What is the common transposition for the bass clarinet?

The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B♭ clarinet, it is usually pitched in B♭ (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B♭), but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B♭ clarinet.

Can you double tongue on a bass clarinet?

double tonguing is possible on the clarinet, and yes! you can learn to use it with similar fluency with which you use your single tongue. It was months before I had a useable double tongue, and a little longer before I felt comfortable using it in concert.

Does bass clarinet have same fingering as clarinet?

Registered. All clarinets use the same fingerings. The bass clarinet has some lower notes tha a b-flat clarinet does not have but you don’t change anything you just add xtra keys. Bass clarinets can go down to low C .

Where should my tongue be when playing clarinet?

The clarinet is played with a high tongue position. The tongue should be parallel to the roof of the mouth, arched and high. Use the syllable “Shhhh” to get the tongue in the right place. A great illustration is that of a garden hose.

Why is articulation so important in clarinet playing?

Articulation is best practiced in small, concentrated doses. The tongue fatigues more easily than other muscles used for clarinet, so too much articulation practice yields the law of diminishing returns. Articulation can hide a multitude of sins in music. The brief separation between notes gives your fingers time to reach their proper destination.

How do you articulate with a reed?

Use the tip of the tongue for traditional articulation. Using the tip allows the minimum amount of tongue to touch the reed, which allows us to create a light articulation. Using too much tongue surface area can result in a dull, thuddy articulation. Maintain minimal distance between the tongue and reed.

How do you use the Reed on a clarinet?

Use the tip of your tongue to touch the tip of the reed. When the tongue touches the reed, it closes the reed against the mouthpiece, temporarily resulting in a closing of the aperture, thus creating a stop in the sound. ( Just to clarify: the tip of the reed does NOT mean the upper reed tip as seen from an overhead view of the clarinet.