Yes. You Can Play High Notes on Bass Clarinet EASILY. (-ish)

[@twigagawizard]

That black bass clarinet... I want it...

[@trumpetboy7022]

Chill Hop Therapy lie

[@Lifitt]

ME TOO.

[@chasependergast6678]

Is that a plastic bass clarinet

[@yitang1185]

Chase Pendergast Apparently that’s a Selmer Privilege bass clarinet...high end LOL

[@josephisaguy]

like 6k i think?

[@leahschnobrich5837]

My bass clairnet doesn't like high notes.

[@daceycondon261]

Ya base isn’t a very high liking instrument

[@daceycondon261]

Can never really tell if your squiking wrong or playing right

[@jackc789-j6w]

IKR!🤣

[@julianna4912]

Leah Schnobrich neither does mine

[@cloutelfin8323]

Same

[@ShuckleDoesGaming]

the one dislike is obviously a piccolo player

[@eruditeroach7099]

Ugh. Not those pesky piccoloists!

[@markgaddie6290]

ShuckleDoesGaming But I play the flute and the piccolo.:(

[@moonbean169]

the piccolo is so loud D:

[@dalhan2811]

Nah b flat clarinets prob 😂

[@minibot12]

ShuckleDoesGaming true 😂

[@JourneyToJourneyman]

I never realised the tongue had such importance. I started focusing on the placement of my tongue and the altissimo notes came out like nothing on my bass. Thanks!

[@leo309]

what's altissimo notes?

[@gavinkys3732]

Leo Liam watch the video

[@billholder1330]

@@leo309 Above high C - all those high notes I can never get right...

[@lacerniagigante]

I don't play the clarinet, but your "E" "Eh" "Ah" "Uh" scale is brilliant!

[@floridaclarinetstudio2338]

EXACTLY! :)

[@alexakrznaric886]

That’s one sexy bass clarinet, wow

[@iYessicaH]

My senior year of HS I played the Chromatic scale as part of the final in tune in one breath. It was magical. The high notes spoke and the lower register didn't sound strained. When I was done, the row in front of me (the clarinets) turned around like, wtf. My high notes sounded just like a soprano. It was so great. Man, I miss my bass. :(

[@temitayoestherfakunle8252]

Start saving for one that’s what I’m doing and I’m a high school freshman Yk just in case my college doesn’t have band and I don’t get a bass clarinet I can just buy one

[@SheerVoid]

Bro I just did this in my freshman symphonic band- I’m so freaking proud of myself..

[@niraatae-nkyou8134]

Those 6 Flutes who disliked...

[@depaule52]

Niraa Tae-nkYou 7:)

[@seshpad2483]

8

[@spectres_garage]

9

[@gabrielli5386]

10\

[@Victoria-bf4wt]

11

[@darthgamer6080]

I'd sell all of my possessions and half my organs just to have that black bass clarinet

[@skittlepuff]

PEOPLE DO “UH” holy shit!!!! This explains why so many of my highschool classmates sounded so terrible !!!!! I never even considered that an option!! Thank you so much for this video!! I used to be able to play high notes on bass clarinet well into clarion register. But then I played the clarinet for a couple years and came back to bass and couldn’t get above a High D and with that one video, I unlocked all of the notes I used to be able to play instantly!!! We love Michael

[@Chloe-im9rc]

I use a school owned instrument. It doesn't let me use anything above a high D. I wish I could play more with that bass clarinet, but it doesn't let me. (I'm able to go above and up to a High A on a clarinet that isn't damaged

[@ShuckleDoesGaming]

+Youknow Idontknow yeah school instruments do that. i get all the way to the 2nd altissimo D# from high C . it pierces the ears of everyone.

