 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2023-12-19 04:13
As the play on words intends to describe, sometimes, even if a forked fingering ![[Bb5]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/bb5.gif) might be easier, I find myself using the side key with the left hand covering the first two tone holes for the clarity of the note it produces over the forked fingering: which isn't bad, just not as good as use of the side key to produce the note.
Do others do this at times?
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Author: psmartin
Date: 2023-12-19 05:39
I will almost always use a side key right or left depending upon the note sequence versus the forked approach. Part of it is tonal clarity, but also keeping it simple so as to not have to perform finger gymnastics.
Paul
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2023-12-19 07:09
I only use the various forked fingerings when preceding or following notes in fast passages calls for it (f-f#). My preserred fingering is the RH trill key though I may use the left hand "banana" key on occasion (trilling at times and other odd fingering sequences). I am not a big fan of forked fingerings. They ten to vary with intonation & clarity depending on the clarinet. I almost never use forked in the low register-- out of tune Eb. OK on sax I think.
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
Post Edited (2023-12-19 07:11)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2023-12-19 17:08
Just a thing on correct terminology here as what you're describing is commonly called 'long Bb' which is a cross fingering as opposed to the true sense of a forked fingering. Long Bb is xoo|xoo as opposed to forked Bb which is xox|ooo or xxx|xox depending on the system.
Forked Bb in the true sense is only used on Boehm system clarinets with the LH forked Eb/Bb mechanism fitted with the extra ring key for LH3, so Eb/Bb can be played as a true forked fingering (xox|ooo) and is in tune in both registers with it fitted.
Non Boehm system clarinets like Classical 5 key clarinets, Albert/simple systems and also German and Oehler systems can also use the forked fingering (xox|ooo) for upper register Bb but not as a lower register Eb as it's far too sharp. They also employ a lower register forked Bb fingering (xxx|xox) which is also in tune as the upper register F as well as the keyed fingering (xxx|xx/o) depending on the situation and some have a LH Bb/F key to make passages like upper register ||:D-E-F-:|| easy without having to slide or flip any fingers.
In essence, a forked fingering is a closed tonehole, then an open tonehole and then another closed tonehole immediately below the open one which creates resistance. While xox|ooo and xxx|xox forked fingerings aren't normally used on regular Boehm system clarinets, there are several notes which are effectively forked notes, such as (lower register) F# with just the LH index finger, D/A (xxo|ooo), C#/G#, B/F# (xxx|oxo), A/E (xxx|xxo) and G/D (xxx|xxx) as there's a closed tonehole immediately below the one the note issues directly from.
As for the Bb fingerings, long Bb (xoo|xoo) as a cross fingering is a more resistant note compared to the keyed fingerings (xxo|side Eb/Bb ooo or xx\o|ooo) as they're fully vented
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: graham
Date: 2023-12-19 17:43
I sometimes add a key to create a fork effect to tame my D below the break on my bass. This emits through a large tone hole, and on some reeds sounds coarse. So, if I finger either xxo l xoo or xxo l oxo, this adds some cover to the tone.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-12-19 19:09
Thanks for the clarification of the term "fork" Chris. I was getting dizzy
So I think we have too many "shoulds" and "should'nts" it playing.......and I suffered from my own to my own detriment. For many many years I found the side key solution to the Bb sitting on the first ledger above the staff (and the Eb in the chalumeau) to be pretty much my exclusive out.
In the last ten years I had heard Karl Leister refer to the Boehm 1 and 1 Bb as being a beautiful covered note. That got me thinking of "solutions" as being more than an immediate physical solution and more one of tone, pitch, and alternate technical solution.
My biggest lesson (unfortunately quite recently) was that though the Eb (first line of staff) is naturally "high" with the 1 and 1 fingering, if you continue to use it, your brain and embouchure will eventually bring that down.........after a few months. Now I use the 1 and 1 fingerings for both 12ths quite a lot and throw in the sliver key fairly regularly as well just depending on all those qualities I mentioned above. That's MUCH better than doggedly following a precedent that we set for ourselves as we are first learning.
..............Paul Aviles
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