Low-Effort Woodwind Doubling: Contra Alto Clarinet

[@glengutridge4614]

that is a contra alto clarinet.. now more comonly known as an e flat contra bass.. i played one of these great instrument, which has a reedier sound that cuts through other instrument ''voices''... thanks for opening up the eyes of others!

[@mantaszminskis5619]

Bring It !!!

[@jacobgreenberg9573]

Nice work Joe!

[@Joealbanomusic]

Thanks, Dude!

[@backtoweedin4375]

The most useful thing about Eb Contra-alto clarinet (and Eb Bari sax) is that you can read bass clef music (for tuba, string bass, bassoon, trombone, etc) as treble clef by adding 3 #'s to the key signature.

[@lamaspacos]

With a Bb or F instrument we add only 2 or 1 #, respetively.

[@TheodoreBrown314]

​@@lamaspacos With Eb instruments, there's no work past accidentals though. The bottom line of the Bass Clef (G2) is the same as the bottom line of the Treble Clef when read by an Eb Bass instrument (E4 transposes up 3 semitones and down 2 octaves to get G2) For Bb instruments, a similar trick works with Tenor Clef (Trombone players love this trick). And God forbid, if you ever have to read Mezzo-Soprano Clef, the same trick works with F instruments 😅

[@_grim_7399]

I'm still kinda confused, so for example the tuba part has one flat, do I get rid of that flat when I add the 3 sharps or do I add them on top of the flat?

[@TheodoreBrown314]

@@_grim_7399 Sharps and flats cancel out, when you're doing stuff like this. So 1 flat (F major) for Tuba = 2 sharps (D major) for Contra-alto Clarinet or Bari Sax

[@_grim_7399]

@@TheodoreBrown314 thank you soo much! This helps me alot!

[@joeg46Highlands]

From a bass clarinetist. The length of the instrument muat make it difficult to mic up. I use a Piezobarrel mic on the neck but some players use three close acoustic mics for concert performances.

[@llRoBoBinHoll]

Any tips on getting your notes this nice and round sounding? Many people (including myself when I tried bass clarinet) get this sort of overly resonant, slightly barky sound. Enlighten us!

[@Joealbanomusic]

Not much too it really. Medium to medium soft strength reed, oral cavity pretty open while still maintaining control of the airstream, flexible but not too loose embouchure. Play a lot of ballads to work on finding a tone that suits you. No reason to play super hard setups on the big bois. IMHO anyway. No magic...just practice. That's all! Hope that helped a bit.

[@transpalog]

Is there still a manufacturer of this instrument? Because in Brazil you can't find it anymore, even using it is difficult.

[@Joealbanomusic]

Yes. I believe conn/selmer (old leblanc) still makes the vito plastic contra alto. The "professional" option is the selmer paris.

[@Sagefox455yt]

why is the contralto and contrabass still in treble clef

[@Joealbanomusic]

Cuz we took a look at bassoon and said miss us with those 3 separate clefs...we're gonna be lazy

[@marizuokereke7347]

Great video! Which strap are you using there? It looks to have two hooks.

[@ezzyworld9537]

I accidentaly broke one of these one time😅

[@quasar1628]

I actually play this for my concert band. Second lowest, only to the tuba.

[@jetzayra]

do you have any tips on how to not squeak? i’ve played a normal b clarinet for over 5 years and recently started the contralto last year and can’t stop squeaking. i know the basics but every time i take a breath i squeak on the next note.

[@quasar1628]

@@jetzayra Try to think more about a circular embouchure, as opposed to the normal Bb clarinet. I also move my mouth up and down the mouthpiece depending on how high or loud I'm playing.

[@diminuendo7525]

cool instrument but i hate the name oof it like its contra but also alto which those contradict each other and it sucks

[@Joealbanomusic]

I just think of it as an Eb contrabass. Some people call it the “great bass” but nah. Not anymore, lol!

[@diminuendo7525]

@@Joealbanomusic great bass is a better name but nobody is gonna call is that so its best to just call the contras EEb and BBb contra clarinets

[@frankjuggaloheathen1035]

A lot of people call it the contralto clarinet, but it's actually a misnomer. It's actually called the contra-alto clarinet. There IS a difference; contralto is more of a vocal term and describes an alto singer (alto is in fact a contraction of contralto). Contra-alto, on the other hand, literally means "octave below alto," which is exactly this instrument's pitch range, an octave lower than the alto clarinet. I know it sounds like a nitpick but it's true, and I love sharing musical knowledge

[@NoahShiley]

I'm looking on buying one to add to my instrument collection. Any idea where I can get that particular model for a decent price?

[@Joealbanomusic]

I'd just go on Ebay and set up an automatic alert for a Bundy Contra. They're astonishingly cheap and they're excellent instruments. Also, you'd be surprised how many professional pit musicians have this boi in their arsenal. Worth it.

[@NoahShiley]

@@Joealbanomusic should I buy a used one or a new one.

[@Joealbanomusic]

@@NoahShiley i believe they don't make the bundy contra anymore, so the only option would be used. They do make new vitos (or leblancs? I can't remember what they branded them as) but they're significantly more expensive and just don't sound as good IMHO.

[@NoahShiley]

@Albanothemadman I did look, and I sadly didn't see some on eBay. However, I did find some on other websites like Musicians Repair Service.

[@Joealbanomusic]

@@NoahShiley they're out there. Just give it a bit of time and google searches.

[@musikteer]

12:39

[@stnegritude]

Thanks for this! Yes, I'm a bass & alto clarinetist and just bought a sweet contralto clarinet! I'm psyched to explore the depth of this beautiful instrument. I also love your contraction of "contra-alto" to contralto, makes much more sense. I'm going to use "contralto" too, Thanks!

[@Joealbanomusic]

It may be wrong but I can't stop saying it that way...let the nerds figure it out, lol Thank you!

[@robertp2934]

@@JoealbanomusicI have the exact same Bundy EEb contralto clarinet and use a George Bundy 3 mouthpiece and medium soft plastic reeds. It speaks quite easily in most registers. Keep the videos coming.

[@savesthedave845]

It’s so useful. You can move around and be heard, which sometimes is an issue in the clarion on the contrabass.

[@Squishy.squoshy]

I’ve been playing this instrument for one year and I absolutely love it. I carry the base section.

[@gustavo12_br41]

Friend, what is the fingering of the treble D6 E6 F6 and G6 on the contra alto clarinet? I have one and I can't find it

[@domagojoinky8262]

What about Octocontralto ?

[@Joealbanomusic]

If I remember correctly there's only 1 and it's sitting in a museum in France somewhere I believe. Pity.

[@TheodoreBrown314]

​​@@Joealbanomusic If you're interested, Foag has started producing an octocontra*bass* clarinet for the low price of €60500 😆

[@zackrickabaugh5456]

Digging the frequency of these new videos!

[@Joealbanomusic]

They are easy to do and the algorithm seems to favor longer videos...and not so much shorter music videos, unfortunately. That can come later. Ill do a whole series like this because it's something i'm interested in, and they're super easy to do! Hopefully we can get some traction!

[@EdJohnson-t9b]

Thanks for this nice intro to the Eb contra clarinet. Do you also prefer the bassoon stand for this instrument?

[@Gear100]

can you give a link to the mouthpiece please

[@Joealbanomusic]

No particular link I’m afraid. I got mine on eBay, geo m bundy. It’s a pretty common hard rubber student mpc. I’d just google around for the lowest price.

[@Gear100]

@@Joealbanomusic ok found one thank you!