When to get a new Bass Clarinet

I got this message from a young bass clarinetist, and I thought I'd answer it here, since it's something I'm hearing a fair bit from my own students.

1. When is it time for you to purchase a professional model bass clarinet (low C range)?

2. What is the cost of one of these instruments (quality of course) and which brands are the best?

3. Is this worth purchasing if you don't plan on being a professional musician?

In terms of #1, I got my first horn when I graduated from High School, right before I went off to Eastman for college. I did all of my auditions on an old plastic Leblanc Vito, low Eb bass -- so I guess that's to say that it can be done. I'd say to get one if you can afford it. You can ALWAYS get rid of a used bass for damn near as much as you paid for it. The market for good, used, professional-quality horns is very tight. Most people who buy them keep them, so if you do need to get rid of one, you can usually find a buyer without too much trouble.

As for #2, you can get a Selmer or a Buffet. Those really are your two options. I'm not a fan of the Yamaha horns because they just don't have the sound of the other two. I'm a Selmer guy. I always have been. Their horns simply sound better, they have a more pleasing resistance (read: they're much less resistant), and they are much more "even-blowing" in terms of some notes being stuffy and others being less stuffy. Buffets are particularly prone to this problem.

Lately I've seen younger students getting low C horns (because you can buy student-model low C horns now - that's something they didn't have in the 1980s), but those student model horns by Jupiter, Allora, etc are total crap. Why? Mainly it's all in the keywork. The keys are really low-quality, they bend and go out of adjustment because the metal used is low-quality.

So, in short, save your money. Don't buy a low-C bass clarinet from one of these guys. You'll have repair bills that, over the course of owning the horn, will probably make up the (admittedly huge) difference in cost.

#3: That's a hard one to answer. I own a great set of pots & pans - probably some of the best - but I'm not a professional chef. Why? Because I like working with good tools. Then again, I cook all the time, so I get good use out of them.

Is this what you plan to do on your bass? Will you use and enjoy it a long time? Does having a good "tool" matter in this case? Probably. If you see yourself not playing for long, or -- and be honest with yourself -- if you are someone who loses interest when things get frustrating…well maybe not.

But then again, as I said in #1, you can always sell it.

Hope this helps some of you guys.
Mike

11 Harry Sparnaay-isms

When I studied with Harry Sparnaay back in 1989-1990, he would often drop knowledge on me beyond the usual "this-is-how-you-play-this-shiznit" lesson material. This stuff was gold to me -- and I would sit outside my lesson on the bench writing down these "Sparnaayisms" on the back of whatever music I was playing that week.

I just went through them all, and figured I'd share them with you all here.

Strap in - here we go:

1. [written on the back of Isang Yun's Monolog]: "We don't learn to play wrong notes, but it's really okay -- just as long as the performance idea is intact."

2. [written on the back of Brian Ferneyough's Time and Motion Study]: "Sometimes you can only play a piece for 15 minutes and you just have to stop and take a rest."

3. "Don't play bad music."

4. "We are not some opera diva with a big ego and big tits standing on the stage – we are bass clarinet players; real people!"

5. [written on the back of Michael Smetanin's Ladder of Escape]: "I don't like to play concerts where the music is all this intellectual stuff. I like to have the plumber and the milkman come to a concert and enjoy it as well as the intellectual. Actually, I like the milkman better…"

6. "It's OKAY to take a week off. Everyone needs a vacation and we do too. You will lose it here (your chops), but you will never lose it up here (in your head)."

7. [written on the back of Claudio Ambrosini's Capriccio Detto L'Ermafrodite]: "I like music from composers who know the bass clarinet (because they know what is possible), but I also like music from composers who don't, because then you will run into problems that you have to solve for yourself."

7a. [also written on the back of Claudio Ambrosini's Capriccio Detto L'Ermafrodite]: "Where there is a problem, you can nearly always find a solution."

8. [written on the back of Takayuki Rai's Sparkle]: "It's very important to have a personal contact with the audience; talk to them — it helps them to understand the music as you understand it."

8a. [also written on the back of Takayuki Rai's Sparkle]: "Always be honest with the audience when you talk. Then they realize that it's just a man on the stage."

9. [written on the back of Jos Kunst's Solo Identity 1]: "Contemporary musicians need new music constantly, otherwise we are dead. People will hire you to play Mozart over and over, but you will never get hired twice to play the same program of contemporary music."

10. [written on the back of Guus Janssen's Sprezzatura]: "If you think something is going to go wrong on the stage, SKIP IT. Never ever be the joker on the stage."

11. [written on the back of Eric Dolphy's God Bless The Child]: "With the type of music that we play, you always have to have it in your head and in your balls."

So there you have it. So many of these "isms" have stayed with me and have become part of who I am as a musician, it was kind of amazing to go back and read them.

Thanks Harry!

Vintage bass clarinets...suck.

Figured that title would get people's attention (and get their ire up).

As a whole, I think this is true. I'm sure there are now about 2,000 people out there who are going to write me and disagree. I'll spare you the trouble: I'm sure your 1950's bass clarinet sounds great. I'm sure you can manage its intonation issues. I'm sure it's incredibly free-blowing. I'm sure the wood is incredible.

But, for my money, I prefer having the technological and acoustical advances that have been made over the past 60 years part of my bass clarinet's DNA. I like that the ergonomics of the instrument have improved. I like having a single register key. I like being able to not twist myself into knots to get the thing to play in tune.

Sometimes older is not better.

Let the flame war commence.

When is it you, and when is it the bass clarinet?

I got two notes from people this week that I wanted to post here as an example of when you might have trouble with your instrument, or when you just need to practice more.

First from Facebook:

Hey, i have a soo festival next thursday and all of a sudden my high notes (b-f) wont come out iif i am playing quiet. all i get are squeeks. is there anything i can do to fix it?

