Do you guys know what a bass clarinet is, or who bass clarinet players are? Well, bass clarinet players are usually inexperience or really bad players of the clarinet section (soprano b-flat, of course)who get banished to play bass clarinet by the band directors because they are inept at playing the soprano b-flat clairnet. Usally in chair tests, the last two chairs play bass clarinet. The bass clarinet insturment, is a big, low, heavy, and sickening instrument that cannot be heard by the band, but is just there to let people see the band has bass clarinets.

Oh and just to let you know, jazz clarinet sounds awful.
I also hate the first chair clarinet person in the symphonic band. I should be first. He can`t even play scales!

what the heck???? What`s your problem?

heh......my tutor plays a bass clarinet in his orchestra too....he sounded smooth and soothing~and not everyone can play a bass clarinet like a good string bass sound with loud projection~

ChEeRs~

Contrabass clarinet is t3h r0x0r albeit very difficult to play.

what is first chair clarinet?

First chair is the best player in the band, 2nd chair is the 2nd best, and so on.

As for the Bass Clarinet bashing, I`ve been playing clarinet for 5 years now. 3 years ago I switched to bass. I`m 14, and in the Advanced Band at my school. We just had honor band audions last week. The Clarinets and the Bass Clarinets had the same music, and played the same thing. Their point cutoff to get in was 125. Ours was 145 (there were less chairs for Bass). The 1st chair player (in the honor band) got a 152. The first chair bass got a 168. You do the math. And consider that our band is considered to have the best Junior High Clarinet Section in Southern California

I`m 14 as well, and I play the bass clarinet most of the time (and have been doing so for about 2½ years). I`ve been playing the clarinet for just over 6 years.

I`m afraid I find your message rather insulting, and I get the impression that you have never played the bass clarinet in an orchestra. Contrary to popular belief, although the part may be fairly easy, it is much more difficult to play the bass clarinet (as opposed to the regular Bb sapprano clarinet) in an orchestra/wind band for one simple reason: There is normally a large number of people playing the same part on a Bb sapprano clarinet in a wind band (it`s usually a wind band, since orchestras don`t often have a bass clarinet player), but you`re usually on your own if you`re a bass clarinet player.

I have tried bass clarinet before, and i am afraid it really does suck

For your information, I am first chair soprano clarinet in my band but switched to bass so, no, bass clarinet players are not anything of what you said.

seriouly, bass clarinet is harder to play than the soprano one, and i mean a lot harder

Hey guys, it`s nice to see that a lot of you here play and understand the bass clarinet. My question is this: I recently switched from Bb soprano and I`m having a terribly difficult time with the bass once I get over the break line. I can rarely get out notes in the upper octave G or above. Can anybody give me advice on embouchure, air support, body position, etc. that will help me maintain a steady tone and also actually HIT these notes? Thanks in advance!

Love always,
-Tiffani*)

does anyone know of a good peice of music for concert band

right now im in the advance band at an intermidiate school and ive been playing the trombone for 2 years but i hate it so im switching to a bass clarinet. I just love the way it sounds. its so smooth.

I see that many of you are mistaken:

The bass clarinet is as least as hard as the clarinet, if not more.
I play Bb clarinet, Bb bass clarinet, and Eb Alto Clarinet. Bass clarinet is by far my favourite.
It has a much better sound, and according to difficulty, it needs a person with a much larger lung capacity, because it uses a LOT of air, plus it is hard to produce a loud sound (though with practice I got very loud if I wanted to), and the keys are also farther apart, causing difficulty for some players in reaching.
As you can see, it is very challenging to play.
By the way, I am 14 and have played the bass clarinet for a while.

Doesn`t anyone else think that a bass clarinet
is just about a sax.