Every video of serpent playing I watch convinces me more that this is an exceptionally difficult instrument to play well. Like, even in the really nice professional playing here, there were still a couple of pitchy notes.
as is true with most historical instruments. before keys it was almost impossible to make an instrument with all its notes perfectly tuned with a clear tone just because the finger placement would be impossible
@@klemensvetter9178 With all due respect to Mr. Kershaw, when you hear how even a talented professional musician like him is having a bit of trouble playing in tune and with a good tone, it definitely makes it clearer just how extraordinary Wibart and Godard's achievements are.
Always interesting to see instruments with brass mouthpieces or reeds using finger holes instead of valves, keys or slides. I always assumed it was possible, you just don’t really see them around today.
mantistoboggan, the Serpent was mostly 'abandoned' because its weak, diffuse tone quality no longer worked well in the increasingly larger, and louder orchestras, and because the more modern brass instrument designs it would be played with in ensemble would overwhelm it. That is the main reason why the ophicleide was invented, and eventually the euphonium and tuba once valved systems became perfected. Yes, the Serpent is more difficult to play (usefully) than pretty much any other brass instrument, but that is not the main reason for it being overtaken by newer designs. (I am an experienced Serpentist for nearly 40 years).
@@youtuuba thanks for the information! Ah yes the groups got bigger and loudness became more important. The serpent though has so few players it seems.
Difficulty in playing period, but also many old instruments are largely diatonic. Chromaticism requires fork fingerings, hole shading, adjusting your breath pressure.
@@victotronics yes instruments were replaced with ones that can play evenly across the chromatic scale. I think you lose something special when you do that, though, personally. Also equal temperament was not the tuning of choice.
@@youtuuba Still, you'd think they would have found a steady niche in small instrumental groups, especially in combination with voices, where you don't _want_ something very loud (overwhelms the voice unless you use differential electronic amplification as in really modern times).
lemonimpala, it would not work with a reed. NO brass instruments work usefully with reeds. Brass instruments depend on the player's adjustable embouchure to select from the available partials of the instrument's harmonic series in order to get the desired pitch. A player cannot control a reed in the same way that the lips can be controlled, so trying to use a reed results in sound being produced, but without enough control to be useful musically (unless of course only a single pitch is desired, and then you basically just have a truck horn).
Bernard Herrman used the Serpent for part of the soundtrack score he composed for the movie "Journey to the Center of the Earth." It can be heard in the climactic scene were the 'prehistoric reptile' is awakened from its slumber just before the end.
Despite bass cornett probably existing, the serpent was the de facto bass of the cornett family due to the former's poor acoustic proprieties and sound projection. Quite an handful to be played, by any account, but still it has walked in order for tubas to run in modern orchestras.
Needs some buttons, could they make saxophones in a similar fashion, a beginners cheaper saxophone in snake skin finish? Maybe quieter for practicing in a home?
There are sub contra bass flutes, made in a triangle shape, about 8 feet tall. Also the double sub contra bass, larger diameter. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Qmxnp_3KUt0.html
There is the sub contrabass flute, made in a triangular shape, about 8 feet high - and the double sub contrabass flute, same height but larger diameter. Only a very few exist around the world, and they are very difficult to play.
If you use the Italian terminology there are no misunderstandings: Cornetto = Renaissance and medieval wooden instrument. The plural is Cornetti. Cornetta = Modern instrument of the brass family similar to the trumpet. The plural is Cornette.
The serpent is a brass instrument made out of wood. The saxophone is a woodwind instrument made out of brass. This goes a long way to explaining musicians. 🤣
arnhemseptember, depends on who "you" is. Normal adult male hands & fingers are plenty large enough for the typical 'church' serpent as shown in this video. Many women have fingers that are too small to adequately cover the holes with a good airtight seal, and some of them have resorted to using lightweight gloves to 'bulk up' their finger diameter. But offhand, I personally know at least half a dozen accomplished adult women serpentists who can reach and cover the holes just fine with the finger God gave 'em. I also know a couple more petite women who only play tenor serpents (unhistorical), or who use regular bass serpents but have inserts added to the holes to make them slightly smaller so their fingers can cover them adequately.