To which I replied:

My first stop would be a repairman. When you're playing quietly, you're not forcing as much air through the instrument. Often, when you have a leak, pushing more air through the horn will overcome that leak, but quiet playing will be a problem. I would bet that the problem lies in your F key (clarion F; top-line of the staff) isn't closing completely. One way to check this is to rotate your bass clarinet top joint so that the bridge key doesn't connect. Then try those notes again. If they come out, then the problem is in your bridge key. Other than that, someone might have to look at the horn.

When your instrument is simply not speaking a note, or squeaks all the time, it is most likely the instrument -- ESPECIALLY if it is a school bass clarinet. Having your band director look at it is a first line of defense, but even seasoned repairmen don't often see a bass clarinet, so expecting your band director to see the problem is pretty unlikely. I recommend taking the instrument to a good repair person (with your band director's blessing, of course), and then see what s/he says.

Now, to a text message I got off my site:

I'm a 9th grader and I have been playing b.c for 5 years. How can you switch smoothly from different octaves?

Well here's what I replied:

Thanks for your note. Well, I hate to say it, but the real way is by practicing a lot.

What you need to understand is that when you play an A (second space in the staff) and then play a B (third line in the staff) you are going from playing about 16 inches of bass clarinet (where the A-key hole is -- it's high up on the bass clarinet) to 3 feet of bass clarinet (where the B-key hole is). So, when you go from playing that A to playing that B, you have to get all your air all the way down to the bottom of the bass clarinet INSTANTLY! That comes from making sure you have a consistent and well supported air stream.

The way I like to think of it is blowing all the way to the bell of the bass clarinet *all the time* -- it helps when you have to make these register leaps (or, as you call it, "octave switches").

Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's you or if it's the instrument. I'll make a video soon to help tell which is which. But in the mean time, I hope this helps.

How to clean a mouthpiece

Got a text from Erika asking about how to clean a mouthpiece. First off, you should dry your mouthpiece regularly (like every time you practice) but you should NEVER run a swab through it. At least not regularly.

There are two reasons to clean a mouthpiece, and they take two slightly different approaches:

Reason #1: It's disgusting inside. Gunk, reed nastiness, and other whatnot has collected in there, usually by the inside of the mouthpiece rails. While I usually don't let it get that bad, sometimes I forget (gross, but true). So, to clean this, I usually fill a cup with 1/2 Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) and 1/2 water. I'd bed you probably have some H2O2 in your house, but I also bet it's old. It loses its potency, and it's cheap to replace, so if it's old, replace it from your local pharmacy. Anyway, soak your mouthpiece in that for about 15 minutes. It'll bubble something fierce, which is the H2O2's reaction to the bacteria in your mouthpiece. Afterwards, roll up some kleenex (no aloe- or lotion-infused kleenex, please) and run it through the inside of the mouthpiece to clean it. Get in the corners with a Q-tip if needed.

Reason #2: It's got lots of calcium caked onto the beak of it. That white stuff around where your mouth goes? It's not gonna come off with H2O2. But it will come off with a little weak acid. I take lemon juice and mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with water (if you don't have lemon juice, use white vinegar, but dilute it a little more). Soak the mouthpiece in that for 10 minutes or so, and then rub with a cloth or kleenex on the build-up. It should come off with a little elbow grease :)

Again, NEVER use a swab inside your mouthpiece unless you're looking for an excuse to get a new one.

Hope this helps Erika!

Releasing your music to the world

Got a great question from someone a couple of weeks ago:

Michael, I wanted to ask you a couple question about the procedures one has to encounter when releasing a CD with his own music. I have three classical CDs released where I perform music of different composers, but I am not sure how it works when you release your own music. Do you have to copyright it or not?

Also, I wanted to ask you about labels. I know that a lot of people prefer to release material under their own labels. I saw that practically all of your CDs have been released under earspasm. Is there just no point trying to release music on some relatively famous label?

I'll take the easy one first:

Copyright

Copyrighting your music is very simple. As soon as an original work of authorship is fixed in a tangible form and published, a copyright exists. If you would like to go one extra step do this: If it's sheet music, put it in an envelope, take it to the post office and put it in the mail to yourself. That's it! The postmark from the post office is all you need to prove the date of copyright. If you want to be extra-special careful, you can send it certified mail, but all that does is make you 1) go to the post office and 2) pay a lot more money for the same thing. If you want to copyright a recording, just take the recording and do the same thing as you would printed music.

Of course, there is a more official way of registering with the copyright office here in Washington, but really, this "common law" copyright is legal and binding.

Releasing your own CD

So, yeah. Lots of different advice from many people on this one. I guess I can just tell you why I chose the route I did, which is to self-release. This is the story of my five CD's and how they got released:

Spasm came out in 1996. The first conversation I had with New World Records (a GREAT company, by the way) took place around the early summer of 1994. I offered them the proposal of a "recital" sort of disc, where I would commission a bunch of composers to write for me, I'd record them and give the master to New World. New World liked the idea, and they went ahead and wrote a much of grants on my behalf to fund the release. Back then, the cost of releasing the disc -- not recording, mind you, but releasing -- was over $15,000. That covered Mastering, the liner notes, cover art, manufacturing, distribution, PR, and overhead.

I went ahead and recorded all of the pieces not knowing if the project would ever happen, but I was in grad school with access to good equipment, so it was all good. Finally, in the winter of 1996 (March-ish), I got word that the grants came in, and Spasm would be released. I signed the contract (which gave New World the rights to the recording for 10 years, and would pay out royalties only). I was entitled to purchase the CD's at a discounted rate of $7 after the first 100, which were free.

Total time from recording to release: 30 months.



On 1985 I decided to go a different route, because I didn't want to wait over two years to release the next record. I contacted Capstone (NOT a great company, I'm afraid), who's deal was this: you give us the CD's (yes, I had to get them printed myself, but then again, I got to control everything from the artwork to the notes), and $500 and we'll do the PR for you. Well, the good part was that I got all the CD's I wanted (I had to warehouse them). But, the bad part was that Capstone did no PR, was terrible at bookkeeping (I hounded them for almost 6 years and finally got paid a fraction of what they owed me). I canceled the agreement and re-released it myself.

