Klarinet Archive - Posting 000188.txt from 1995/05

From: SCOTT MCCHESNEY <scmcchesney@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Instrument questions
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 05:45:31 -0400

> I guess the main advantage the clarinet has that sax does not
> take advantage of is the alternate fingerings for the little fingers.
> The sax uses a simpler, but much less effective, solution of
> providing littler rollers so you can slide the little finger from one
> key to the other. While this may be more effective when
> sight-reading, (ever get caught in the middle of a run with the
> wrong little finger key?) once you have a chance to figure out the
> right fingerings, you can always come up with an elegant and
> smooth solution on clarinet.

Actually, yes, I have been caught (I know it's hard to believe :) ) a
number of times, and yes, I also heartily agree that given a bit of thinking, a
solution can almost always be found. It is because of these items that I
really wonder why the other woodwinds have not undergone this transformation -
especially the Bassoon, with its multitude of fingering difficulties and
impossibilities. Is this simply inherent in the nature of the instrument, or
would there be a better way to construct a Bassoon to give it control more akin
to ours?

> I concede that having the same fingerings in both octaves (i.e,
> the octave key is really an octave key) has some advantages.
> But this is also why saxes (and flutes, for that matter) do not
> have the range the clarinet has. It is also a good reason to
> learn the clarinet first.

A hearty THAT GOES FOR ME TOO!!! I had to learn Saxophone quickly for
my first pit band gig (like in a week), and having the Clarinet fingerings to
fall back on made it a snap. I only got confused once, and the Sax was
(technically) relatively easy to pick up. Tone...that's a different story, but
I even got some of that, too. :)

-- Scott

   
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