[@Clarisaxx22]

ShuckleDoesGaming D#7? I can do C7. I still haven't figured out a fingering for anything higher on my clarinet

[@osamabinballin4768]

Oof your school need better instruments

[@Ste-ex9er]

Same. I can only get up a D in the second register.. (I use a school instrument that has *many* problems) this is after the last service.. before this I could barely get to a C

[@jenquach1567]

sameeeee all the bass clarinets at my school are broken

[@meralynbrimer1515]

I am very glad that I found this guy because I started the bass clarinet last year and I'm doing a contest November 5 on Clarinet and Bass Clarinet and I can't get anything higher than a D with the octtiv which is 123, 123, both back buttons. It makes me so mad an frustrated but I know to keep trying and to not give up. Thank you. I am totally subscribing.

[@kaelynh5888]

“You see how it kinda sounds like a dying goose *NO GOOD* “

[@ckkeck2003]

best voicing video ever.... ive never had a teavher work on that w me... and fast articulation always kicked my ass.... you are very inspiring

[@therealcarlos653]

I played clarinet in 5th grade then in 6th grade my band teacher switched me to Bass clarinet now I'm a freshman, I love it. Thanks Mrs.sperry lol

[@amandas2855]

I can hear the overtones so well I love it

[@sebastianzaczek]

2:56 Vowel: "E" Pitch: Approx. C You literally predicted the E-meme

[@yonatanmussie2650]

It worked, after 6 months of trying to play the high notes I can play my high c

[@emms620]

Love this!! This is so true, after you personally recommended some Weber concertos for me to play on the bass, that was where I began to go out of the way and play music mainly in the clarion and altissimo register and it has helped me so much! Thank you for emphasizing this, it's important for so many players :)

[@quinnneiling4840]

omg the "step away from the G please" exercise helped so much!

[@shyannespecht3848]

Thank you so much for yet another EXTREMELY helpful video! I've been practicing lately for my upcoming auditions for All State Honor band and it includes some of the higher notes I can play on the soprano but not the bass clarinet (i.e, the D three spaces above the staff and higher) and this definitely has helped me play them.

[@RossiniSoprano]

Hey, Mike, love your videos! I just wanted to recommend that you use the other bass (with the silver keys) when demonstrating fingerings for the younger students, because they can't see those cool black keys very well.

[@narddogyt5205]

Could you possibly be related to my band director Mr. Curran?

[@cloutelfin8323]

Nard_Dog 1977 oh crap that’s cool

[@coloraturaElise]

@@narddogyt5205 Not to my knowledge!

[@fredericginoux5066]

Thank you for this explanation of the right place off the tongue for playing hight B and C. I used to play clarinet in a big band 12 years where i was a doubler with the bass clarinet. I used and still use a yamaha 221II with a single register key. It was always a challenge if i had to tongue right away the hight C or the B. As i'm french i used the word "oui" which mean 'yes' to get the right "e" and the right tongue position and it works pretty well. Thanks to you I can use now as I want the whole register of this bass clarinet. I'm not any more affraid to squeark if i have to play at the begining of a phrase hight B or Hight C. Thanks a lot. Your a great clarinetist and teacher. If i have met your teaching younger maybe i would have been a professional player today.

[@volleyballlove2332]

Thankfully when I started playing the bass clarinet (started on the alto clarinet) I didn't play the uh sound. Actually my first lesson on the bass clarinet I could barely play a sound lol

[@andrewhall2554]

I double on bass clarinet from time to time but mainly play soprano clarinet. Up 'til now I have gotten away with not having a good high register but the time jas come to fix that. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@whitetrashacres6283]

Thank you SO much for your teaching various octave tongue positions. I am up to learning to play the altissimo register

[@swalsh1123]

This is excellent. Thank you very much! A voicing/tongue position exercise I like to use is playing the fundamental tones in the chalumeau and then sounding the overtones without the register key. These will be a nice addition to that.

[@mal2ksc]

When done on saxophone this is called "bugling", that is, selecting your harmonic at will. Here you only have 1, 3, and 5 but the idea is the same and it's probably still called bugling even if half your partials are missing.

[@jorgiebeta]

ERIC DOLPHY!

[@monogw513]

Yeah I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with my B. Cl.

