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Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 16:19:30 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: New Contra CD
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI've just discovered the Susan Nigro's latest contrabassoon CD is now
out. The title is "The 2 Contras" (1999 Crystal Records 349) and has
both Susan Nigro and Burl Lane on contrabassoons. Tower
(http://www.towerrecords.com), CDNow and Amazon.com have it listed,
although for some reason CDNow has all of SN's CDs listed under
popular music, rather than classical. Tower currently lists the
lowest price for it. All three list it as a "special order" item.The tracks are:
Now waiting for my copy to arrive.... :-)
- Sonata d'Amore for 2 Contrabassoons (Daniel Dorff)
- Sonata for 2 bassoons No. 1 (Etienne Ozi)
- From the Deep (Arthur Weisberg)
- Duo for Bassoon and Cello in Bb Major (Mozart)
- Concerto for 2 bassoons in F major (Johann Baptist Vanhal)
- The Impish Imp (Michael Curtis)
Enjoy!
Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------From: "BROCK IMISON" <bimison@hotmail.com>
Subject: Teaching Bassoon problem.
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 05:29:00 PDT
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comOne of my better students has a rather perplexing problem... I think it has
been caused by the poorly made reeds he played on for a number of
years---way too stiff, tip not thin enough--a total nightmare!!! When he
plays loud or high, his neck expands, not just a little---a huge amount. His
friends pick on him about it. I've tried everything I could think of to
correct the problem---to no avail. He is now using reeds that you only have
to look at and they vibrate but the problem still persists. Can anyone tell
me how this may have happened, or better, how to fix it????Desperate
Brock. Australia.______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 16:38:49 +0000 (GMT)
From: tomfox@cloudcuckooland.co.uk
Subject: How low can we go?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
Does anyone know what the lowest note is that humans can hear? Which contrabass instruments can actually play that note?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 18:53:17 +0100 (BST)
From: Dafydd y garreg wen <mavnw@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: How low can we go?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comOn Tue, 12 Oct 1999 tomfox@cloudcuckooland.co.uk wrote:
> Does anyone know what the lowest note is that humans can hear?
> Which contrabass instruments can actually play that note?
> --The lower limit of human hearing is around 20 Hz or a little lower.
A at the bottom end of the Piano is exactly 27.5 Hz - the lowest audible
note will be between about the E below that and the B or C below *that*,
depending on the listener's aural perception of low notes.
There are several instruments that can reach this low - the Organ is a
good start; the lowest note reachable on an Organ in existence is about 8
Hz or so, about an octave below what the best human ears can hear. I can
almost reach down there on my Bass Trombone, and there are plenty of
Tubists who can go further than me (not to mention Trombonists!). Woodwind
and strings I'm not so qualified to talk about, but I don't think that such an
instrument has been built - someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm
sure. I seem remember hearing that someone had once had a Grand Piano
specially made with an 11 foot long deepest bass string. Now, this depends
on other things as well for it's pitch, such as tension and diameter of
the string, but, assuming that these increase similarly to a normal Piano,
this would probably fall below the threshhold also.Dave Taylor
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:05:25 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: How low can we go?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
>
>The lower limit of human hearing is around 20 Hz or a little lower.
>A at the bottom end of the Piano is exactly 27.5 Hz - the lowest audible
>note will be between about the E below that and the B or C below *that*,
>depending on the listener's aural perception of low notes.This is the key point: the 20 Hz figure is, I believe, an average
lowest audible frequency. I think if you were to test a cohort of
tuba players (maybe even string bass players), you'd find that they
perceive pitch even lower. The real question is at what frequency do
you subjectively perceive a pitch, as opposed to a series of clicks
("where pitch meets rhythm").>There are several instruments that can reach this low - the Organ is a
>good start; the lowest note reachable on an Organ in existence is about 8
>Hz or so, about an octave below what the best human ears can hear. I can
>almost reach down there on my Bass Trombone, and there are plenty of
>Tubists who can go further than me (not to mention Trombonists!). Woodwind
>and strings I'm not so qualified to talk about, but I don't think that such an
>instrument has been built - someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I'mThe modern contrabass clarinet reaches the piano's lowest Bb. The Eb
octocontralto clarinet could reach the Eb below that, while the Bb
octocontrabass was pitched a full octave below the Bb contrabass:
down to the Bb nearly an octave past the left end of the keyboard.
Those probably qualify ;-) The BBb contrabass sarrusophone reaches
the Ab just below the piano's lowest A: still an audible pitch, but
pretty close to the edge...Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:07:49 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: Teaching Bassoon problem.
