___________________________________________________ | | |CONTRABASS-L | | An email list for discussion of bass and | | contrabass instruments of all kinds. | | Contact gdgreen@crl.com for subscription. | | See www.crl.com/~gdgreen/c-arch1.html for | | back issues. | |___________________________________________________|
Vol. 1, No. 61
3 December 1996
EDITOR'S NOTE: Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, at least those of you in the US. For everyone else, well, that's why we haven't been online for the last week.
Let's all welcome new subscribers Jim Wheeler < wheelerjw@dplus.net >, John Gauger < jgauger@sojourn.com >, and "fghgfh fghfgh" < oljare@hotmail.com > (?).
Author: KUUP84A@prodigy.com (MR MARK A
TRINKO)
Date: 11/25/96 5:58 PM
Subject: Contrabass-L
No. 60
The Contra-bassoon (contra anything) festival is being cut to a one day thing due to a lack of registrants. The Grand Finale Concert with the WORLD PREMIERE of the Virko Baley Contra-bassoon solo and the amplified contra-trio and a lecture with booths are still intact.
For more specific info on this Dec 29 event email me.
Author: Grant Green <gdgreen@crl.com> at
SMTP
Date: 11/25/96 6:00 PM
TO: KUUP84A@prodigy.com (MR
MARK A TRINKO) at SMTP
Subject: Re: Contrabass-L No.
60
At 06:45 PM 11/25/96 -0500, you wrote:
>The Contra-bassoon (contra anything) festival is being cut to a one
>day thing due to a lack of registrants. The Grand Finale Concert
>with the WORLD PREMIERE of the Virko Baley Contra-bassoon solo and
>the amplified contra-trio and a lecture with booths are still intact.
> For more specific info on this Dec 29 event email me.
>KUUP84A@Prodigy.com
One day I might be able to manage, and possibly even bring the sarrusophone. If you'll send details, I'll post them to the list.
Grant
Author: KUUP84A@prodigy.com (MR MARK A
TRINKO)
Date: 11/27/96 8:42 AM
Subject: Contra-bassoon
Festival
Here is the final program;
Dec 28 (Saturday night)
Dec 29 (Sunday)
Judy Bayley Theater holds 550 people and tickets are on sale now throughout Las Vegas. Of course the house won't be filled, but we do expect to sell all 550 tickets. Several of the registrants are not yet contra-players but rather student wanna be contra players. Others are professioanls from other countries. Others are contra-players recently buying a contra, wanting to buy a contra, or wanting to sell a contra.
This last minute registration thing is murder on the promoter :)
Hotel is $50/night at Continental hotel (702) 737-5555 if you mention contra-bassoon group.
Give me your flight info and I will pick you up at airport and transport you to hotel. Only a one minute taxi ride from hotel to Judy Bayley Theater.
I recommend you arrive Dec 28 midday and depart Dec 29 late night (unless you want to stay and party in Las Vegas more!).
Mark Trinko
Las Vegas
KUUP84A@Prodigy.com
Mark, I'm sorry but won't be able to make it this year. I'm starting a new job then, and can't afford to be that late, even for contras. Next year, however, ...
Grant
Author: John Gauger
<jgauger@sojourn.com>
Date: 12/2/96 5:37
PM
Subject: SUBSCRIBE CONTRABASS-L
Hi Grant,
Please sign me up!
ObIntro:
I am the founder and incoherent leader[1] of the Namenlos Early Music Consort[2], a consort of 5 people[3] who play recorders of all sizes from garklein (in C, one octave above soprano, painful to listen to) to contrabass in F (one octave below standard bass/basset), crummhorns (SATB), baroque rackett, and various handheld percussion. We like mostly to play renaissance and medieval dance music. We love to play suitable pieces on 'low choir' - T/B/GB/CB recorders, hampered somewhat by not really having a decent greatbass recorder. Ours is a Moeck 'tuju' standard model which has rather a weak sound, while the contrabass is a Paetzold square recorder with an absolutely monstrous volume (for a recorder). We hope someday to get a Paetzold greatbass, and of course dream of having one of the recently introduced subcontras in C.
I love to play the baroque rackett with various combinations of recorders. I have constructed a couple of different mutes for this, since it tends to overpower any combination of our instruments without. I am not too concerned about the historical authenticity of the mutes, since, other than the known fact that the baroque racket existed, I have been unable to find any references as to how it may have been used historically. My guess would be that it was a 'poor man's' alternative to what would otherwise have been used as the continuo bass - viol, bassoon, perhaps curtal/dulcian, or (gasp) cello. Anyway, with the mute it blends very nicely with both recorders and crummhorns and has a sound sort of between a crummhorn and renaissance rackett. Without the mute, it sounds like a very unrefined bassoon. If I can figure out how, I shall send you some sound clips of this instrument, if you are interested.
I have a long history of being afflicted with 'low woodwind fascination syndrome', having been a bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet player in high school (approx 30 years ago). I have always wanted to play a contrabassoon. I have current dreams of experimenting with various types of homemade instruments, probably constructing of PVC pipe. My thoughts tend toward recorder-like instruments, gemshorn/ocarina type instruments (i.e. fipple flute closed-chamber instruments), and double-reeds of the crumhorn/ kortholt/ sordune ilk. All in extra large sizes. I have thought up a design for an 'octobass' cylindrical-bore recorder (in F, two octaves below standard bass) that might be really fun. I would appreciate list reader's thoughts regarding how to construct keys for such an instrument.
Wow. I do get long-winded[4], don't I? That's enough for now.