Total time from recording to release: 4 months



Ok, so for Ten Children I had heard about CDBaby (another GREAT company). Their deal was: whatever dude. Sign up for $35, pay us a little more for a barcode, send the discs when they're ready and we'll get them up on iTunes (and everywhere else). You set the price yourself, they take $4 per disc, and manage all the fulfillment (i.e. they ship it). When they run out of CD's you send a few more. In 2003, this was an amazing thing -- the democratization of CD recording/releasing/distribution. For Ten Children, I bought my own CD duplicator which recorded and printed the disc in batches of 20. I could buy jewel cases in bulk, I had the covers/inserts printed in bulk, I bought the blank CD's in bulk, I purchased a shrink-wrap kit and bought the shrink sleeves in bulk. I got the the per-unit cost down to about $1.06 (Spasm, again, cost me $7 per unit to buy from New World; 1985 cost me about $4.40 per unit). This also allowed me to release the following 2 CD's (Fade and Spin Cycle) and use the same bulk equipment. So at any given time I could produce batches of whatever recording I needed to with one set of bulk blanks (except, of course, for the inserts, which were printed in lots of 500).

The good parts about this is many-fold: 1) I'm in complete control of the recording/PR/distribution -- talk about vertically-integrated! 2) I carry no significant inventory; 3) My stuff is on EVERY digital channel but also is available from a few channels as actual CD's; 4) I can release a new CD whenever the hell I want to.

The downside is this: I have to do everything myself. And it's time-consuming. But if you have the will, you can release a disc, get a lot of free press & reviews, and your outlay of cash is relatively low.

Total time from recording to release: 3 weeks.



But ultimately, you have to decide for yourself if you think your music is something a label will "pick up" and run with. Just having them release it is nothing. It's worthless. They need to back it with some PR & marketing, and you have to make sure your contract is something that you're comfortable with.

Oh, and you can ALWAYS release it yourself and RE-release it with a bigger label if you get one interested. But having a CD to sell at a show always beats not having one.

Hope this was helpful.

Mike

Getting ready for Austin

So, I'm here in Brooklyn riding out the heatwave in the basement (the only room(s) in the house with decent air conditioning!)

I've got my new setup, which I'm totally pumped to bring along to Austin for ICA. Here is a pic of the new "Tree" (the mic stand with all sorts of crap attached to it.) -- By the way, I'm really sorry the quality of the pix are so bad -- Katherine took the camera to Michigan and all I have is the camera on this computer!



Show and tell time:

From top to bottom, left to right, we've got:
• Rode NT3 microphone. My old standby -- feeds back a bit, but sounds so much better than any Shure I've used (and own) that I can't help but use it. I need that proximity effect when I'm beatboxing...

• A new 10.1" LCD monitor i got off ebay (showing sheet music when necessary, otherwise it's unused now -- this is a change from when I had a touch-screen monitor where everything happened on that monitor. Unfortunately it weighed a lot, so I'm glad I don't have to shlep it any more.

• My iPad running TouchOSC which controls the mac via WiFi. Totally wireless, two-way communication between the pad and the mac, so, if I make a change on the mac in Max, it shows up within 200ms on the pad. Sweet!

• Korg's Kaossilator. When I bought this thing I figured it'd be a fun toy that I'd never use in concert, much less a recording. Um, I used it more than the $2,800 Access Virus TI synth for my last record Spin Cycle. Yeah, it's plastic, and it's yellow (though you can now get it in pink), but it sounds AMAZING for what it is.

Okay, so below those I've got a rack shelf holding my harmonicas and across from that is...

• an Akai EWI, which I use more as a vocoder carrier than as a synth.

The other little monitor to the left of the tree isn't used, I just didn't move it for the pic.

I'll get a better pic of the iPad when Katherine gets back, and possibly a video of how it works as a demo. It's really cool... I'm nervous about it a bit because I haven't used it in concert yet, and I have not performed with it on an ad-hoc network (I'm using my Airport to link the two -- ad hoc networks for those who don't know are when you can make your computer as the hub of a WiFi network).

Anyway, this Austin gig is going to be really great, if short (I've got all of 30 minutes). I'm planning to do a few new tunes (My Mouth, Bam Pip and Trip) and a few of my other faves (Ariel's Hands, Sha and Summertime). Hoping I can get all of them in...I'd like to do Abbey as a final tune. We'll see.

Anyway, there you go. If you're in Austin please come by and say hi. I'll be there for nearly the whole conference.

-Mike

Garageband?

From the mailbag:

I was wondering if you could advise me briefly on how complicated it is to compose music on garageband. I don't mean the musical side of it, but the technical side. I'm asking on behalf of my 82-year-old father who composes piano music for pleasure in his retirement, writes it painstakingly the old-fashioned way, and records it to an archaic cassette deck left over from the 70s or 80s. I've seen the process demonstrated at an Apple store and it looks amazing, but I wondered how difficult it would be for my father to master. We are both Mac users; I am reasonably adept, but no genius (and no composer!), and he is amazingly adept for a recent convert. I'd just love to see him be able to print his sheet music easily and make MP3s of his recordings to send to friends and family. Do you think it's realistic to encourage him to invest in a decent electronic keyboard and try this?

Thanks very much for your time,

Heidi


Hey there Heidi,

Thanks for your email. So, I think you should indeed encourage your dad to use Garageband - it is very intuitive, has built-in instrument sounds (that actually sound very good), and is free(!). Garageband itself is simple for most users, but it is geared mostly for loop-based popular music. You can used it very easily for more traditional music composition, and I think your dad might find it much more easy to get his ideas down than when using pen-and-paper and cassette tapes, but it will take some getting used to.

