Marching Bass Clarinets

[BlinK Day 41]

Does your BD make you guys wear neckstraps during marching season? Mine wants us too but I disagree, just wondering how most other bands do it (not many bands up here march bass clarinets for some reason)

[BassoonPadwan]

I don't know if my band director makes our bass clarinets wear neck straps, but I know that our bass clarinets do.

 

 

Isn't it easier with the neck strap anyway? Why don't you want to wear one?

[Dynasty]

Ours wear neck straps, and it is almost necessary for our "carry" position.

 

Hey, and it makes for some good tan lines too!

[Danpod]

Some bands would rather add a few more B-Flat Clarinets than have the bass clarinet color get lost in the overall sound. It's hard as heck to hear the bass clarinets, even when they are playing by themselves (Example: Reagan's 2002 bass clarinet feature).

 

Personally, I'd rather have those particular folks just march their instrument. They can add a nice color to the woodwind section, if it's featured correctly.

[mnkyman]

im the section leader for my bass clarinet section

 

we march 6 bass clarinets (with neck straps - necessary for carry position)

 

 

i dont fully agree with danpod on sound being lost..

 

 

you cant really hear us..but u can hear the color...

 

u could hear us last year in the clarinet choir ( i marched bass and then played contra for the clarinet choir - we ended up cutting it right before finals SA though..cause the horn started sounding like trash after being on the pit truck and ..who the heck knows what happened to it in the hand of drummers

[manuel_pablo]

  mnkyman said:

im the section leader for my bass clarinet section

 

we march 6 bass clarinets (with neck straps - necessary for carry position)

 

 

i dont fully agree with danpod on sound being lost..

 

 

you cant really hear us..but u can hear the color...

 

u could hear us last year in the clarinet choir ( i marched bass and then played contra for the clarinet choir - we ended up cutting it right before finals SA though..cause the horn started sounding like trash after being on the pit truck and ..who the heck knows what happened to it in the hand of drummers

of course we could hear the bass clarinets...the clarinet choir was miced...so it's not like Reagan 02 when we couldn't really hear them because they weren't miced.

[Danpod]

Yeah, that was my point. Reagan didn't have theirs miced, so you had to really strain to hear that Aegean Festive Overture melody.

[BlinK Day 41]

  BassoonPadwan said:

I don't know if my band director makes our bass clarinets wear neck straps, but I know that our bass clarinets do.

 

 

Isn't it easier with the neck strap anyway? Why don't you want to wear one?

idk it's just we've never used neckstraps before and it makes me feel cool lol i am a loozer but still our carry position doesn't need neckstraps... and it'd make our trail position all weird. But it's looking like everyone uses them so.... uh idk maybe i'll enforce them next year. But I am not a big fan of neckstrap tan lines hehe

[mnkyman]

i remember one particular 8 hour saturday rehearsal on the green

 

i burned up so bad - sunburn for a while

 

 

last four hours i just ended up marching with no neckstrap

 

 

- i tan easily during summer - and whiten up during winter

 

so u can imagine me walking around really dark in the fall with one line across teh back of my neck

[manuel_pablo]

  mnkyman said:

i remember one particular 8 hour saturday rehearsal on the green

 

i burned up so bad - sunburn for a while

 

 

last four hours i just ended up marching with no neckstrap

 

 

- i tan easily during summer - and whiten up during winter

 

so u can imagine me walking around really dark in the fall with one line across teh back of my neck

lol Spring High South...

 

sorry it's off topic.

[mnkyman]

ya i guess im that oldschool

[chickora]

Yeah, neck straps are really common. In fact, its odd for me to hear that you don't march with neck straps at all.

Our bass clarinets march with them... But all 2 bass clarinets are boys, so they don't wear like tank tops like girls do..

Unless you're a guy marching shirtless.. Which is gross. lol

That's when you have to worry about the tan line.

[mnkyman]

lol..i wear a normal t-shirt

 

 

u still get a nice line across your neck

[chickora]

  mnkyman said:

lol..i wear a normal t-shirt

 

 

u still get a nice line across your neck

Couldn't your hair just be long enough to cover it up?

 

 

ooh, wait. You probaly don't have long enough hair. :-P

[BassClariGrl]

neck straps=evilness

[BlinK Day 41]

now thats more like it

[CuteClari08]

OMG! If I didn't have neckstrap, i think i would DIE.

i'm tiny and weak.

 

..but i'd be willing to give up that sexy tan

[mnkyman]

^lol as was the way for me my fish year - i wouldnt have been able to bs clar and stand in attention correctly - but now..i can just take off next strap and march around same way...

 

did i tell u i got a calas (i know im spellin that wrong..) on my thumb from the thumb rest over the fall semester...no so much a calas as really dry skin in that 1 area

[BlinK Day 41]

we all got a big fat callous (i think thats how its spelled, not really sure) where the indent on the topside of the thumb usually is. it's not really noticeable so we don't mind. Our show designer wants to get rid of low reeds though, so i gotta go argue with him about that

[mnkyman]

lol all the low reeds?

 

i know spring doesnt march bass clarinets anymore..lol they do cymbal (im lauging cause i have a friend that goes to spring that plays bass and was pissed off that they changed it)

[BlinK Day 41]

yep bass clarinets bari saxes and even tenor saxes. i'll smooth it over though

[mnkyman]

^ lol...leave it up to the low brass i guess...

 

i'd understand taking out like flutes or something ..u can barely here them in a traditional marching show (back in the day they use to be the colorguard)

[Nancy08]

I'm not a bass clarinet...but I'm the unofficial low reed/ sax leader...kinda (long story). Anyway this year we had 4 seniors and none of them used neckstraps even when a clinician yelled at them to. The others did cause they couldn't march and/or play w/o it...

[jbrih13]

Yeah we have to wear neck straps. I like them but then again i dont. they leave really bad tan marks on your neck, and when u sweat it just soaks it up, so you neck strap smells like OMG !! LOl, but when its really hot, in the summer, having thoes things on is a pain, you neck muscles start to cramp up and hurt.

[lionbc]

I like to think of the neck strap tan as something similar to a battle scar. If you're busting your butt for 12 hours of the day (that's what we did this past summer), I think you deserve to be able to call it a battle scar.