 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2011-03-23 18:34
Do you have a general rule or system you follow when deciding to use either the right-hand or left-hand pinky for B, C, and C#?
This would be when you could go either way, as opposed to when only one is possible (e.g., going from C to Eb on a clarinet with no LH Eb key).
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-03-23 18:46
If it's an isolated F#/C# or E/B then I'd use the right. That's the easy bit.
What makes it more tricky is what notes follow, so if a D# follows the B or C#, you'd have to take them with the LH and the D# with the right - unless you have the LH Ab/Eb lever. And if a G# follows that then you'll still be best taking the B or C# with the left, the D# with the right and the G# with the left - if you do take the D# with the LH Ab/Eb lever then you'd have to use the xxo|xxo fingering for G# which may or may not be great depending on your instrument.
Although on other woodwinds we often have to slide, for some reason it seems to be frowned upon when playing Boehm system clarinet as the alternatives are there and we should have all the configurations under our fingers. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't have to slide or double-declutch (swapping little fingers over during a note). We have to work out what works best for us and what works for others may or may not work for us.
As long as the fingering you use makes the right note at the right time, that's all that matters (provided you haven't got your fingers all twisted up in the process).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-03-25 00:57
I'm the same as Chris P. Isolated or slow moving potato notes, keep it all in the right hand if possible. Arpeggios, right hand C# and B. Most everything else I use the left hand B and C#.
For the C, I ALWAYS use the right hand unless there's a good chance it's going to be followed by an Eb/D#. So in those keys, I'll tend to use left C if I see a grouping ahead that looks like it might be thirds or any pattern that has a C going to an Eb.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2011-03-25 01:41
My teacher (whose teacher was Leon Russianoff) always said to keep the right-hand fingers together whenever possible. So. for example, coming up the chromatic scale, it would be Rh B, Lh C, Rh C#. That way you end the pinky movements by going from Rh C# to D, which is considered a Rh note, since the lowest finger is the Rh ring finger.
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Author: charla
Date: 2011-03-25 08:40
I hadn't played for years but when I started again I instinctively played right hand B and left hand C. My teacher was aghast and I finally quit arguing and reversed hands most of the time. It was nice to see your post; that fingering makes more sense to me. It also gets around having to decide how to finger B each time...left if followed by C, right most of the rest of the time.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-03-25 15:33
One piece of advice I remember (but not its source) is to prefer finger movements that keep all thefinger movements in one hand, so that you don't have to coordinate your two hands.
Obviously
Bob Phillips
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-03-25 15:40
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Attachment: Finale 2006c - [Tough spot from Heinze Eminor Etud (1k)
One piece of advice I remember (but not its source) is to prefer finger movements that keep all the finger movements in one hand, so that you don't have to coordinate your two hands.
In the attached extract from the Heinze Eminor Etude in Voxman's "Selected Studies for Clarinet," It is easier to take all the long B's on the left. The D#5 in the second pattern would break the pattern if one tried to take the third B5 on the right, and because of the B5s, the right hand can't be held down.
So, left hand is busy "pinching" the throat A and register keys, but except for the D#5, the right pinkie doesn't have much work to do.
The two excursions to B5 are strictly left hand movements.
Bob Phillips
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2011-03-25 15:43
If asked to produce just one of those notes and stop, certainly R for C, since L C is the most awkward-feeling of these keys. Csharp I wouldn't have a L/R preference. For B, definitely L: this is so you can also press the R C key and be certain that the sealing is good. Otherwise, if you press too lightly, it's possible for the C pad not to close properly, making the B fuzzy (even if the instrument is well regulated).
But in actual playing, it depends on notes before or after and it's hard to give a rule. Not something you'd want to think about consciously.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-03-25 20:56
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Attachment: Finale 2006c - [Tough spot from Heinze Eminor Etud (1k)
OK, I see that my one-measure .pdf file of 44 kbytes failed to upload, so here it is again.
Sorry, this just doesn't seem to be working.
The passage is measure 30 of the E Minor Etude by Heinze on p. 12 of "Selected Studies for Clarinet" by Himie Voxman, Rubank No. 78, which you probably have on the floor next to your music stand.
It is in 6/8, counted in 6 and consists of 6 sets of 4 1/32 notes. Each set of four ends with B5, A#5,B5, so you hop over the break from throat Bb to long B. The six starting notes of the sets of four are F#5 (top line), D#5 (fourth line), B5 (first upper ledger line), G5 (above the staff), E5 (top space) and B5 again.
Keep all the break crossings on the left pinkie.
Bob Phillips
Post Edited (2011-03-25 21:04)
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Author: awm34
Date: 2011-03-26 12:48
Following the mention by my teacher that she uses mostly right pinkie, I began the practice myself. In particular, I find R-B convenient much of the time -- especially when crossing and re-crossing the break.
I also like beginning the chromatic scale with R-E but have found it doesn't work well with R-B (ascending).
Alan Messer
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Author: djphay
Date: 2011-03-26 12:58
I've noticed Micahel Collins seems to prefer using the left hand keys (especially for C#) where the right hand is available. What I don't know is whether Micahel is left handed - it might be players prefer to use their dominant hand??
David
Rank amateur
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Author: BassClarinetBaby
Date: 2011-03-27 08:28
B - Left pinky (but the right pinky is also down)
C - Right pinky
C# - Left pinky
These are my preferred fingerings... but I'm not left-handed, so I cannot confirm whether players gravitate to their dominant hand.
Never Bb, sometimes B#, and always B natural! ♫♪
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Author: HannahLynnLove
Date: 2011-03-28 07:53
B- Left
C- Right
C#- Left
I would use Left for C but my clarinet (cough cough me) wont work properly and I think I need to take it in.
Hannah
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