A portable USB-powered keyboard is fairly inexpensive (i would recommend this one for its price-to-feature ratio: http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOOXY61, $170, 61 keys; fewer-key models cost less), and very portable. Since they are powered by the computer, they are very convenient, but they make no sound on their own. Given what you describe his interests to be, I think they are a good bet.

Of course, I'd always consider the possibility that he LIKES to compose the old-fashioned way :)

Hope this helps.

How to find a good mouthpiece, part 1

From the mailbag, a question about mouthpieces and how to find a good one:

On the bass clarinet. I went extremely low end, just try it out. It is a used Busher (sp!), which, save for a slightly moldy smell, has no other major difficulties. The next stop is a new mouthpiece (the one on hand is a stock piece that came with the clarinet), which brought me to your site. I'm inclined to call/write the first fellow you mention (McClure, or something close to that) and get an S2. Still advisable, or are there other recs that have come to the fore? I can swing the price (though it will be more than half of what I paid for the clarinet), and I know well, from my tenor, that the mouthpiece opens up new worlds. I need as well a new ligature. Recommendations here?

My reply:

So to answer your question about the mouthpiece, as you can imagine, it's a very personal quest. And by "Personal" I mean, your mouth is different from mine is different from anyone else's -- and that's where mouthpiece recommendations begin to fall flat. You want a mouthpiece craftsman who can -- either through trial and error, or through voodoo -- pick up on your cues and make you something you can easily play on. Those cues are successful inasmuch as you are able to accurately describe what your difficulties are (or what you like) about any given mouthpiece. Think about how resistant it is, or how it responds when articulated loudly (or softly), if it is able to give you a pure (and unfuzzy) tone in all dynamic levels, if you can move easily between registers, including extreme register leaps. Stuff like that will help them help you.

There are many manufacturers/refacers out there who are good, or so I'm told. Walter Grabner, Clark Fobes, and McClune are the three I hear most about.

Ligatures, well, I think they make little difference -- I have a rovner I have used for about 20 years. I like it because when I sit on it, it doesn't break. :)

Playing Ten Children with live electronics instead of tape

From the mailbag: I was looking to perform some (or several) of your compositions, particularly Drift and Ten Children. I was wondering if you could tell me what I would need in order to perform them the same way you perform them instead of with the tape accompaniment. Thank you very much.

So, I'm going to make a video for the site to show all the gear I use, but until I get around to doing that, this post will have to suffice...

First of all, you need a "basic" electronic music computer setup like mine:

• MacBook (probably pro, but I think you can make do with a non-pro)


• Audio Interface with at least two inputs


• Instrument Microphone


• Vocal Mic (like an SM58 or something better)


• Foot pedal (something simple)

Then you'll need the software & plugins:

• Max 5


• WaveArts TrackPlug & Masterverb (you'd choose "power suite custom duo" here)


• Voxengo's LF Max Punch

The rest of what I use is optional, really.

I guess the reason I don't make these non-tape versions available to people is that there is a LOT of troubleshooting that needs to go on in order to get things working with each particular setup. For example, everyone has a different footpedal, so I would have to reprogram that part of every movement to handle that; everyone has a different audio interface, so the levels need to be optimized, etc. etc. Basically, It'd be too big of a pain for me to do it, so I don't. That said, if you're ever in NYC, you got all the necessary hardware/software and you want me to set your machine up, I might be persuaded...

Like I said though, stay tuned. I will try to get a video "tour" of my setup up on the site asap.

Pitch problems?

From the mailbag I just got this question about tuning on the bass clarinet


Hello Michael,

I want to ask you a question about the tuning topic on the bass clarinet. I'm playing a buffet bcl and a realtively open Schreiber 7* mouthpiece. My first problem is that I can barely get above 440 pitch with this setup. (Especially a problem with classical tuned pianos in Vienna) My second problem is, that b, c, c#, d, and d# in the second register are far low-pitched and it's very difficult to get them higher.

Do you have any tips for me what I can do to get rid of this problems?
Thank you very much and all the best from Vienna,

Leo

So, I should first mention that I don't know that mouthpiece. But the first question should be, with any problems with stuff like this: is it the instrument, or is it me? First troubleshoot your equipment: Try a different mouthpiece. Borrow a friend's bass clarinet and try it with your mouthpiece. What do you discover? If it's the mouthpiece or instrument that seems to be the problem, the answer becomes one of making a decision: Should I have my instrument worked on? Should I get a different mouthpiece? (Not easily answered questions, mind you. But at least you know where the problem is).

That all said, generally speaking, if the problem is minor, you can handle pitch issues with your sound production and adding/removing fingerings to certain offending notes. Obviously, no instrument is ever perfectly in tune. None. Some are worse than others, and my observation has been that the newer the model, the more tuning issues have been addressed by the manufacturer.

Ok, so how do we adjust pitch on the instrument note-by-note? Well, on notes that are sharp, you can add keys to lengthen the tube without changing the fundamental pitch. Example: if your open "G" is sharp, you can add a keys on the right hand to bring the pitch down. If it's flat, you can open up the side D# and/or F# trill keys. But it becomes more of a problem when you're already using most of your fingers (like on the notes you describe, Leo) -- there's not much you can do about using fingerings or opening up vents when those notes are flat. (If they were sharp, you could handle the problem with your sound production in your mouth. It's easier to make notes lower with your embouchure than to make them higher).

But, what do you do if their instrument is flat? Well, I have a pair of Selmer Signature Bb/A clarinets, and I have a really nice Kaspar mouthpiece that I picked up. Together they sound amazing, but very, very flat. So, I call Morrie Backun and asked him to make me some VERY short barrels (For example, I now have a 59mm Bb barrel). I also have a bell that has a hole cut in it. The combination of these bring the instrument up to pitch (but create more minor issues with the scale that I manage with fingerings like I describe above).