[@superkami63]

Ghostly Sik same

[@leahschnobrich5837]

Literally same

[@roxanajohnson9310]

Ghostly Sik mine won't tune the B natural above the break and the C. every other not is in tune but those two.

[@ethancampbell9096]

Ghostly Sik If you have this problem, then use your mouthpiece on another bass clarinet, or get someone who can play it to use their mouthpiece on your bass clarinet. If you can't play right on another one, it is you. If someone else can play on yours than it is you. If not, then your instrument needs to be repaired.

[@ihopenoonefindsthisaccount7687]

O sorry if might’ve broke when it went up my ass

[@Victoria-bf4wt]

*sees title* ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT

[@benjamindover8221]

git gud

[@cloutelfin8323]

Right?

[@amiliaschimmel9788]

I been playing the bass clarinet wrong. that is why I sound Ed like a dieing duck

[@baconcat5553]

This video really helped me with my high notes, they are still hard but I have improved.

Love your videos man, Gracias for the content!!!

[@wilhelmfaber2863]

this is an outstanding precise advise on how to praticise the high notes .. thanks a lot

[@zrobinson8451]

Hi... So I'm a student who's been playing on bass clarinet for about 3 years now..(I started freshman year, Im now a junior). I'm struggling to plan any note above an above staff g (rests on top). I'm wanting to try out for Region band this year, but a large majority of my music has notes slightly above a G. I really need help and I have 5 weeks to try and get it to where I can at least play a high Bb. Please help. My band director has tried helping, but it doesn't seem to be enough.

[@foileater6161]

Z Robinson 3 weeks now

[@feliciadeweese3429]

Z Robinson I'm a senior in college. I really recommend long tones, register jumps, and scales and arpeggios. long tones on a chromatic scales as your warm up every day is the best way to improve range and tone. sorry it's too late for contest but long tones will follow you for the rest of your musical career.

[@zrobinson8451]

Felicia DeWeese Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!!

[@bassclariphonist6873]

And air support exercises... you may not be applying enough pressure on the reed or enough air to "fill" the sound of the higher notes. Or, there's an off chance that you have a leaking or broken pad... which almost never happens unless water or age takes a toll.

[@bassclariphonist6873]

Kinda late but... if it helps XD

[@specialagent65]

Have been playing for quite some time and still found some great info in this tutorial. Mahalo!

[@phillipmoreash7384]

Love your stuff. I am so grateful to learn.

[@jaymitchell5358]

I'm just switch from clarinet to bass clarinet and I absolutely loved this video it help me quite a bit with the upper register, I would love to see more videos on bass clarinet !!!

[@benjamincervantes1497]

Oh wow...wish I had bumped into your channel earlier. I was always struggling with the higher register would get to an E and start sqeaking all over the place. I'm going to try these tips out. Thank You!

[@kasparpaukson3543]

A year ago, I got a shock when people told me that you can change your tone(which I have locked down to be amazing) by moving your tongue. After being told that, I tried it out, didn't change anything for me, I could have my tongue touching the roof of my mouth and it sounded the same as the "uh", I also sing a lot and am quite accurate with my notes, I find it hard to be flat or sharp on purpose or even accidentally, and my orthodontist actually said the reason for this, I have a mouth shaped in one of the 4 possible ways(from the different evolutionary trees of the human) meaning while I can do the things I just mentioned(which have their uses) I fail to pronounce an italian "r" meaning I don't do it with my tongue, rather the roof of my mouth. So the tongue position doesn't change this insutruments for "everyone", just most of the people. Feel like I had to speak for the minority here :)

[@jackcannon9154]

Mike, I have used your tongue position (Eeee, Ehhh, Ahhh) along with your "Step Away From The G Please" exercise. It certainly works great and I appreciate this tutorial. I also tried the same using a chromatic tuner with an optional contact microphone (inexpensive). Perhaps due to my very poor ear, the tuner displays the results much more vividly and helps me correct my embouchure in addition to the tongue position. This works for a Bb soprano as well as a Bb bass clarinet. Just don't forget that the tuner will display two semitones lower (F instead of G). Your thoughts please.

