I have been playing and transposing bass clarinet music with a tenor sax for an up and coming theater production. I have been playing clarinet including the bass clarinet for less than a year now. But two considerations came into play here. One, I could only fit three instruments into the pit and I am not a quick on the bass clarinet as I am on my tenor. Had I enough space, however, I would be playing the bass clarinet for a number of songs. As it is I will have my tenor, bari, and soprano saxes and not enough space to switch between them.

 

The problem is that a tenor can’t play as softly as a bass clarinet below D1 (D below the staff). And it doesn’t go as low as the bass clarinet. So I have bumped my reeds down to a soft or number 2 and have been doing long tones to try to keep the reed speaking (vibrating) at almost a whisper. My various instructors have advised that I would not get the sound I need. And after three weeks of working on it I have to agree.

 

The other interesting aspect is that it takes me about 10 beats to changes from tenor to bari and back. I showed one of my instructors and he said that was pretty fast considering what I was doing and the space allocated. On a good day I can do it in eight. But if I get nervous, it can take longer.

 

If I ever do a pit band gig again I will bring the four or five instruments necessary to do the job. To that end, I am playing bass clarinet in the concert band to improve my clarinet skills. I am also called upon to play in a clarinet choir infrequently. I love the way the bass clarinet sounds and will be working on this for some years to come.