With the bass clarinet, you could get someone to make you a short neck. Martin Suter from Switzerland makes necks for the bass clarinet that are really, really good. And I bet he could manufacture you one that's a little bit shorter so that your instrument is altogether sharper. Here is the page showing all of the bass clarinet neck options. (This whole site is in German, but can be translated with Google Translate and it becomes fairly readable).

Martin also does bass clarinet work that can help you with intonation problems. I've never had him do any work on my instrument, but I have heard good things, and he's worked closely with Ernesto Molinari, which bodes well for the quality of his work.

Another option is to work with a mouthpiece craftsman to have him/her adjust your mouthpiece (or make you a new one) that offsets the intonation problems of your instrument. This is likely the most cost-effective measure you can take, and probably the one I'd recommend you begin with.

Finally, if it seems to be you and your sound production, take some time to experiment with your tongue position in the back of your mouth. Is the tongue to low? Say "LLLL" -- feel the back of your tongue? That's what a low tongue position feels like. Now say "EEE" (or in german I think it would be "IE"), that's a higher tongue position. If you're more LLL and less EEE, start experimenting to see how that affects your pitch.

So to summarize:

If it's the instrument as a whole: try to change out your neck or have a mouthpiece made to correct the problems.

If it's just a few notes (this is normal): correct with embouchure and/or fingering adjustments

If it's you: practice your tongue position. Or, work with a teacher to have him/her help you with this.

Hope this helps. And, anyone with other tips, please leave them in the comments!

Where to start when you're starting

I got this email from a gentleman who (understandably) fell in love with the bass clarinet... I'll let him tell it:


"Mike

I am a 51 year old amateur pianist who has become addicted to bass clarinet music
and want to attempt to learn how to play it. I have no woodwind experience.

Should I rent a "good" wooden instrument or settle for a plastic or hard rubber model.

Are there different reeds/mouthpieces that are easier to learn with ?

Thanks"

Well, I think that the best way to start would be to check out a decent rental Bass Clarinet to make sure you feel compatible with the bass clarinet in general. Go with your gut regarding wood/plastic. Take it for the month -- you'll get to know very quickly whether wood (or plastic, whichever you chose) is the right fit for the sound you want to get. Of course, given that you're new to the instrument, it'll be harder to determine, but with the help of someone who plays the instrument -- and this might be the same "someone" who will help you pick out your final choice -- you will probably be able to make some preliminary decisions.

Regarding reeds/mouthpieces. This is an easier decision: first off, check out the "mouthpiece" video on the site for a primer. I'd recommend something a little "closer" (you'll know what that means after the vid) to begin with. I'd say check out McClune's S1 instead of the S2 I usually recommend. (www.mcclunemouthpiece.com). Grab some Rico reeds of various strengths (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5) to see what works to begin with. Rico reeds are known to play pretty much right out of the box, but they'll die an earlier death than a sturdier reed, like, say, Vandoren. But right now you'll need some early successes to stay with it, so I'd go with the Rico.

Hope this helps!
Michael

What to do with sensors

I have been trying for about 3 years now to come up with something interesting I can do with sensor-based instruments as an addition to my regular show. What's difficult about them is that I would like to somehow use them to engage the audience directly in the music-making going on, yet opening up this huge variable has made it difficult to control the form of each piece. Imagine that you've been handed a box with a bunch of sensors all over it during a concert. Well, you start to push buttons to see what they all do. My job is to make the experience clear to the user (in other words, they need to understand right away what each button or slider or whatnot does aurally). My job is also to make the resulting music interesting and cohesive for the rest of the audience. And, my job is to make the whole thing bulletproof, regardless of what the user does.

For me, this task is nearly impossible.

Most often, people remark that they can't really tell what's going on when they interact with the box (because I've made the musical response too subtle, like changing the reverb time or something). So, I figure, in order to make the action have a more clear effect, I need to make the rest of what's going on musically much more sparse. This will probably be what I try next -- more like a duet between me and someone in the audience. Stay tuned.

Playing Electronic Music, part 2

Computer Music, once limited to universities with large budgets, has become much more prevalent in the past fifteen years, mainly because of the development of low-cost and mass-produced microprocessors.

Needless to say, to begin, you'll need a computer. Up until about eight years ago, the issue of "PC vs. Mac" was a real one. Nowadays, most software is available cross-platform. Still, I use, and recommend the Macintosh platform, using OSX.4 or OSX.5.

So, what do you need hardware-wise? There are many answers to this, but the most popular (and in my opinion, correct) is "As much as you can afford." This is true in most cases - not just with computers. Buying a lower-priced (and lower powered) computer just means that you need to upgrade sooner, so essentially, it all evens out in the wash. I recommend buying a Macbook Pro for live concerts for obvious portability reasons. Why a pro? Because, as of this writing, the non-pro version does not have a separate video card, but rather shares the processing with the main CPU. If you have any interest now or in the future to do anything with video, you'll pretty much be out of luck for anything but the most rudimentary video processing. Other considerations are getting as much RAM as you can (within reason), a large, and fast, hard drive (5400 RPM minimum, but most people go for the fast 7200 RPM drives for live audio), and if you need it, Firewire ports. More on that in a sec.

The main software package I use is Cycling74's Max/MSP (www.cycling74.com -- download for a free 30-day trial). Currently this software package is about $500, and it is by far the most flexible computer music program I've ever used. If you are a composer, you can create looping devices, effects plugins, samplers, synthesizers, interactive video, you name it. The downside: it's pretty heavy math- and programming-wise. Nevertheless, many composers have created pieces using this software that don't require you to purchase it, nor how to program in it. But, if you have any interest in computer music composition, you'll definitely want to check this software out. Other software you'll want to consider is Ableton Live for looping and loop processing, effects processing and improvisation-based pieces. Since the mac comes with Garage Band software, you'll have a simple recording/editing suite available to you, which you can upgrade to Logic if you need more power -- and the skill set pretty much transfers because Apple has based Garage Band on Logic, so they operate with the same basic paradigm.

