How should I write music for bass clarinet in B flat?

April 06, 2009 at 11:58 PM by Deep | Posted in Other - Music

Q: The bass clarinet plays an octave lower than the soprano clarinet..So, to play the instrument at concert pitch, should i transpose the music one octave higher?

April 07, 2009 at 11:56 PM by Lady Prism

A: Well, really you are asking two different questions.

Concert pitch refers to the transposition of the instrument. Both the soprano and the bass clarinet are in Bb... so if they play their C, and a piano plays a C, the clarinet SOUNDS as a Bb. So for the clarinet to SOUND the same note as a piano, it needs to be written one WHOLE STEP higher. (So the clarinet plays a D, and the piano plays a C... and it SOUNDS the same note.)

Now, as far as the octaves go:
If you want the soprano and bass clarinet to play in UNISON, then yes, you write the bass clarinet an octave higher. For example, if the soprano is playing the C 1 ledger line below the staff, the bass clarinet must play the C in the 3rd space on the staff.

If both instruments play the C in the 3rd space, they will both be playing the same note, but with a 1 octave difference in SOUNDING pitch. Make sense?

Hope this helped! :)

1 Comments

  • jane. says:
    April 07, 2009 at 12:00 AM
    well the soprano clarinet isn't in concert pitch...

    this helps.

    http://www.margrietverbeek.nl/transpose.html#transponeren

    after you transpose the soprano part, you can just drop it down an octave to play on bass clarinet

Bass Clarinet - 643 items found


RICO BASS CLARINET REEDS NEW BOX OF 13
$5.99
Bids: 0
End time: 31-Jul-10 10:07:57 PDT
NewVandoren Bass Clarinet Traditional Reeds #3 (3.0)
$16.50 Buy It Now
Bids: 48
End time: 10-Aug-10 11:08:14 PDT
Buescher Bass Clarinet (Complete Package)
Great Instrument for Students and Beginners!
$400.00
Bids: 1
End time: 31-Jul-10 12:55:32 PDT
Selmer Paris Model 67 Professional Low C Bass Clarinet
$5,700.00 Buy It Now: $7,000.00
Bids: 0
End time: 31-Jul-10 12:57:01 PDT
SELMER USA BASS CLARINET WITH SELMER HARDSIDE CASE
$435.00
Bids: 17
End time: 31-Jul-10 18:18:45 PDT
LEBLANC PARIS WOOD BASS CLARINET
$405.00
Bids: 12
End time: 30-Jul-10 22:33:47 PDT
BUFFET PARIS WOOD BASS CLARINET
$335.00
Bids: 9
End time: 30-Jul-10 22:36:24 PDT
BUNDY BASS CLARINET
$154.26
Bids: 7
End time: 30-Jul-10 22:39:14 PDT
BUNDY BASS CLARINET
$98.00
Bids: 4
End time: 30-Jul-10 22:41:45 PDT
Decent VITO Bass Clarinet Bell For Parts Only No Res #4
$75.00
Bids: 0
End time: 01-Aug-10 11:26:59 PDT
View more items

Colin Donnell, Stephanie Umoh, Burke Moses, et al. Set for ART's Johnny ... TheaterMania.com

Apr 08, 2010
Full casting has been announced for American Repertory Theater's world premiere production of Johnny Baseball to run May 14 - June 27 at the Loeb Drama Center . Diane Paulus will direct the musical, which will feature choreography by Peter Pucci.

The musical features a book by Richard Dresser, music by Robert Reale, and lyrics by Willie Reale and is a blend of fact, fiction, and the mystical power of the game of baseball which attempts to trace the origin of the famed "Red Sox Curse."

The company will include Colin Donnell as Johnny OBrien, Stephanie Umoh as Daisy Wyatt, Burke Moses as Babe Ruth, Charl Brown as Tim, Jeff Brooks as Tom Yawkey, and Charles Turner as a fan, with Joe Cassidy, Paula Leggett Chase, Kaitlin Davidson, Alan H. Green, Carly Jibson, Robert McClure, and Kirsten Wyatt.

The musicians are Tim Ray, piano; Mark Pinto, piccolo, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone; Robert Bowlby, flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone; Rod Ferland, clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone

Source:


Fatal error: Cannot use string offset as an array in /home1/itsgotta/public_html/usedmusicalinstruments/resources/compile/%%329^%%3296645220^amazon.tpl.php on line 25