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Extra Keys: The Good News and the Bad News

Author: paul
Date: 1999-07-14 15:14

The typical Standard Boehm system clarinet has a set of 17 keys and six rings. I have a Standard Boehm system clarinet with 18 keys and six rings, with the additional key being the left hand Ab/Eb key. This key comes in handy for lots of runs, but it must be learned well like anything else. For instance, there is a downside to the left hand Ab/Eb key. I cannot finger clarion Eb and then expect my left pinky finger to jump to clarion Ab in time. Instead, I have to use the right hand fingering for Eb and alternate to the left hand for Ab. I would suspect that the 19 and 20 key clarinets allow for the "forked clarion Bb", a better fingering combination for clarion Ab to Bb, and a few other nice tricks. The point here is that if you have the extra keys, that's great. If you get a horn with the extra keys, take the time to learn how to properly use these extra keys and to find out where the keys will get you in trouble.

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