Klarinet Archive - Posting 000807.txt from 1997/05

From: clarinat@-----.com (Nathaniel Johnson)
Subj: Re: forked B/F# key
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:23:54 -0400

For me it's the middle finger...always. I will slide when necessary with
my pinkies. I have also been known to slide between the side keys
occasionally (G-flat to E-flat, but not the other way). But I've never
slid off of the the fork / knife / sliver key, at least not intentionally
:-)

-N=

On Thu, 29 May 1997 01:13:03 -0400 "Jay E. Niepoetter" <niep@-----.com>
writes:
>I have recently been looking for good beginner clarinet book for
>students. I purchased Avrahm Galper's Clarinet for beginner series,
>published by Boosey and Hawkes. I have respected Mr. Galper and his
>students for some time now. He was formerly P. Cl. with the Toronto
>Symphony. Anyway... he teaches to slide from the forked B/F# key
>(chromatic B -- some people call it the knife key) down to the 3rd
>tone
>hole.
>
>Example -- in the low register: A#-B-G
>
>I was always taught to use the middle finger for B natural when it is
>followed by a note that use the 3rd tone hole in the left hand. I
>find
>using the forked fingering fairly awkward, but maybe its just because
>I'm not familiar with doing the slide. If I could develop this
>fingering smoothly it could become a very useful technique.
>
>My question is more a survey... Do you use the slide off the knife
>key,
>or the switch to the middle finger to play this passage?
>
>Just curious,
>J
>
>