Tenor Sax or Bass Clarinet ?

I've done a certain amount of playing and teaching with the saxophone and clarinet family.

Sure, the bass clarinet puts you in a more unique group and its a fun instrument, but it can be expensive too.

I don't know enough about prices and brands to make a recommendation, but I did look into purchasing a bass clarinet once and was discouraged by the price.

Hi! I have been playing saxophones and clarinets for over 50 years. Maybe I can help.

There is no comparison between a tenor saxophone and a bass clarinet. They sound very different.

I do not agree that the possibilities with the saxophone are now exhausted. The possibilities are unlimited.

It really comes down to what sounds you want to produce, and what types of music you want to play. What do you hear in your head?

A saxophone is much more versatile than a bass clarinet. It is also a lot louder. If you have a microphone, then this doesn't matter, but if you don't, then the drummer is likely to drown a bass clarinet out, especially in the middle register (that is, from middle B to the C just over an octave higher), which loses volume.

A saxophone is much easier to play than a bass clarinet. If you have never played a saxophone, I recommend that you start on an alto. Then, you can switch to a tenor. Contrary to what someone said, a tenor doesn't require a massive amount of air, and millions of people play one with no trouble. I started on an alto and now play tenor and soprano. I recommend a gold Otto Link Tonemaster mouthpiece - that is what both John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins used.

The bass clarinet is a tricky instrument to play really well, with an even tone throughout the whole range, mainly because the middle register sounds rather thin. It really needs two "register keys" for that middle register, where the notes easily squeak if you push them. The best ones, such as the Selmer, cost about the same as a car! You can pick up an ebonite Selmer Bundy for a few hundred dollars (be careful to get one that doesn't need much in the way of repairs). I have a (low E flat) Selmer Bundy and it's not bad at all. That model only has one register key, which makes the middle register hard to play without squeaking. The low register is easy to play on all bass clarinets. An orchestral player once lent me a top-of-the-line Selmer, with the extension down to low C. That was easier to play than my Bundy, but it was lacking in volume in that middle register.

Really, I don't think that a bass clarinet will carry you very far. It is a specialist's instrument, and it is a special tone color. It is not going to fit with a lot of jazz performances. You should definitely start on the regular clarinet (sometimes called the soprano clarinet) before playing a bass. Get used to all the fingerings on the regular one.

As in the picture, Eric Dolphy was a real vituoso on the bass clarinet (as well as on everything else that he played), but he was a very rare musician and, realistically, you are unlikely to attain his mastery on the clarinet.

It's up to you, but I would go for a tenor saxophone. The Selmer Mark VI is the best one, but the Yamahas are very good, too - I have blown both a Yamaha alto and a Yamaha tenor, and I couldn't fault them.

Shrdlu wrote: Hi! I have been playing saxophones and clarinets for over 50 years. Maybe I can help. There is no comparison between a tenor saxophone and a bass clarinet. They sound very different. I do not agree that the possibilities with the saxophone are now exhausted. The possibilities are unlimited. It really comes down to what sounds you want to produce, and what types of music you want to play. What do you hear in your head? A saxophone is much more versatile than a bass clarinet. It is also a lot louder. If you have a microphone, then this doesn't matter, but if you don't, then the drummer is likely to drown a bass clarinet out, especially in the middle register (that is, from middle B to the C just over an octave higher), which loses volume. A saxophone is much easier to play than a bass clarinet. If you have never played a saxophone, I recommend that you start on an alto. Then, you can switch to a tenor. Contrary to what someone said, a tenor doesn't require a massive amount of air, and millions of people play one with no trouble. I started on an alto and now play tenor and soprano. I recommend a gold Otto Link Tonemaster mouthpiece - that is what both John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins used. The bass clarinet is a tricky instrument to play really well, with an even tone throughout the whole range, mainly because the middle register sounds rather thin. It really needs two "register keys" for that middle register, where the notes easily squeak if you push them. The best ones, such as the Selmer, cost about the same as a car! You can pick up an ebonite Selmer Bundy for a few hundred dollars (be careful to get one that doesn't need much in the way of repairs). I have a (low E flat) Selmer Bundy and it's not bad at all. That model only has one register key, which makes the middle register hard to play without squeaking. The low register is easy to play on all bass clarinets. An orchestral player once lent me a top-of-the-line Selmer, with the extension down to low C. That was easier to play than my Bundy, but it was lacking in volume in that middle register. Really, I don't think that a bass clarinet will carry you very far. It is a specialist's instrument, and it is a special tone color. It is not going to fit with a lot of jazz performances. You should definitely start on the regular clarinet (sometimes called the soprano clarinet) before playing a bass. Get used to all the fingerings on the regular one. As in the picture, Eric Dolphy was a real vituoso on the bass clarinet (as well as on everything else that he played), but he was a very rare musician and, realistically, you are unlikely to attain his mastery on the clarinet. It's up to you, but I would go for a tenor saxophone. The Selmer Mark VI is the best one, but the Yamahas are very good, too - I have blown both a Yamaha alto and a Yamaha tenor, and I couldn't fault them.

Twice that, and I would recommend you to go for a tenor sax as well. I've played them all - but I think that tenor sax will open more doors for you and you will have more opportunities and more varied opportunities to play. Bass clarinet is still a clarinet with same fingerings (mostly) and range, etc. Tenor sax has a different embouchure and fingerings. 

Concur with Shrdlu above.