Lon Price wrote:
As a woodwind player, the only practical reason that I can see for
writing the bass clef for bass clar. is the avoidance of a lot of
ledger lines. As a clarinet player, I'm used to seeing 3 ledger
lines below the staff, and 4 above. With the modern bass clar.'s
ability to play as low as written C 4 ledger lines and a space below
the treble staff, I can understand why one might want to write
passages this low in bass clef. I would think that an even more
practical approach would be to write the passage an octave higher and
mark it 8ba., but still in treble clef. Although I'm capable of
doing it, I don't like to read anything in bass clef, because I have
to consciously tell my fingers where to go. When I read treble clef
parts, my fingers go to the right keys automatically. I guess that
comes from playing sax, clar. and flute for 50 years, all of which
are written in treble clef. I can certainly see the practicality of
training oneself to read bass clef, for the reasons stated by others,
though.
As a copyist-engraver, I might question the client on writing bass
clef for bass clar., but ultimately, if that's what he wants, that's
what I'll give him.
Growing up in concert bands, I'm totally used to thinking of bass
clarinet in treble clef, and never use bass clef for it, but I'll tell
you a reason bass clef would be an advantage. I tend to write a lot of
low bass lines for bass clarinet and contrabassoon in octaves, and often
write the bassoons on other lines that put them above the staff. With
the bass clarinet way below the treble clef, and the bassoons ranging
from the middle to well above the bass clef, it really reeks havoc with
the score spacing. Also, dynamic placement for those three lines is a
constant nuisance, since they often share dynamics but not vertical
spacing. Tenor clef for the bassoons occasionally helps, but bass clef
for the bass clarinet would really fix it. But it causes more problems
than it fixes, so I don't go there.
RBH
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