[@hitrykzmotion3975]

Thank you so much for making this video! I found it very useful, and you found out a lot about your own tongue by watching this video. I just started playing the clarinet a week ago and this has really taught me a lot!

[@shuffles1682]

I have been playing the clarinet for 6 years, and I have never considered tongue placement. Thanks a ton!

[@marselmusic]

so helpful.... jsut came from tenor sax to Bb clarinet... anyways b4 I still found your vids helpful back then.... thanks again!

[@galacticwaters8376]

We love the tonguevator

[@thomascohen9924]

This is such a brilliant and useful video. Thank you!

[@bgclarinet]

Hi, Mike! Loving all of your videos, and wish I had time to watch and implement them all. Someday... I wanted to mention that Fred Ormand had me do the fake-to-normal exercise (I still do it every day on whatever clarinet I'm warming up on that day. Love it.). He was a Hasty student as well.

[@joeyfloress1131]

Nice shirt, Dolphy and Kirk are my favorite players!

[@sbent518]

When I move from E to Eh, my tongue is still touching my teeth in the back, but definitely down in the front/middle. As a saxophonist that moved to clarinet, I felt like playing altisimo register came easily. I've only found one bass clarinet (i am lent the horns from local schools/universities) that I can clearly and comfortably play above altisimo E. But with this one I can play the full next octave above it. It's odd to think of them as "non-standard notes" same on saxophone. As always, learn SO much from your videos! Thank you so much for them! I'm sure this one is going to help me improve even more! :D

[@ishimomo7842]

This guy is the best bass clarinet teacher.

[@lowreedman]

Love the Eric Dolphy T-shirt. Great video. Thanks.

[@ken4631]

This is gold. Thank you!

[@colestecher4856]

That is a beautiful bass clarinet

[@del5981]

Oh man, I'm playing Concertino in D minor for my NYSSMA solo, got some high notes I need to transition to real quick. Thank you for this

[@amelia2605]

i played clarinet for almost 3 years before moving to bass clarinet and now i have only been playing it for 3 months and i am much better than my friend who has been playing for 4 years... i don't know why, is it better to start on clarinet before moving to bass or am i just naturally good?

[@Heatsiar]

#1 Malec Shipper I've played Clairnet for 3 years also and when I started bass I was decent I've been playing bass for3 years now and I'm pretty good I guess but yes it's not very hard to switch

[@proxgames901]

Natural, I switched to Alto Clarinet from Tuba. Our Clarinets been playing 12-1 months and I passed them in a week.

[@recetivedeath9461]

When u play the clarinet for a long time u experience faster, shorter notes than a bass clarinet player. Bass clarinet music often gets quarter notes and long tones. That's why it's so much easier for a clarinet player to play the bass clarinet

[@instrumentalheadquarters7062]

ProxGames from all things, Tuba to Alto clar.???

[@clarinetmaster5990]

Funny I switched from bass clarinet to soprano, so did the two other guys in my section. The hardest thing I found to transfer is high notes and articulation.

[@Sambbou11]

very helpful, thanks a lot for another great video.

[@justincooper1626]

Thanks for this video! I managed to extend my range another octave! For me I play a high concert B-flat by uncovering the top half-hole and go up to a concert C like that and then I cover the top half-hole and play from a concert D-flat up to a high G and then just repeat those steps messing around up to a ridiculously high B. At some point it gets to be parlor tricks because the notes get wonky and out of tune but it sounds great on my Bundy bass clarinet! Now I can play along to Whitney Houston!

[@wilzy30]

Hi Michael I literally just discovered your channel 24 hours ago. I have started teaching myself the Clarinet, and I am interested in the Bass Clarinet. (Blame Eric Dolphy for that.) What has been your personal favorite of the student Bass Clarinets? The Kessler? I could never afford a wooden Bass Clarinet. Thanks, William in Australia.

