CHAPTER 6 - Bass Clarinet

Half-Pitched Percussive Sounds

The bass clarinet offers an incredible resource for percussive (both unpitched and half-pitched) sounds because of the size and harmonic richness of its resonating body. The fact that keys cover the seven finger tone holes (different from the key rings of the soprano clarinet) also helps to amplify the volume of the percussive sounds made when fingers strike the tone holes (either as single strikes or trills/tremolos).

The following chart classifies these sounds (in a similar fashion to the classification of multiple sounds) according to left hand fingering, beginning with the entire upper joint covered (A), and gradually progressing to none of the upper joint covered (P). The number following the letter (i.e. A1) denotes which fingers/keys are moved. The number 1 represents one or more of the three fingers of the right hand - the number 2 represents one or more of the three fingers of the left hand - the number .5 represents a low key moved by the right hand without all the fingers of the right hand covering the three tone holes. Finally, the letters with no numbers following them (i.e. A) represent a low key moved by the right hand with all the fingers of the right hand covering the three tone holes. These sounds are most resonant when the mouthpiece is not in the mouth. They differ in color from a strong hollow resonance to very thin, short, click resonances.

Table #6 (click on pitch for mp3)

[only sound files for line 1 are linked from this page]

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