 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Enatural
Date: 2018-03-18 14:59
Hi, I am trying to find some information about clarinet fingering.
I have a small old clarinet made by F Koktan Wein, with an unusual key on the left side of the top joint. I have not seen this key on any other clarinet and cannot find it on any fingering charts.
The key opens a normally closed hole at the same height as the normal L1 finger hole E/B. The touch piece is diagonally opposite and near the G#/C# key but I cannot reach it with L4 little finger. I can only operate it with the side of L1 finger with all other left fingers removed.
So, does anyone else have this key, what is it used for?
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Author: Enatural
Date: 2018-03-19 00:35
Attachment: 20180318_213450.jpg (1085k)
Attachment: 20180318_213542.jpg (1119k)
OK the normal F/F# key is on the other side of the clarinet, and its hole is a little lower.
I cannot finger L1 and the unusual key at the same time. I have another photo showing the other side of the clarinet.
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2018-03-19 00:56
Wow! That really is a mystery! It'll be interesting to hear what it is! (Thanks for the additional photos!)
Fuzzy
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-03-19 10:40
I wonder if this could have been a modification to suit a player with a disability of some sort? Years ago in the 1960's I modified a Selmer for a friend who had lost the top joint of his left ring finger. I modified the C#/G# and Eb/Bb keys. It was still in use up until about 5 years ago.
Tony F.
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Author: Enatural
Date: 2018-03-19 11:42
Yes, that is a possibility.
However this key is the same material, spring, posts, pushpin and lacquer. It looks and feels original and the key pad that came out was the same as all the others. If it is a modification it is very good and may have been done by the F Koktan workshop.
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Author: Enatural
Date: 2018-03-19 13:43
OK further reading has taken me to the Baermann system clarinet the left side altenative Bb /F key operated by L4. I also found the fingering chart on an old print.
Although I cannot reach the key with L4 and the hole is a little higher than the print my clarinet looks the same as the drawing.
Thanks for the assistance.
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Author: Enatural
Date: 2018-03-20 14:54
Yes, I found it interesting, that this key was obsolete by 1900, Carl Baermann included its description in his Clarinet school book OP.63 in 1863, where he spoke about his father Heinrich Baermann's playing and development of the clarinet. He describes the parts of the clarinet, MP, barrel, top joint, bottom joint, and bell. In his description of the top joint he includes this unusual B/F key which I have on my little old F clarinet. As the book is in German I don't know if it is B or Bb.
It says in the Carl Baermann reprint book 1918 that this information is excluded by Gustave Langenus, because it caused modern clarinetists confusion. So perhaps that is why there are no photos on the internet, and this key option is missing from 'The Woodwind Fingering Guide' web site.
I hope to be able to play this clarinet soon when it is repaired, then I will know the key function in the lower registers of the clarinet. But I had hoped that someone would have known about the key and how it was used in the higher Altissimo ranges. I hope this knowledge has not been lost.
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The Clarinet Pages
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![[F4]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/f4.gif)
![[F#4]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/gb4.gif)
and C,C# ![[C6]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/c6.gif)
![[C#6]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/db6.gif)
- though a photo from the other side of the joint might lend more information.