[@bclislife]

Wow, I had no clue that we were supposed to finger altissimo C# the same as Bb Clarinet. Thank you for this video! I've been having the hardest time with my upper Clarion lately, with every note 10-30 cents flat.

[@Mauriziobarenboim]

11:15 in other words the tongue position you feel on the G should be the same for all of the notes? And that our tongue shouldn't move at all? Or that exercise was given to us to make us aware that our tongue does move. Also, for the G do you use eh or ah?

[@maum2732]

Thank you, seriously man, thanks a lot!!!

[@edepillim]

Great explanation about the tongue position. So often my clarion A comes out at altissimo D........l am using too firm an embouchure rather than correct tongue position....lm off to practice.

[@shunt0141]

Very helpful as always

[@vascole626]

I don't even play clarinet and learned something. Good Job man!

[@henrymarocchi7844]

do you play saxophone?

[@MrThesamster]

Thanks, Michael. This video really helped :)

[@JaxemsR]

Hello, I'm working on Jonathan Russell's Bass Clarinet Sonata right now. Do you have any tips for the extreme altissimo? I can play up to double c pretty easily but the piece calls for the f# above that.

[@thomh6083]

How much was this all black bass clarinet

[@grima5788]

Around 13,000-15,000

[@huntermashburn7217]

Grima 😳 hehe yeah maybe not right now 😅

[@cloutelfin8323]

Hunter Mashburn lmao

[@jonathanhart5257]

Great video as always. You should get back to making videos on orchestral excerpts, because there are a lot for the bass clarinet. You should do excerpts like Rhapsody in Blue, Mahler, Pictures at an Exhibition etc... Even if there not used for auditioning, it still good to learn then and are fun to play. (btw, i play tenor sax, bass clarinet and bassoon, my primary is tenor sax)

[@expeditodealmeida2586]

Thank you !so much help.👍

[@Jarvin23]

I can’t play anything above a high d on my bass clarinet and I just started playing it

[@ramonaclef8006]

The altissimo exercise is in Kelly Burke's book as well.

[@fabriziolara6413]

love that Eric Dolphy shirt

[@frankgratkowski6778]

do you have a good fingering chart for the very high register. d to c above the normal altissimo range (i mean the c above the high f in Echange from Xenakis)? I have some but I'm not happy with all of them and I play the same bass clarinet you play (the old selmer). Thanks - Frank

[@earspasm]

Yep. On the website. (Earspasm.com)

[@JasonAlder]

Frank Gratkowski hey frank, I’ve made one as well. I did it on a buffet, but most fingerings work on Selmer I think... although I’m going to be revising it in the near future to be sure now that I’ve become a Selmer artist and switched... jasonalder.com/fingeringchart/Bass-clarinet_quarter-tone_fingering-chart_2ndEd--Jason_Alder.pdf

[@butterflynursieful]

This helps me so much!!!

[@SarahSkilton]

I love this finally after 5 years of playing I understand correct tongue position. However I play B flat Clarient. Will the G exercise still work for me too as it looks great.

[@eileenjurek6898]

Is there a fingering chart for the bass clarinet?

[@joeg46Highlands]

Agreed, it's not that hard, but in moving from saxes to bass clarinet I had to work out altissimo fingerings above G by trial and error, with a teacher watching pitch, timbre and ergonomics. My instrument is a cheap, Chinese-made , composite bodied low C model which has lasted well for over 3 years (US$1500, and if I get another year out of it I'll consider myself well ahead on the deal). In gradually extending the altissimo I can now get to a second altissimo Eb but there seems to be a barrier just above that. Is that because the harmonic curve has levelled out so that further harmonic intervals are microtonal? I doubt if I'd ever use the higher notes seriously but being able to hit them accurately really improves the playing of those notes a little lower. Also playing in a local community band It's nice to know that I can play both lower than anybody else ....... and higher.

[@Mauriziobarenboim]

I believe that Sean Osborn got that exercise from Hawkins. I remember Hawkins sending me a PDF of things that he has his students read over.

