The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

RE: Contra Alto

Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-05-17 15:02

Bob -

The contra-alto is in Eb, a fifth below the bass clarinet, in comparison with the true contrabass, which is in BBb, an octave below the bass. The Selmer contra-alto plays very much like a bass clarinet. (The metal Leblanc contra-alto and contrabass have a broader sound and slower response.)

The instrument on eBay looks black in the photos, but that may be just an overexposure. All the Selmers I've seen were made of tulip-wood and had a gold and dark brown striped grain.

As the listing says, the prices for new Selmers are astronomical. The seller's website http://www.hayeshouseofmusic.com/new_page_2.htm lists what is presumably the same instrument for sale at $5,995, which may be the eBay reserve. I got my Selmer for less than half that price, but it needed substantial restoration.

The photo shows an instrument with a very long lower joint, which may be an extension to low C. If so, that would increase the price.

The contra-alto is great for band use, because the player can read bass clef as if it were treble clef (just changing the key signature), so you can play the tuba part if there is no contra part.

Mouthpieces are a problem. I got a Selmer C*, which is a good design, but Selmer's machinery has gotten badly out of adjustment and it was terribly crooked. My refacing guy said it took him a long time to fix, but it works very well now.

Vandoren bass sax reeds work well. (Vandoren contrabass clarinet reeds were designed for the old Leblanc contrabass mouthpiece, which was much wider, and they are much too wide for a Selmer contra-alto mouthpiece.) Buy reeds hard, because the bottoms warp badly. Then sand the bottoms down flat and play them quite soft -- probably a whole number softer than what you play on soprano or even bass clarinet -- as soft as you can have them without producing a "flapping" rasp.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics