 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: mtc91
Date: 2019-03-15 22:19
Attachment: Cl exerpt 1.jpg (43k)
Hello Clarinetists!
I am working on a piece of music that requires fairly quick movement between D#, C#, and B (like in a B maj scale) but the order and rhythm is challenging me because there is no way to play D# on the left pinky (?).
Please see the attached excerpt. What fingerings would you use? Thanks!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-03-15 22:33
You do a quick "double tap" on the "B" - R "B" followed immediately by a L "B".....then to the "D#" on the R.
It should also be possible to slide up from the L "C#" to the L "B." Not always an easy slide but it may good to work that one to the point of being somewhat reliable.
..............Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2019-03-15 22:37)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: nellsonic
Date: 2019-03-15 22:35
Slide straight down from the D# to the right-hand C#. Not at all difficult once you get used to it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-03-15 22:40
Thanks 'nellsonic.' I immediately go to the harder options. It's the story of my life!
..............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-03-15 23:40
This is where a LH Ab/Eb lever would make things easy.
While the isolated D#-C#-B you originally mentioned can be done very simply as R-L-R as it's not in context, it's the D# that then follows the B that's the real issue here when in context with the rest of the extract, so on a regular clarinet you'd have to slide the RH pinky from D#-C# and take B with the left pinky to free up the right pinky for the following D#.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tom H
Date: 2019-03-16 05:18
I like nellsonic's D# to C# (R-R) slide. You can do the double tap thing too. With practice it's amazing how fast you can do that.
Of course there are those model clarinets with the LH Eb/Ab pinky key. I've never played on one.
When I was a student at Queens College in the '70s I had another method for certain "slides". If the situation permitted, I would quickly lick my pinky. I won't advise that.....
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2019-03-16 06:21
Another trick is to rub your pinky on your forehead. There is always a small coating of oil there that helps the pinky slide.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: m1964
Date: 2019-03-16 06:21
Tom H wrote:
...
> When I was a student at Queens College in the '70s I had
> another method for certain "slides". If the situation
> permitted, I would quickly lick my pinky. I won't advise that.....
>
Someone told me to stick the pinky into the ear to get some earwax on it to make sliding easier. Never tried that myself though. Probably would work better if sitting in an orchestra pit, not performing solo 😁
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-03-16 07:16
Actually behind the ear is one of the best spots to get natural oil.
I myself find the earwax suggestion apocryphal.
............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2019-03-16 07:19
Given standard Boehm, pinky issues usually arise in sequences involving that D# (or low G#). Altissimo notes using the same r. pinky key can also contribute to similar difficulties. Generally you have options to either switch or slide, though occasionally an alternate fingering is available. Some methods and exercise books have drills to practice both switching and sliding, but it's pretty easy to make up drills on your own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: m1964
Date: 2019-03-16 09:55
Paul Aviles wrote:
"Actually behind the ear is one of the best spots to get natural oil.
I myself find the earwax suggestion apocryphal."
Yes, me too -the slide works fine for me without any earwax. Double tapping works better if there is enough time, esp. if the notes are slurred .
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-03-16 19:52
If you have nickel plated keywork, then sliding from the D# to C# isn't going to be a problem.
As for smearing bodily secretions on your clarinets, do bear in mind your repairer is the one that has to clean them up and some repairers are more squeamish than others.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: nellsonic
Date: 2019-03-16 23:19
Chris P wrote:
> If you have nickel plated keywork, then sliding from the D# to
> C# isn't going to be a problem.
>
> As for smearing bodily secretions on your clarinets, do bear in
> mind your repairer is the one that has to clean them up and
> some repairers are more squeamish than others.
>
I have nickel and silver plated clarinets - mostly play silver - not a problem either way. I suppose if you play with tense fingers that may make a difference but this would be low on the list of potential problems caused by such a habit. Proper hand position and no excess tension allows one to side-step many 'problems' that are, in reality, only symptoms.
Anders
Post Edited (2019-03-16 23:20)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-03-16 23:29
Silver plate is more 'grabby' in comparison to the much smoother nickel plate. If you get sweaty hands and fingers whilst playing, that will have an impact on the feel between the two different types of plating.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: nellsonic
Date: 2019-03-17 00:32
Chris, yes that's true of course but plating should not have an impact on one's ability to do slides. It's a pretty basic technique.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-03-17 00:57
Actually though, that is Chris' point. The dexterity of your slide is aided or hindered by the "slipperiness" of the keys. I prefer gold for that reason. It is impervious to oxidation and it is just about as slippery as nickel plating.
I now have a silver plated R13 (just moved from Nickel/Gold plating of the Yamaha CSG) and I do find myself making different choices in fingerings because of this very issue. It's not a huge difference but it does have an impact on technique choices.
.....................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-03-17 01:09
To me, nickel plated keywork is as slippery as ice whereas silver plated keywork has more grip. And I'm not alone in feeling the marked difference between the different plating and it does have an impact on how easy or difficult it is to slide your fingers from key to key if one type of plating has more grip than the other.
It's the same when playing saxes with shiny plastic or lacquered over fingerbutton pearls which are slippery compared to ones with genuine mother of pearl fingerbuttons which offer better grip.
Besides, I have LH Ab/Eb levers on all my clarinets (either original or I added them) so I don't always have to do a D#-C# slide.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