Author: Grant Green <gdgreen@crl.com> at
SMTP
Date: 12/2/96 4:45 PM
TO: "Jim Wheeler"
<wheelerjw@dplus.net> at SMTP
Subject: Re: SUBSCRIBE
CONTRABASS-L
At 01:06 PM 11/30/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Please add me to your contrabass-l list.
>Thanks
>wheelerjw@dplus.net
You're on!
It's traditional to post a short introduction to the list, along the lines of background and the instruments you're interested in. Not required, but appreciated.
Welcome aboard!
Grant
Author: "Charles A. Fail"
<cfail@mindspring.com>
Date: 11/26/96 8:20
PM
Subject: Selmer Rosewood Contra
Dear Mr. Green:
Just a note to let you know that we have just acquired a Selmer series 9 rosewood contrabass clarinet and a Leblanc metal contrabass in case you or someone you know might be looking for one. Hope all is well with you.
Russell Fail
Author: "Paul S. Johnson"
<john0058@gold.tc.umn.edu>
Date: 11/26/96 4:45
PM
Subject: Re: Contrabass-L No. 60
> From: clairannet@juno.com (Amanda L Loomer)
> I was playing contrabass clarinet the other night, practicing during web
> downloads, and noticed that my monitor goes completely blurry when I play.
> When I was in high school, and our marching band director had us doing
> breath and volume exercises, I could blur the tv set three rooms away with
> a bari sax. My sisters were less than delighted.
What principle of physics is at work here? Anyone know?
Also regarding computer monitors: You can observe the wave motion of a vibrating double bass strings when you use them as a backdrop to watch the strings. The refresh rate of the monitor acts as sort of strobe light so you actually some of the complex interplay of waves going up and down the strings. At least I think that's what's happening.
You're not alone in discovering the beauty of mixing acoustic musical instruments and computers simultaneously.
Paul S. Johnson
Author: GDG <gdgreen@crl.com> at SMTP
Date:
11/26/96 4:47 PM
TO: "Paul S. Johnson"
<john0058@gold.tc.umn.edu> at SMTP
Subject: Re:
Contrabass-L No. 60
At 05:16 PM 11/26/96 -0600, you wrote:
>What principle of physics is at work here? Anyone know?
Resonance! Seriously, I think its a matter of the low frequency sound causing the computer monitor to vibrate back and forth. It doesn't affect the electron beam once its left the gun, but the target (the screen) is moving back and forth, so the beam (and thus the image) ends up in a different spot, or rather, ends up appearing to move back and forth.
Grant
Author: Reedsmike@aol.com
Date: 11/25/96 6:07
PM
Subject: bass saxophone
Does anyone know anything about old Holert bass saxophones. I saw one in the corner of a music store that is for sale. It's dated Dec. 1914 and does not come with a case nor a mouthpiece. The asking price is $2000, but that seems a little high to me. Any thoughts??
-Mike Mori
Turlock, CA
Can't say I recognize the brand, but $2K sounds cheap if the horn is any good. With saxes that old, you need to be careful about the pitch is was built to tune to (e.g., does it play A at 440, or 450, or 435, etc.) - many of the old ones are tuned sharp. I think.
Many of the bass saxes by Buescher, et al., seem to go for around $4K these days.
Anyone else recognize the make? Helpful comments?
Author: Grant Green <gdgreen@crl.com> at
SMTP
Date: 11/25/96 6:05 PM
TO: "fghgfh
fghfgh" <oljare@hotmail.com> at SMTP
Subject:
Re: SUBSCRIBE CONTRABASS-L
At 06:06 PM 11/25/96 -0000, you wrote:
>---------------------------------------------------------
>Get Your *Web-Based* Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>---------------------------------------------------------
OK! Subscribed! What shall I list as your name?
I sent out a digest today (Monday), and given the holiday situation may not get to another one before next Monday, so don't worry if you don't hear anything else from the list for a week (or so).
BTW, it's traditional to post an introduction to the list. Not required, but appreciated. Something along the lines of your background, and particular interest in contrabass instruments.
Welcome aboard.
Grant
And now, a little thread from recent usenet...
From: Paul Cohen <PaulC135@AOL.com>
Newsgroups:
alt.music.saxophone,rec.music.makers.saxophone
Subject:
Re: contrabass sax
Date: 28 Nov 1996 00:14:20 GMT
rps@wwa.com (Russell Schneider) wrote:
>Just out of curiosity, how many contrabasses were made, and by what
>companies? How many are still left today?
I estimate from 30-40 contras were made by three to four companies from the turn of the century. We know of about 15 left today.
Paul Cohen
From: Paul Cohen
<PaulC135@AOL.com>
Newsgroups:
alt.music.saxophone,rec.music.makers.saxophone
Subject:
Re: contrabass sax
Date: 28 Nov 1996 15:53:43 GMT
Over the last decade there has been a high level of contrabass exchanges. Including mine I know of four to five that have changed hands in this country and Europe. Costs, of course are a private matter between seller and patient.
Paul Cohen
>Paul Cohen <PaulC135@AOL.com> writes:
>>I estimate from 30-40 contras were made by three to four companies from
>>the turn of the century. We know of about 15 left today.
>
>Have any sold in the last decade?
>(Or are any on the market now?)
>What have they gone for?
>Thanks,
>
>Robert Groover groover@netcom.com (PGP key on request)
>Member ECS, AVS, ACM, OSA, Sen.Mem.IEEE, Reg'd Patent Atty
> "All men by nature desire knowledge."
End Contrabass-L No. 61