 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jeff Forman
Date: 2001-04-01 22:04
I was playing September Song ("Oh it's a long long while, from May to December, but the days grow short, when you reach September....... written by Kurt Weill) The song is in D. Anyway, the phrase "from May to December" is as follows - all quarter notes except the "ber" in december is an eighth tied to a half. The notes are:
Bb Bb Db Gb F F
from May to De - cem - ber
My question to the experienced clarinetists is the fingering of this. For the Db I have the thumb hole closed and the two upper holes covered and the first right hand trill key. But to then get the Gb, do you lift the two left fingers and "slide" your right index finger to get the two trill keys or do you use the first hole (thumb hole open) F# position? Since I'm going right to an F, I have been told that you don't use the first hole/thumb hole open, thumb hole only (closed) sequence, but rather, you are supposed to use thumb hole, two right keys, thumb hole only sequence. I hope this description makes sense. Anyway, I am wondering if a slide of the right side of your index finger is the way to go on this. The song is written as "moderately slow" so speed is not an issue. It is kind of a mellow torch song. So, is the "rule" I spoke of about F# - F sequences made to be broken here? And is the proper fingering of the Db in this particular sequence perhaps better served by the banana key? That seemed awkward to get to coming from the Bb. I realize that one acceptable answer is "whatever you are comfortable with" but I would like to learn the right way (if there is one) since I don't have a habit yet, and developing a good habit beats unlearning a bad one.
Thanks for the help.
Jeff Forman
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-04-01 22:36
The fingering that you describe for Db is Eb (D#). So there's some kind of error in your description.
However assuming that you mean Eb, I would choose to use the banana key fingering. Then play the Gb as thumb plus side keys. I feel that one should be equally proficient in these two fingerings as Eb occurs frequently in music. The sequences seem to split about evenly as to which makes the most sense in that sequence (assuming that one is indeed equally proficient with these two).
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Author: Jeff Forman
Date: 2001-04-01 23:53
Dee. You're right about the Eb. I play the note correctly, but obviously my reading is still being honed. Playing a stringed instrument for 30 years without reading music gives me a good ear and a frustrating time in the new skill of reading the music.
Thanks for the help. This does lead to a question, though. Should that choice of fingeing feel intuitively more natural as a progression than the other way? Or are there times when the rule is the rule just because it is, so you have to learn to make it feel natural?
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-04-02 22:15
The "rules" come about because in the majority of situations, they will provide the most fluent effect. BUT that is not always the case. That's why we do have so many alternates available.
What I do is study the sequence and ask myself that if I were equally proficient with all fingerings (which I confess that I am not), what would be the most efficient sequence and theoretically have the fewest chances of getting blips between notes. Many times, I will find that the "rule" will theoretically give the best result. Other times I will determine that breaking the rule gives a better pattern for that particular passage. Once I have decided on the fingering pattern, I then practice until I am fluent in the sequence that I have chosen for that passage.
This way I improve my clarinet abilities. A good set of "finger twister" drills for difficult key combinations is included in the Rubank Advanced Volume I and the Rubank Advanced Volume II. The first has great drills for the low and middle registers while the second has some excellent drills for unusual patterns in the altissimo range.
If the sequences seem to be the same in theoretical efficiency, then I just play it with the one that seems more comfortable for me personally. If a colleague is struggling with it, I will show them both ways and suggest they pick the one that they like. With different hand sizes, etc, one person may be more comfortable with one way and another person with the other. For example, when my older daughter started playing the clarinet, she was more comfortable playing the mid staff B with the right hand and the C with the left hand (and of course the corresponding low E and F the same). The keys were easier for her to reach comfortably. She did this for about a year and drove her band teacher crazy.
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