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From: SEMarcus
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 00:06:58 EDT
Subject: [CB] BBb Contrabass Clarinet SightedI was hired as a "ringer" to play tuba with the Concordia University Band this weekend.
The Concordia Wind Ensemble rehearsed just before the University Band. When they concluded, I asked the girl who was playing the contrabass clarinet if it was a BBb.
"Yup, it's the big mother, " she proudly responded.
It was not the paperclip style. Rather, the mouthpiece was high enough that you'd have to stand or sit on a stool to play it.
On the assumption that BBb contrabass clarinets are more rare than Eb contra-altos, I'd say that this was a good sighting. Unfortunately, the student didn't have time to play it a bit so I could hear it! Oh well, I'm happy playing even lower notes on my tuba, contrabass maniac that I am...
Steve Marcus
BBb Bass, Prairie Brass Band
Director of Sales, THE BEAUTIFUL SOUND, INC. (630) 325-9999
---------------------------------------------------------From: Fmmck
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 08:44:09 EDT
Subject: Re: [CB] BBb Contrabass Clarinet SightedIn a message dated 9/9/00 12:08:01 AM, SEMarcus writes:
<< On the assumption that BBb contrabass clarinets are more rare than Eb contra-altos, I'd say that this was a good sighting. >>
Steve-
If this is true, it may be because of the relative costs of the two instruments. However, there seem to be more parts for the BBb. I find that there are typically two or three BBb parts per concert, but I've only seen two EEb parts in the last couple of years.
Fred McKenzie
MMB
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 09:18:06 -0500 (CDT)
From: engelbrecht-wiggans richard
Subject: Re: [CB] BBb Contrabass Clarinet Sighted
When I was looking for a basic (straight, plastic) use contra last year, I was impressed by how little more a BBb costs than an EEb. I ended up paying $1600 for a "refurbished better than new" Vito BBb from Charles Fail a couple of months ago, and
their website currently lists a Selmer EEb for $1300. In comparison, taking one more step up in pitch, their used plastic basses run only about $750.My primary use for an EEb would be to play the lowest part in the bass clef from a score shared with the piano and/or other C instruments. Transposing bass clef parts to C is much easier on a EEb instrument than on a BBb instrument. The EEb's range is such that the bass voice of many four part arrangements (eg hymns) stay in the clarient's lower register...ie, no crossing the register break. This puts playing the lowest line within the abilities of many recreational clarinet players... people who play at an advanced beginner level but are unlikely to ever advance much beyond that. Apparently there are enough such people to drive up the price of EEb's relative to BBb's (and basses).
Richard E+17
PS. In the case of saxophones, there was (and still is, well beyond what many "serious" saxophonists are willing to attribute to the instrument's musical qualities) the C-melody saxophone.
On Sat, 9 Sep 2000 Fmmck wrote:
> In a message dated 9/9/00 12:08:01 AM, SEMarcus writes:
>
> << On the assumption that BBb contrabass clarinets are more rare than Eb
> contra-altos, I'd say that this was a good sighting. >>
>
> Steve-
>
> If this is true, it may be because of the relative costs of the two
> instruments. However, there seem to be more parts for the BBb. I find that
> there are typically two or three BBb parts per concert, but I've only seen
> two EEb parts in the last couple of years.
>
> Fred McKenzie
Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans, U of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois
email: eplus17@uiuc.edu; (217) 333-1088
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: 9 Sep 2000 08:58:55 -0700
From: jeffrw
Subject: Re: [CB] BBb Contrabass Clarinet SightedYou paid $1600 for a plastic contra? If you looked hard enough, I bet you could have done even better. I bought a used top of the line straight Leblanc BBb for $1300 that is in marvelous shape (it is from the 50's,and the pads are old but seal. I don't play classsical, I play jazz, and I hope to breath some new life into this instrument in jazz some day!
JeffOn Sat, 09 September 2000, engelbrecht-wiggans richard wrote:
> When I was looking for a basic (straight, plastic) use contra
> last year, I was impressed by how little more a BBb costs than
> an EEb. I ended up paying $1600 for a "refurbished better than
> new" Vito BBb from Charles Fail a couple of months ago, and
> their website currently lists a Selmer EEb for $1300. In
> comparison, taking one more step up in pitch, their used plastic
> basses run only about $750.
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