OK, so back to the hardware. In order to get sound in and out of the computer, you'll likely want to have a sound interface of some sort. Many popular - and less expensive - of these interfaces are USB-based. They are often under $200, and they allow you to plug in a microphone to get sound in, and an amplifier to get sound out. USB interfaces used to not have the same throughput as Firewire interfaces, but that is no longer the case. Indeed, as Apple begins to abandon Firewire on their non-pro models, your computer will likely make the decision for you in terms of which to go with. Format aside, the most important feature you'll want to look at is high-quality microphone preamps. The lower-end interfaces have, well, lower-end preamps, and your sound quality will really suffer. You will notice that the "bass" end of your instrument sounds thin, and the midrange notes will sound strident or bright and tinny. I had one and I had to get rid of it. I sold it to a flutist... A popular unit is the Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) Ultralite (firewire) This interface is about $400 or so, and has a good balance between size (it's a 1/2-space rack unit) and quality. Personally, I use the German-made RME Fireface 400 which has superior specs in terms of sound quality and noise. With this unit, I have 36 channels of input/output (8 of them via ADAT optical) with 2 mic preamps. It sounds great. These days you can find a Fireface for about $1,000. But like I said, there are MANY interfaces and your mileage will vary, both in terms of cost and quality.

Now, when you do a piece of computer music, how does the computer know when to do what - e.g. start the piece? Well, you need to have some means of communicating with the computer, and for that you have a number of choices. For me, I have a touch-screen monitor (thanks EBay!) and a footpedal that I made myself (I wanted something small and light). Others use off-the-rack footpedals or footswitches which are also cheap, plentiful, and good. Still others use mini keyboards (that usually plug in via USB, so you don't need MIDI). There are numerous options, but they all share one thing in common: they are controllers, not sound-creation devices -- i.e. they are not sound generators themselves. Regardless of what you get, suffice it to say, you're going to need something like one of these pieces of gear, or else you're going to have to be in constant contact with your computer with your toes. Of course there are exceptions to this (pieces which don't need user input in the way of "commands" and which just respond to the instrument). But, if you plan on doing any of the majority of works, you're going to need to invest in either a MIDI controller or USB controller. Fortunately, these are not too expensive - many under $150.

Finally, there are specialized pieces of gear that will be required for many pieces. Namely, outboard (i.e. not-inside-the-computer) effects processors, synthesizers or controller devices. Usually, though, the composer will either provide you with this gear, or you might be able to borrow it, or you might be able to replace it with a similar piece of gear. Or, you might just be able to program it into Max/MSP yourself!!

So, to summarize (this is for a decent setup):
Computer $2500
Audio/MIDI Interface: $500
Microphone(s): $800
MIDI controller: $150
(Sound) Monitor: $200
TOTAL: $4150

Since this is a large sum, you can get by without the monitor. That will bring your total to about $3950. A stationary microphone will bring the total down to about $3150. Etc, etc, etc.

Playing Electronic Music, part 1

These days, tape pieces are relatively low-tech. Just about everywhere you go there is at least some sort of PA system with a CD player. At the very least there will be a stereo system. I've chosen to go the route where I bring everything along with me but the amp and speakers, though many others simply bring a CD that they can provide the sound guy. The reason for my preference is simply that I want to be able to control when the tape starts, to control the balance between the bass clarinet and the tape (I use a microphone -- more on that later) and the volume of my monitor.

A bare minimum: CD or iPod and cables to plug it in. The cable you'll need is one with an 1/8" plug at one end (for the ipod) and a stereo RCA (or better, 1/4" plug) on the other. Most venues don't have the adapters. This cable is less than $10 at Radio Shack. Total cost: $10 or less.

From there, you might want to have a decent microphone. Why? In order to mix your sound with the CD/iPod, you need to amplify yourself. That way, you can boost the tape part without drowning out the live part. It also blends your acoustic sound with the tape before it goes into the hall. It should be one of your first purchases. My personal favorite is the bass clarinet model form AMT (www.appliedmic.com). Those run about $800, but there are others, including stationary mics (i.e. not clip-ons) which are less expensive. Fortunately great microphones -- especially ones built in China like SE Electronics -- are amazingly cheap: less than $500. Many are even cheaper. But you'll want to get one that has a "cardioid" or "hypercardioid" pattern, since those are more appropriate for live contexts; omni pattern microphones will feed back much more easily. You might also need a cable and a mic stand, though those are ubiquitous in most venues.

Microphones that attach to the bass clarinet are, for me, more appropriate because I tend to be more, uh, "active" onstage. Since I stand when I play solo, I don't want to have to be tethered to one location because of the position of a stationary microphone. Just something to think about for yourself: do you want to always stand in the same place, or do you want the freedom to move about - say if you're playing a piece which requires multiple stands and you need to progress from left to right.

A small mixer is becoming less important, especially if you are planning to purchase a computer and audio interface, since much of the mixing can happen inside the computer nowadays. If you choose to get a small mixer, a Mackie 12-channel ($369) is the one of the more popular. They are inexpensive, sound good and are built like a tank. If you choose to go smaller and a bit lower quality, you can get one from Behringer or Alesis for as low as $100. You would plug the mic and CD player into the mixer, which would plug into the PA system. You could add a small monitor so that you can hear the tape part better. A good monitor should be small, light and self-powered. The Yamaha MSP5 is great, but heavy. ($250). Another choice is the Yamaha MS101 ($130) which is much lighter but is not as powerful. Often a venue will have a dedicated monitor for you to use, but just as often, they don't (or it sounds dreadful). For me, it's better to be on the safe side.

Summary (these are minimums):
CD player or iPod: $100-200 (but you probably already have one, right?)
Microphone: $200
Mixer: $60
Monitor: $130
TOTAL: <$600

So, these are the basics.

