I play the bass clarinet, and I got into IMEA my freshman year. I don't want to brag, but i think I'm good. My dad always says he wants to record me playing. I feel really embarrassed when I get all that attention.

Does playing the bass clarinet even require talent?

to the same extent that any other instrument does.

i don't think any of them require talent, so to speak, because talent often implies natural ability.

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by which i meant, you can get along just as well without the natural inherent ability, if you try. talent only dictates your starting point, not how far you can get.

Personally, I think that bass clarinet is fairly good sounding to start on, but its good to be professional on it. By playing it for a few days you can probably do low G to high G no problem, but say on other instruments, such as flute or violin it could be a different situation. This is just talking from my experiences (total noobie flute and violin player xD).

It is hard to be perfect without mistakes for me though.

"Personally, I think that bass clarinet is fairly good sounding to start on, but its good to be professional on it. By playing it for a few days you can probably do low G to high G no problem, but say on other instruments, such as flute or violin it could be a different situation. This is just talking from my experiences (total noobie flute and violin player xD)."


totally depends on prior experience. i bet a cello player could sound fine on a violin in a few days and i couldn't, but that same cello player wouldn't be able to play, say a saxophone, in a couple days, but i could because it's similar to what i play.

a lot of bass clarinet players switch from soprano clarinet, (After all, it's kinda big for most 4th/5th grade hands, i suspect- i didn't even know they existed til 7th grade)
having that clarinet background means you know the fingerings, and basic embochure, making it seem like a simple instrument to learn. give it to a trumpet player or someone, and they might not think it's so simple.

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oh, and btw, which G are you refering to when you say high G?

just a basic no finger G (high G) and for the low G all fingers and no pinky.


I started fresh on bass clarinet (only playing recorder before) and I've known about one since about grade 6.. I started band in grade 7. I didn't find it very hard to play, considering all the other instruments had more trouble then I did. The trumpets still sucked at the end of the year... and all the clarinets were flat, just because of someone that couldn't play >_<

I learned clarinet in 5th grade, then in 6th I got switched because I really sucked at the clarinet...

It was a great moment. I cried. I was like "You really want me to play the bass clarinet? That's my dream!" on the inside. I was crying and crying...

yknow, i read an article a few years back that talked about why "because i sucked at clarinet" is the worst possible reason to switch to/be switched to bass clarinet. i couldn't find it when i went back looking for it, but ill see if i can find it again.

Thank you.

They switched me to the bass clarinet because they thought that if I played an instrument that requires more air, I would play with more air on the clarinet. It didn't work. You do not want to hear me on the clarinet.

Once I switched to the bass clarinet and heard how awesome it sounded, I began to love music and playing my instrument. Before, it was like 'Okay. I'll play the clarinet because my older brother plays the clarinet." That was a bad decision. At least now I've found the instruments I love playing (bass instruments-bari sax, bass clarinet, maybe the trombone...)