 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: blazian
Date: 2014-09-20 09:30
Attachment: CAM00097-1.jpg (798k)
Playing Ab/G# to Bb/A# in the high register can be annoying and problematic to those who haven't mastered the back-and-forth of it. The transition pops up now and then in music from middle school and on. While it's obviously better to learn to synchronize the fingers to go between the notes smoothly, why not have a helper?
While I was noodling around (and supposed to be practicing), I thought of the idea of only being able to have one hole or the other open. My solution was easy and low-tech. I grabbed some key felts, put wood glue in between, and clamped them into a taco shape. When it dried, I stuck it on my G#/Ab key underneath the Eb trill so I had somewhat of a buffer/pivot thing going on.
Is there anything I'm missing out on by having that there? I can't think of any fingerings that require both holes at once. And it's not that I can't go between the notes smoothly. I just thought why not prevent the flubbing problem?
Comments?
- Martin
Post Edited (2014-09-20 09:43)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-09-20 14:23
You do lose a handy altissimo "F" to "F#." And I guess if you are ok with your RH index finger basically muscling your LH pinky 'out of the way,' then there aren't any real issues with this.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2014-09-20 17:29
For the Ab/Bb trill, play Ab and trill with your left index finger.
I don't like fingers working against each other. It creates tension. Prepare your fingers and make each movement with relaxed fingers -- neat and precise. What you *don't* want is tensing opposing muscles.
Work on the standard-fingering transition by varying the rhythm: 32nd/triple-dotted eighth, then triple-dotted eighth/32nd. Do them both ascending and descending.
Then Ab/Bb/Ab in 32nds, holding the third note. Then Bb/Ab/Bb.
Then G/Ab/Bb/G and Bb/Ab/G/Ab/Bb. Then the Eb scale, straight and in 3rds. Baermann III has bunches of exercises.
Ken Shaw
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2014-09-20 17:54
Martin, it's an interesting idea. As one who plays clarinet and sax, I find it interesting that in many instances, certain note combinations (such as F# to G#) are much easier on sax than on clarinet. That brings me to my next point--the lack of a bis key on clarinets. Stephen Fox and Runyon make bis key attachments
that provide another good B-flat alternative.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-09-20 19:16
Oops......missed one,
You can get away with the clarion "Ab" to "Bb" trill with just the sidekey as well.
I guess I wouldn't do it myself.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2014-09-20 20:13
I would say innovatively lazy. Actually, in Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe Suite #2 in the woodwind noodling part at the beginning it is not uncommon to use a prop like yours to temporarily hold the LH Db/Gb key. Peter Hadcock has this in his "The Working Clarinetist" p.92. He suggests putting the butt of an old reed to prop the key. This worked well for me, but made me a little nervous about getting it out in time and the players around me were amused to see a reed falling on the floor from time to time. I always want to work at playing passages with no tricks like this, but in rare situations they can be effective.
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-09-20 20:33
B&H fitted a tab to the C#/G# key on some of their clarinets which allowed the C#/G# key to lower the LH2 ring key so a C#/Db-D#/Eb or G#/Ab-A#/Bb trill could be done by fingering C#/G# and trilling with LH2 only.
I did a similar thing many years ago with my 10S basset clarinet but superglued a matchstick to the LH2 linkage that ran over the top of the C#/G# cup arm, so the C#/G# key closed the LH2 ring key pad for the same reason.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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