Hey! I think I might switch to Bass Clarinet or Basson this year. We have way to many clarinets! (well we have 8..minus incoming 6th graders) I have to ask still but is anything diferent on the basss clarinet vs.Bb clarinet? OR should i ask about basson?

You should really think about this. well first of all, ask your teacher about this first. One thing that is different is that you have to use a lot more air (for the bass clarinet) and you have to cover more of the mouthpiece (it's twice as big). And another thing is that you almost always get the bass line , unless you are lucky and get some solos! good luck and choose carefully

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heepwah2you04, why are you switching anyway?

Becuse there are way too mant clarinets and I don't wanna be stuck in a bad chair..

Bass clarinet is really fun to play. I played it a lot in college. You'd have a better shot at making region band on bass.

What grade are you in? how hard is the music your band plays?
Bass clarinet is wonderful. it's alot of fun, less competition, and it sounds nice. HOWEVER. if you like exciting parts, or high notes, be warned- easlier level music has crap bass clarinet parts. It takes till about grade 4 or 5 level music for composers to realize, "hey! bass clarinetists are competent people and know how to play!" in easier music, you will wonder why you switched. you will be bored sometimes. you will grow to hate oompahs. you will be thrilled to see 8th notes on the rare occasions you get any. but if you practice, work on scales, technique, et cetera, if you make it your goal to make those quarter notes the BEST quarter notes anyone's ever heard, you will get better. and as you get better, and are in higher level groups, the music gets harder, and you will get worthwhile parts. All the work you put in earlier when it seems pointless will pay off, and if there is competition, you can beat them out and get the spiffy solos. OR you can not work hard, coast through, and still have fun playing in one of the more laid back sections of the band. Either way, bass is great fun.
Distinctly small hands will be an obstacle to playing bass clarinet. Try it out if possible before commiting to a switch to make sure you can handle the larger instrument, as well as teh embouchure.

Fingerings are pretty much the same as soprano(standard Bb) clarinet, except for the lowest Eb and above high C above the staff.

Embouchure: you will need to loosen up, but still keep your corners firm. USE LOTS OF AIR.

Bassoons are super spiffy. I don't know all that much about them, but they tend to have similar parts to bass clarinets in easier music, aka boring parts. However, you will have the added learning how to play it to keep you occupied. Double reeds are very different, however. Also, you will need to learn a whole new (and crazy, from what I can tell/have heard) set of fingerings. Bigish hands would also be helpful here. As you advance in skill, as with bass clarinets, parts will get harder/more interesting.

I love the low winds instruments, so I am of the oppinion that either of the switches you are considering would be great. Low woodwinds are slowly becoming an endangered species. You will be more valued and more likely to make groups you audition for, because you will be competing against 15 people instead of 150. However, if you like playing crazy high parts, if you like fast runs, if you like playing the melody- stick with soprano clarinet. You would be miserable on bass instruments in that case.

Good luck, enjoy whatever you decide to play!

Ya I didn't switch. My teacher said the parts are boring cuse she asked who wants to switch today. This one girl I don't like switched so that's one of the resons.