If you want to go all-out, check out the main site to see what my current rig looks like.

Michael Lowenstern
Earspasm Music

Buying a Bass Clarinet in 2009

So you're ready to buy a new bass clarinet. A huge expenditure. Probably the most expensive clarinet you'll ever buy. Kind of nerve-wracking, no?

With bass clarinets, even more than with clarinets, there are so many questions swirling around: Which brand to get, Buffet or Selmer (or Yamaha or Leblanc)? Low C or Low Eb? Student variety or Pro? eBay or Mail Order or Local Store? Used or New? Boxers or Briefs?

Well here are my unvarnished opinions. (What else would you expect?) I'm a Selmer man. I've always been a Selmer man, though I have recently tried a couple of Buffet horns that weren't bad. Yamaha and Leblanc aren't even in the running as far as I'm concerned, so I won't spend any time on them here. Sorry. Buffet horns are, in my opinion, designed for clarinetists who need a bass clarinet to FEEL more like a clarinet. Just look at the neck angle, and you'll see what I mean. A Buffet neck curves up at the mouthpiece to enter the mouth at more of clarinet-like angle. The Selmer necks enter at more of a Saxophone angle (though, now that I'm updating this post, some Selmer necks are available that also curve up). I believe that the proper angle for the bass clarinet is the latter. One (of many) reasons being that at the clarinet angle, the focus of the lip pressure is too low on the reed, and that there is too much opportunity to "bite" on the reed. The Selmer angle keeps that from happening. There are MANY other acoustical reasons I feel the Selmer angle is preferable, but I don't want to get into it, since that really isn't the focus of this article. Buffet horns also offer a little more resistance (more like a clarinet), which limits the amount of volume you can potentially get out of the horn. It also makes it easier to play, but ultimately it's better to have a horn with more "headroom." Plus the Selmer factory is in the heart of Paris, but I'll get to that in a moment. At any rate, if you're interested in all of the differences, GO TRY ONE. Don't listen to people on the Internet (including me); see for yourself. It's a HUGE difference, and one that you have to try to really appreciate. But for the sake of argument here, let's say you're going with the Selmer.

Next, do you want a student-level horn (sometimes appropriate) or do you want to go all-out and get a horn that will likely last a lifetime? I've tried just about every horn out there, and I've never found a good student level (~$2,000) horn. I REALLY wanted to find one so I could recommend it to people, but I haven't yet. I'll keep you all posted. My recommendation: if you are looking for a horn for doubling, you might be able to get away with one of these...otherwise, probably not.

The next choice is a simple one: Get a Low C bass. A low Eb bass is less expensive, but you'll make the difference up on your first gig.

Used or new? Again, there are many opinions floating around this point. There are those who believe that an old bass is intrinsically and sonically better than a new bass. I think that's hogwash. Old bass clarinets are notoriously OUT OF TUNE (and you will NEVER be able to make them inherently play in tune, no matter what you do to the tone holes). How about struggling to play an out-of-tune bass IN tune while trying to get a lovely attack in the upper clarion register at, oh say, mezzo-piano. Good luck. Sure, there is a certain "played-in" feel of a used bass, and of course they're less expensive. But if you can, try a new bass and an old bass side by side with both a tape recorder and a tuner. Then go eat dinner. Then, give the tape a listen. See if the used bass has a nice tight core to the sound. See if it's (relatively) in tune. See if it has a clear articulation in both the clarion and chalumeau registers. If so, by all means buy it. But please, don't let someone tell you that it's better BECAUSE it's old. Listen for yourself. Or bring a friend along who's not afraid to tell you the unvarnished truth if need be.

Now for the real $9,500 question: how much will it cost? The secret answer is about $7,000-$8,000, but you have to go to Paris. Here's where it gets fun. You can, of course, buy a bass from the Woodwind and Brasswind, a great store with a huge inventory of instruments. And you'll get a really, really good horn. And you may even be able to get free shipping, but that's probably pushing it. The price tag? About $9,000-10,000 as of this writing. Here's how I bought both of my horns, one in 1996 and the other in 1999. I bought a ticket to Paris and made an appointment with Richard Scotto of Quintette Musique. (He is, as of this writing, no longer in business, but there are other dealers around, so find one and make contact). Have them help you to make an appointment with Selmer for you to go try instruments. Then, book your flight around a production cycle at Selmer.

Get to Paris, eat at "Pain, Vin, Fromage" right behind the Pompadou Centre (sp?). Make contact with your dealer and with Selmer. Show up at Selmer at the appointed time, and they will set you up in a room with as many as 10 (!) bass clarinets (Again, you have to make sure Selmer is in manufacturing mode and that they have stock on-hand. As I mentioned, you can often do that with your dealer.) Once you're in the factory, you're about 20 feet from the guy who just made your horn. It hasn't been on a plane, in a box, in a warehouse, on a truck to the dealer, in another warehouse, and on a plane and UPS truck before you try it. It was 20 feet from where you will be at the factory. Not bad. "Factory Fresh" as they say. Another plus you'll only get at the factory: you can try up to 100 necks, and pick the one that you like best. Try that at a music store here in the states!

Time passes, and you've picked the perfect horn – or two. Write down the serial numbers and go have a coffee, or lunch. Then come back and try them "blind" – i.e. have a friend (hopefully you've traveled with one!) give you the horns without your knowing which one you're trying – and play it. Take notes. Then try the other (or others) and do the same. It should be easier to decide at this point. So, once you've picked the horn that you like best, you can have one of the instrument makers make any alterations to it (I had one install a new tenon cork, for example), for free. Then, you take the horn to the dealer's shop, who then writes you up a bill. If the exchange rate is favorable (it was MUCH more so when I was there in the late 1990's), you can get the horn for about $7,500. Another suggestion: if you have a mouthpiece, you don't have to buy one with the horn, which will take another $100 off the price. Likewise, if you can get a cheap case here in the US and bring it over, you can save the cost of the case. With this in mind, I was able to get each of my horns for about $4,000 (in 1999). However, you might want to consider buying an extra neck (I did) – they are about $200, and well worth the price. So, my tally: Plane ticket on Air Bangladesh (not recommended) from New York to Paris: $325. Housing (I stayed with a friend): $0 (but hotels are not unreasonable, especially off-season). A lot of great wine and cheese and food and coffee: $200. Bass Clarinet: $4,000. Total cost: $4,525. Buying a bass clarinet at the time: $5,600. I saved over $1,000, got to go to Paris for three days and got a MUCH better horn than I think I would have here.