[@brandon.allison]

Love the Eric Dolphy shirt

[@seshpad2483]

can the focus exercises work for any reed instrument? (like alto saxophone)

[@rosieacevedo3375]

Sesh Pad it should! it will just sound different

[@Breboi17]

Thanks for the tips.. How or where can i get a Bass Clarinet neck like yours? Is it custom made? Thanks.

[@jacobpotts7954]

Breboi17 no I don't think it is but I want one too

[@jmemj]

your bass clarinet is different from mine.... yours sounds like a tenor sax...... :(

[@wazzup0906]

Cheyenne Seulgi it's probably not that his sounds like a tenor sax it's probably just that his tone is more jazzy than others

[@misterman65__87]

his black bass has some special black substance on it which harshens the tone if it.

[@xxwood_windxx-bb4413]

Cheyenne Seulgi if you wanna sound like a tenor sax play a tenor sax if you don’t then stop comparing yourself to a professional

[@PrinceSwaggy]

Cheyenne Seulgi it looks like a streched out black tenor sax

[@frogmin9979]

@@xxwood_windxx-bb4413 what the fuck are you going on about?

[@flyingking4009]

Man bass is hard to march

[@flyingking4009]

I have to march and I don't have a neck strap yet

[@twentynecrybabiespanicatth7908]

MAD_-KING 45000 that was me and now it's band camp and I have my neck strap and it's so new and nice I hope you get yours

[@amelia2605]

yup what did you expect?

[@exiled_tuscani7660]

Anonymous Vlogz basically in summary plastic is god

[@theheckler399]

isnt as hard as i expected tbh

[@bellawilliamson5585]

Hey! I'm new in playing the bass clarinet😅 so will u plz show us all the notes and what they look like and how they should sound!! Thank u

[@llonndo041a]

Today I learned that theres skin around my mouth

[@annettehumphrey8679]

I started with low high notes and worked my way up.

[@UserUser-zi1fv]

You are amazing at this! I just got a new bass clarinet and I've been using these exersizes on my new one and it sound great now! But when I play it on my older bass clarinet it sounds weird

[@jasongong6]

Great video

[@markx1420]

I am a tuba, I liked, my range is from pedal eb (low f for clarinet ) to quadruple eb (quadruple f for clarinet )

[@hilaryanderson173]

Thank you, very useful. Do you line up the top of the ligature with the line on the mouthpiece?

[@oklmao]

THANK YOU!!!

[@micaelahassler1121]

This helps a lot.

[@Grodyflag]

can you do a video on vibrato with a bass clarinet?

[@KD-iq2tx]

For me it is just high c before altissimo. It is because I can't easily push down the register and f key down without having the weight of other keys being pushed down

[@johnsmith1882-x2i]

Your voice sounds like David Cross

[@ckkeck2003]

Tony F arrested development... !!!

[@marselmusic]

ok that's very useful information

[@snamorta]

Thank you

[@sup4566]

i as a bass clarinet player is HARD to play the clarion register especially changing from high notes from the shalamo register

[@stormiestcampfire]

Do your techniques translate to Bb Clarinets? My band director wants me to get really good at it before doing the Bass Clarinet.

[@kiwisamara4547]

Stormiest Player my band director just said who wants to do bass clarinet

[@jacobpotts7954]

Sausage Master same I chose to do it for my concert band

[@capricorniaproject3020]

Moving from sax to bc. I struggle with second register B and C, particularly when tonguing. I can hit those notes more strongly and more accurately by extending the altissimo register downwards but am told that they do not blend well with the other 2nd register notes because they occur at different places on the harmonic series. Does this mean that their use in altissimo passages should be preferred if you are not descending to the 2nd register ?- Even if you do there will in any case be a change in the harmonic structure of the notes at some point in that descent.

[@nathanhol42001]

Why is your bass clarinet all black? I've never seen anything like that. Where did you get it?

[@bclislife]

He custom ordered it from Selmer.

[@u47tube]

Thanks, man.