Bass Clarinet History

Bb clarinet and bass clarinet

The bass clarinet is much more than a Bb clarinet that's one octave lower.  It really is a separate instrument, so it should be treated that way.

The bass clarinet was invented in the 1790s, but its significant debut was in Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots in the 1830s. It's tuned in Bb and is one octave lower than the Bb clarinet. It even has the same fingerings, although additional key mechanisms compensate for its larger holes and further-reaching keys. (For example, the bass clarinet needs key pads to cover holes, while the Bb clarinet's holes can be covered with the finger pads alone.)

The bass clarinet has a slightly different compass to the Bb clarinet: Bb to bb'''. It can't play as high, but has a extra key at the base that allows it to play several notes lower than its soprano cousin.

The Bb clarinet has four keys near the bell, whereas
the bass clarinet has five, including an additional
key on the bottom right.

The bass clarinet's compass