So, while your mileage may vary price-wise, I think the difference in cost is comparable: you'll stand to save about 20% going to Paris to pick out your horn.

Oh, and I recommend Boxer-briefs.

Michael Lowenstern
Earspasm Music

Site nearly finished (nearly)

For those interested in being all beta-tester-ey, the new site is here: www.earspasm.com/beta. Depending on when you go, you'll notice varying degrees of functionality and/or bugginess. But I would love to hear from you if you do choose to check it out. Some bugs I'm aware of, but many more I'm sure I am not. (Obviously if you click on something and it simply doesn't respond, then it's there just for show for the moment, so you don't need to tell me about that...)

Anyway, the focus is going to be on a dashboard sort of style and layout. Lots of feeds from facebook and what I'm listening to on itunes, this blog, you know. Stuff.

Should be ready in a few weeks (or month or two, depending)

Have a look!

Broke my own rules...

A tale:

I upgraded the software I use to run my show (Max/MSP), before my most recent show on Saturday in Ohio. I tech some of the pieces, but not Ten Children (why? I don't know). Of course, it's THAT piece that totally, miserably and irrecoverably crashes in the show.

Now I pride myself on being able to nail the tech part of my show -- the computer is there, but I almost never look at it or touch it, preferring to focus entirely on the audience between pieces, with no "dead air" while I'm fiddling. Well, that was not to be on Saturday. So, I broke my rule of 1) tech your whole show when upgrading, even if it's an incremental upgrade, 2) don't touch your computer during performance, and 3) don't talk about technical issues with the audience. So I beat myself up pretty bad about that the next day, but I spend Monday going over everything with a fine-tooth comb and rewriting some of the code. Now it should all work again.

We'll see on Friday when I play at LEMURplex! Oh, an for info on that show, go to www.tranzducer.com

Mike

Bartok Mikrokosmos -- For Clarinet and Bass Clarinet

Well, I had a request today for suggestions about what to play as a Clarinet and Bass Clarinet duet. It got me reminiscing about a few concerts I did with David Hattner back in the late 1980s. Hattner went to Northwestern, and studied with Marcellus. I went to Eastman where I studied with Neidich. Definitely different schools of clarinet playing. Once I went to one of Marcellus' "clarinet lunches" (I think they were wednesdays, but my memory doesn't always serve me too well.) Anyway, I remember Hattner telling Marcellus that I was in the room (he was blind by that time), and that I was studying with Charlie Neidich at Eastman. Marcellus said, and I quote, "Hmmmm. Charlie Neidich. I used to smoke pot with his father."

Anyway, Hattner and I were tight back then, and he would occasionally come up to Eastman to play recitals with me, and I would go to Northwestern to reciprocate. Or piss off the powers that be, more likely. We would do one solo piece each, but the rest were duos like the Mendelssohn concert pieces, or some stuff I'd write or Bach two-part inventions -- or in this case, the Bartok Mikrokosmos. These are the two-part pieces that Bartok wrote for the beginner pianist I guess, and since they were only two lines, I'd play the bottom on bass and he'd play the top on clarinet. This recording is from January 7, 1989 -- almost 18 years ago, jeeez -- when we played it at NU.

Here's the link to the MP3 (feel free to steal it if you want).

Yee hah. I'll try to post the Bach (which are SO fun to play) at another point soon.

Mike

Eric Dolphy, 1964

Today I got hold of (and edited) the Charles Mingus Sextet concert from Oslo, 1964 with Dolphy on, among others, bass clarinet. As far as I know, this is one of the last, if not the last, video recordings of Dolphy in his life. This clip is of the sextet playing "Take the A Train."

I have a like/dislike relationship with Dolphy's playing, as some of you might know. Of course, he's a genius in many ways, but over the years of careful listening I've come to notice that his bass clarinet solos in particular follow a sort of finger pattern that's a little unschooled and raw. For me, it's almost like he didn't really have complete command over the instrument. (I know this is sacrilege). This is why, in part, I have always thought that the "God Bless The Child" improv was probably worked out in advance, if not written out or maybe outlined on paper -- because it's different.

Well, today I am not so sure I was ever right. This performance, with Dolphy's solo at about 4:30 into the tune, shows some seriously advanced skill playing "outside" yet still clearly following the harmony of the tune. I could hear it brought back throughout the solo. By the way, I love the fact that Mingus gets up and walks offstage during the solo (probably to pee) while the other members of the sextet chat.

I'm impressed with how he controls and explores the range of the horn, not as much squawking/honking as I've heard on much of his recorded work. He doesn't revert to his "lick" that I've heard in about half of his recorded solos (to me, the equivalent of saying "um" or "you know" in the middle of a sentence). He inserts many pauses -- sometimes long ones -- into this solo.

Some other things I noticed: He uses 1/1 for Eb and Bb a lot. When the band comes in after his "acapella" solo, the audience claps, and Dolphy looks pissed. He waits for the applause to die a bit, and kind of gestures as if to say, "jaHEEzus, I'm not even done yet. Shut the hell up!" Oh, and I love the Tympani on the back riser.

Anyway, I'll let you form your own opinions -- here's the link:

Mingus in Oslo

One last word: you'll need the Flash 8 plugin to view the video. It's free at adobe.com