On 8 Feb 2013, at 11:35 , Joseph Rushton Wakeling wrote: On 02/07/2013 02:26 PM, Wim van Dommelen wrote: The "clarinet-with-low-gis", "bass-clarinet" and "low-bass-clarinet" will then
be "intermediate" stencils, but otherwise complete and callable from the
outside, which is fine for example for writing down a specific thing in the high
registers or a special effect in a general fashion. The generic stencil for the
bass-clarinet" will suit the Buffet Crampon and Selmer current top-models to
low-ees and will do for specific notations in the high register for all of them.
All the key variations are in the low range as far as I know.
So, I thought I'd have a go at preparing a tentative spec that may handle most of these issues. This spec is based on the following assumptions. (i) Historically, most low-C bass clarinets used 4 thumb keys for low ees, d, cis, c, with no assumptions being possible about little finger keys.
Have never seen these 4 key-versions, but might very well be possible. (ii) The 2 main modern models have the following keys:
* lh little-finger low gis and low d.
OK. * rh little-finger low ees (bottom row of keys) and cis (top row).
In both Selmer and Buffet the top row lowest key is a low-d. The only low-cis is in the thumbs.
* rh thumb low d, cis and c (Buffet and Selmer).
No, Selmer does NOT have a thumb key for the low d. * rh thumb low ees (Selmer only).
So be aware: this key is exactly at the same location as the Buffet (thumb) low-d. That is the main difference. (iii) The diagrams need to support both a pictorial mode and a key-name mode.
OK. (iv) The key-name mode should to the greatest possible degree generalize to
other bass clarinet models (we can't really have a generalized
pictorial mode).
So, the spec would be roughly as follows:
* Key names should follow the following convention: fis, cis, gis and not
ges, des or aes; bes, ees and not ais, dis. The same convention should
Using the sharp names also gets the es/ees, as/aes discussion out of the way. Nice solution. be followed for the names that appear in key-name mode (i.e. F# not Gb,
etc.).
[... note that this should apply to _all_ clarinet fingering diagrams,
not just bass clarinet!]
* The default bass clarinet diagram should follow the Selmer Privilege model,
i.e. with lh little-finger low gis and d; rh little finger low ees and cis;
Wrong: low d. See above. rh thumb low ees, d, cis, c.
Wrong: no thumb low d. See above. * An alternative model would lack the rh thumb ees. This might be achieved
by an option: thumb-ees = ##f, rather than via a whole new diagram.
Could we make it something like this: default that key is a low-ees (Selmer), have an option: \override #'(thumb-ees = thumb-d) for the Buffet. I'm not completly sure this can be done in a nice way. We could then just describe this in general in the documentation without mentioning the brand(s)? Pictorially, the thumb keys would reflect the Buffet layout.
Yes, pictorial the Buffet low d and the Selmer low ees (dis!) are the same. Actually, in the end this is the only key which differs between these models. One diagram to fit them both is really preferable. * In key-name mode, lh and rh little finger key names should be written in
their usual place, i.e. one would write
o
o o
o
-
o G#
o
o
... for the lh little-finger low gis, or
o
o o
o
-
o
o
o
Eb
... for the rh little finger low ees.
OK. * Thumb keys should be written in a special thumb key location, e.g.
o o
o o o o
o o
_____ - _____ -
Eb | o C# | o
o o
o o
Agreed, but we must decide on where to put the rh side keys, e.g. above that line, note that the naming might again be confusing (the current side-key "four" is also an "Eb" or a "Dis" but one octave higher).
I would also add a top lh place for the a, gis, and R keys:
o G# o A R
o o o o
o o
- -
o o
o o
o o
... this should be checked against references (e.g. Harry Spaarnaay's book).
Yep, sure. Similar reference: Henri Bok. * Some possibilities:
-- make lh low gis an option (lh-low-gis = ##t or ##f).
This simplifies regular (plain) soprano clarinet versus the one with the extra lh low gis key. -- make lh low d an option (lh-low-d = ##t or ##f).
I assume for the thumb key, the rh and lh stay i
-- make rh low cis an option (rh-low-cis = ##t or ##f).
... which might be useful in allowing customization of key diagrams,
including other extended members of the clarinet family.
With all of this taken together, we should have a low-C bass clarinet diagram setup that:
And we simplify also by leaving out the smaller low-ees range models. (i) supports pictorial diagrams for both of the main modern bass clarinet
models;
OK. (ii) supports key-name diagrams which work for both of the modern bass
clarinet models and also work well as generalized bass clarinet
fingering indicators.
Yep! Let me know what you think of the above. It may be possible to generalize this to make a more general extended clarinet diagram spec.
Any general spec. which is easily customizable is OK for me.
What irritates me in the current model is the "h" key (in the central column). That is something avaiable in bass clarinets (and similar in oboe), but really not in the regular soprano clarinet and there it also shows up, that should also be an extension for the bass clarinet only and not by default in the clarinet stencil. I would also prefer of it showing up differently:
-- always visible in the bass clarinet, no sliding upwards of the "one" hole; -- not visible and not available in the regular clarinet; -- unpressed, open: as the open extension, e.g. in the empty diagram, locally I've changed the scaling in the stencil to 0.6, that's more realistic, but then the overlap between "one" and "h" should be wiped out; -- pressed, closed: as this key functions differently compared to the other finger-holes, I suggest in closing we fill up the "h" part and create a heavy ring on "one". You press the bottom part of the key, it closes the big gap but leaves a small hole in the middle. It works similar to the oboe (but I don't play oboe, so don't quote me on that).
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