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The bass clarinet

Joy Farrall explains what it's like to play the largest member of the clarinet family

The bass clarinet

Though it is really just a bigger version of the clarinet, the bass clarinet is for most purposes treated as a different instrument. In an orchestra very often there is a designated bass clarinet player.

Open QuoteIt’s a bit like a lumbering elephant really Close Quote

Joy Farrall

The bass clarinet plays an octave lower than the rest of the clarinet family and because of the length of its tube it has a different shape.

Joy Farrall has to play the bass clarinet quite a lot and she talks about its difference from its higher brothers. She also has some things to say about the role of the bass-clarinet-player and some of the difficulties of playing it in an orchestra.

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