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The Bass
clef and the player who aspires to become competent on all the instruments, and this is true of most recorder players, will have to learn to read music in this clef. This need not prove difficult. Once again, it is all a matter of frequency of practice in playing each instrument regularly.
Until fairly recently, the highest note obtainable on a bass recorder was D, but the modern basses produced by Dol-metsch and also those by Schott can be played to upper G. The fingerings for some of these high notes are not quite the same as those for the treble and are supplied by the makers when a bass instrument is purchased. The bass recorder is obviously most useful in ensemble playing and the good bass player will never lack friends amongst other recorder players.
Because of its size, more breath is needed to produce a note on the bass than is the case with the other instruments and the player will constantly have to be on the alert to make his instrument sound in time with the others in the consort.
The wide spaces between the holes will be an initial difficulty to be overcome by the bass player and it will be observed that, in the early stages, considerable trouble will be experienced in using the fingers of the right hand. It is a good plan for the player of more than one instrument to accustom himself to changing over from one instrument to another during the same practice session. This prevents the fingers from getting set to one size of instrument.
The complete tablature in the bass clef, together with the special fingerings on the Dolmetsch and Schott bases, is given in example 54 and should be carefully learned and practised. Example 35, a German tune dating from the fifteenth century and written in the bass clef, will provide good practice. Also, the bass parts in any hymn book will help the player to accustom
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