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com>One of my better students has a rather perplexing problem... I
>think it has been caused by the poorly made reeds he played on for a
>number of years---way too stiff, tip not thin enough--a total
>nightmare!!! When he plays loud or high, his neck expands, not just
>a little---a huge amount. His friends pick on him about it. I've
>tried everything I could think of to correct the problem---to no
>avail. He is now using reeds that you only have to look at and they
>vibrate but the problem still persists. Can anyone tell me how this
>may have happened, or better, how to fix it????My oboe teacher in grad school had the same syndrome: whenever he
played, his neck swelled out like a frog. Didn't seem to bother him,
that I could tell.I think the problem was discussed on the doublereed-l list a few
months ago: should still be in the archives.Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------From: Heliconman@aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 14:43:31 EDT
Subject: CB Strings?!
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn a message dated 10/12/1999 1:54:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mavnw@csv.warwick.ac.uk writes:> strings I'm not so qualified to talk about, but I don't think that such an
> instrument has been built - someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm
> sure. I seem remember hearing that someone had once had a Grand Piano
> specially made with an 11 foot long deepest bass string. Now, this depends
> on other things as well for it's pitch, such as tension and diameter of
> the string, but, assuming that these increase similarly to a normal Piano,
> this would probably fall below the threshhold also.
>
> Dave Taylor
>
Interesting point! I don't think I've EVER seen anything on this list about
contrabass string instruments! Was there ever a Contrabass Viol made? The
lowest string thing I've ever seen or heard was a one of a kind "steel cello"
made by Robert Rutman of Cambridge, MA. It had a steel frame about 7 feet
tall with a large piece of sheet metal bowed between the top and bottom of
the frame in a sail-like fashion, plus a single piano wire from the top to
the bottom of the frame. The sheet metal was the resonator. The instrument
was usually played using a string bass bow, either bowing the piano wire or
the edge of the sheet metal. The wire could be "fretted" using I think two
fingers to change the pitch if I remember. The sound reminded me of the songs
of the humpback whales. He recorded at least one album of the "U.S. Steel
Cello Ensemble" I remember he had at least two different "cellos" one of
which had metal rods of different lengths that were bowed.
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 14:58:09 -0400
From: Francois Villon <feodor@informaxinc.com>
Subject: Re: CB Strings?!
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comThe Boesendorfer Model 290 is 9'6" long and goes back to subcontrabass C
(4 1/5 (?) tones below standard grand). So, it's lowest bass string is
about 9'6" long, I presume. It is the lowest sounding piano in production.Feodor
> > strings I'm not so qualified to talk about, but I don't think that such an
> > instrument has been built - someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm
> > sure. I seem remember hearing that someone had once had a Grand Piano
> > specially made with an 11 foot long deepest bass string. Now, this depends
> > on other things as well for it's pitch, such as tension and diameter of
> > the string, but, assuming that these increase similarly to a normal Piano,
> > this would probably fall below the threshhold also.
> >
> > Dave Taylor
> >
> Interesting point! I don't think I've EVER seen anything on this list about
> contrabass string instruments! Was there ever a Contrabass Viol made? The
> lowest string thing I've ever seen or heard was a one of a kind "steel cello"
> made by Robert Rutman of Cambridge, MA. It had a steel frame about 7 feet
> tall with a large piece of sheet metal bowed between the top and bottom of
> the frame in a sail-like fashion, plus a single piano wire from the top to
> the bottom of the frame. The sheet metal was the resonator. The instrument
> was usually played using a string bass bow, either bowing the piano wire or
> the edge of the sheet metal. The wire could be "fretted" using I think two
> fingers to change the pitch if I remember. The sound reminded me of the songs
> of the humpback whales. He recorded at least one album of the "U.S. Steel
> Cello Ensemble" I remember he had at least two different "cellos" one of
> which had metal rods of different lengths that were bowed.
> ----------------------
> end contrabass list
---------------------------------------------------------From: CoolStu67@aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 17:55:22 EDT
Subject: Re: How low can we go?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
<<
The modern contrabass clarinet reaches the piano's lowest Bb. The Eb
octocontralto clarinet could reach the Eb below that, while the Bb
octocontrabass was pitched a full octave below the Bb contrabass:
down to the Bb nearly an octave past the left end of the keyboard.
Those probably qualify ;-) The BBb contrabass sarrusophone reaches
the Ab just below the piano's lowest A: still an audible pitch, but
pretty close to the edge...
>>Grant, wasn't the singular BBBb contra clarinet only constructed with a low D
extention? It would only reach a octosubcontra C, correct?Stuart
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 15:30:39 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: How low can we go?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com> The modern contrabass clarinet reaches the piano's lowest Bb. The Eb
> octocontralto clarinet could reach the Eb below that, while the Bb
> octocontrabass was pitched a full octave below the Bb contrabass:
> down to the Bb nearly an octave past the left end of the keyboard.
> Those probably qualify ;-) The BBb contrabass sarrusophone reaches
> the Ab just below the piano's lowest A: still an audible pitch, but
> pretty close to the edge...
>>>
>
>Grant, wasn't the singular BBBb contra clarinet only constructed with a low D
>extention? It would only reach a octosubcontra C, correct?My recollection is that it was extended to low (written) C, and that
the one or two works written for it go all the way down to that low
C. Anyone else remember?Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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