How to put together your bass clarinet so you don’t break it.
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
- Over the past 30 years, I've taught about 250 bass clarinetists, and I find that VERY few (less than 20%) know how to put their instrument together properly. I see hands in wrong places, rods bending, misaligned joints. It's a hot mess. And these instruments are out of adjustment because of it
NO MORE, I say. Watch this video and heed the advice. And maybe you'll save a few bucks at the repair shop.
(And, my sincere apologies about the blurriness of this video. If enough people complain I may make it over again.)
Intro: 0:00
Buffet: 1:00 (Watch this for all instruments)
Selmer: 11:55
Royal Firebird: 15:10
Royal Polaris/Max: 17:30
Kessler: 19:50 
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Thank you Michael, for bridging yet another puzzling gap by providing a much needed basic how-to skill for the bass clarinet, for covering 4 instrument makers/models, and doing all of this in an engagingly comprehensive way - as you always do. 🙏
I'm happy to say I (mostly) grip in these locations for assembly of my Kessler (early Gen 2 w/o the middle joint stop). Probably my biggest faux pas is not enough cork grease regularly.
These guidelines probably also will apply to those who have higher-end alto clarinets (yes there are some out there... the alto player in our choir has 3!)
Thanks! Cheers
Great video! That “rock don’t twist” advice came straight to me from Jimmy Yan after he put a tightening screw on the middle joint of my Selmer. I believe that was also the visit where I broke my neck in half right in front of him … he shared some, um, “advice” about that, too … 😠.
thank you just what i need. I was always so scared to put the bass clarinet together!
Same here!
Thank you for this. Informative as always. And I love your sense of humor. One of my many takeaways was the way you apply cork grease! Thanks again. 👍🙂
Thank you, Michael! This is exactly what I wanted to know for a long time. I've never thought that I could use key posts when I grab the instrument.
Placing the cork grease in the cavity of the instrument and the cork is so simple but yet never thought it it! Brilliant! I have a Selmer 1430LP so the body is all together but will definitely start doing the extra lubing for my bell when we start practice again in January.
I was guilty of this without noticing! Thank you!
Great video, as always! A tip: I have had my clarinet tech (the magnificent Eric Leclerc) install the Selmer post and lock on my Tosca. In that way the bridge keys are always aligned. Makes me more confident that it always works.
Do I play the bass clarinet?
No. I play the saxophone.
But do I enjoy bass clarinet content?
Yes, yes I do!
Nobody's perfect. jk
You should try it’s a ton of fun and very similar to saxophone at first at least. Reeds are the same size as a tenor
Ahhh, thank you. My kiddo's brand new bass clarinet went together okay, but was super hard to take back apart.
Thanks for all of your helpful information!
At least now I know why the HS bass clarinets were always broken within two weeks after they came back from repair. No student I know would ever take that much time or care for an instrument they didn't own.
This was super helpful!!! Nice socks btw!!! :)
I'm sure one could debate on this topic, but I put the bass clarinet together in this order: Bottom Joint, Bell, Peg, Top Joint, Neck with mouthpiece and reed already attached. Looks like you put the joints together first, which is fine, obviously, but I don't like having to hold the whole instrument up while putting the peg in.
In my opinion the only wrong way to do it is to put the neck on in any step earlier than the last one.
Also, putting the mouthpiece on with the whole instrument already together would be precarious, as you have to support the neck with one hand while pushing the mouthpiece in with the other, which would mean holding the whole instrument by the neck. My friend used to put the neck of his Selmer 37 on and then the mouthpiece while holding the top joint, and his neck snapped at one of the solder joints.
Anyway, great video. Buffet should really have that joint stop like the Selmer and Kessler instruments have.
I put my bass clarinet together the same way
My bass clarinet is one piece on the body so all i have to put on it is the neck, bell, and mouthpiece but this was still helpful!
same lol
Oh my god I cannot stress how accurate the fucking Kessler advice is. Gen 1 goes out of alignment enough without the user bending the keys
Wow it’s really help me to solve this problem 😂 Everytime when I put them together I feel like I’m going to crash them😅
Thanks for the video, Michael! I assume most of that would apply to Low Eb instruments (and also to Alto/Contrabass Clarinets) as well?
Quick question: I have a Low Eb Vito that doesn't have a corked middle joint, so it's quite difficult to separate the top and bottom joints. Can I use cork grease on uncorked plastic, and is separating the two when I clean my instrument necessary? (my case is for a one-piece-body instrument, so I could theoretically never separate the joints)
I was taught to go in the order of mouthpiece into neck and peg on bell, bell on lower and neck on upper, marry the two joints, reed and ligature to minimize the amount of whole-instrument flailing that can cause unwanted collisions with stands, chairs, other players, etc. Is there anything wrong with that?
Thanks to this video I now know how to put my socks on, the greasy way. This was really helpful
Thanks for a much needed and very useful how-to video. I know I've mangled my bass clarinet over the years because of my poor assembly training and technique.
Here's a related question: How do you best handle your bass clarinet while it is assembled but not being played?
Sometimes I play gigs which have long periods of sitting patiently onstage and don't have a bass clarinet stand available.
I end up trying to keep by bass from knocking into other musicians or instruments, thus somehow grabbing the upper joint (usually) incorrectly and knocking a spring out of place without my knowing it. Until I play again and - surprise! - some notes don't play.
Get a bass clarinet stand -- this one is pretty non-negotiable if you've got to double w/ it.
I have a Selmer bass clarinet. My upper and lower joint are one piece, but can come apart
Thanks:)
we need these for bb sopranos too(if you have not made one already)
My dumb saxophone brain never noticed
Never too late to jump ship.
Ok so some one just purchased a new clarinet and learned from your video how to put it together. Is the break in period different for a bass clarinet to a normal clarinet. How do you break in your bass clarinets. I mean start at 10 min/ day and work up by 5 min every week or do you just play and not worry, why?
Where is your left hand when putting on the bell?
Disappeared… 👀
im so glad i play the saxophone and dont have to deal with this setup
You should get a Jupiter Bass Clarinet, but a professional clarinet not student. They are very good instruments
When are we getting the Uebel video?
☝️
Soon soon.
I'm confused that people don't take the time to observe how the instrument is made to see how it should be put together properly. But I guess now there's a video to show ya. I hope it saves some instruments haha.
The Tosca has two bridge keys!! Beware!
Acutually, they all do :)