near identical to bass clarinet mouthpieces, and neither are the reeds, even though they may look it. They aren't designed and cut for a bass clarinet mouthpiece. Either your teacher has you playing a funky mouthpiece that favors tenor sax reeds, or your teacher is a real doofus IMHO. Good luck!

There's a lot of discussion about tenor reeds versus bcl reeds. I'd say if all you have at the moment is tsx reeds, use them, but buy bcl reeds as soon as possible.

I play bass clarinet and use size 4 reeds, just to think... am I the only one here who has played long enought?

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Oh ny the way I'm in 5th grade, and have played Clarinet sense I was 7 years old. 4 years that would be.

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If I knew how, I would add a recording of me playing a piece without making that funky sound. Just like she said it is practise and THE WAY you do it. If you press hard, you will make a thump sound, just hard enough to separate the notes is all that is need. Sometimes I just stop my airflow using a special way of moving my lungs and month to stop airflow even quicker then you could tonguing.

"I play bass clarinet and use size 4 reeds, just to think... am I the only one here who has played long enought?"

played long enough to use size 4?

reed size is hardly an indicator of how long you've played, or skill.

Reed size is not something to grade skill on. I play somewhere between a 3 or 3 1/2, and I've been playing single reed instruments for ten years (wow. I feel old!). I'm currently a music major on cl and bcl. Over the years, I've never played on a reed lower than a 2 or higher than the 3 1/2.

I was not meaning taht as to grade people on. I meant that was I the only one who had played well enough to move up in size. Plus that takes time. I never meant to judge people. I never use anything lower then a 2.5.

I have an MP3 out now, so you can check out how well I am if you want, but that isn't what I can do until you ask me to get serious.

Well it's nothing to get all mad over. You are wright though. It is just about personal preference. No hard feelings.

Regards, Brandon

Jin, has any of what we said helped you? I tried to add a melody of slur two tongue two, but it didn't work. It's sort of like: da uh dut dut, da uh dut dut. Give it a try.


Win_Hand, if you've played long enough and are good enough to get up to a 4, than either you really do need a stronger reed (re: the last post before me) or you're playing on a hard reed because you are getting better. If it's the first, accept my apologies. Some people do just play better on a really soft or really hard reed. If it's the second, just make sure that you do find the reed strength that works the best for you.

a lower strength clarinet reed produces a better tone, especially in the lower registers. a harder reed makes it easier to play high notes, but doesnt always produce such a warm tone. most clarinetists settle for a compromise and choose a reed somewhere between 2 and 3. however it is a matter of preference. the reason you may have started on a lower strength reed an now be on a higher strength one is that as a beginner, it is obviously difficult to play on harder reeds. as you progress, and particularly as you are learning to play the higher notes, you might find a harder reed suits your requirements much better. but reed strength is by no means a measure of skill, or anything else.

Please don't critisize my teacher, I don't really care what kind of reed I am using but I do appreciate the help that people are giving me.

If I needed help with tenor sax reeds than I would make a thread about it but otherwise I don't care, stick with the topic