Author: paul
Date: 1999-07-30 19:34
I personally try to play scales in as many different ways as I can, trying to find out the minimum finger/hand movements for each run. Ditto for Baermann III drills. I am beginning to use the trill fingerings (as mentioned above) for some of them, and I am beginning to experiment with keeping the same fingering but changing the embouchure and breath support to hit different notes.
Here's an example that's not totally technically accurate for intonation, but will do if tweaked a bit for each note: left thumb (and register key when needed), left first finger, right first finger. Notes that are playable with embouchure and air support adjustment: high chalemeau Eb (a bit weak and not the greatest intonation), clarion Bb (for my horn, it still needs more air support to speak well), and altissimo G (speaks readily, is pretty much right in tune). Another example, but with the left hand first finger involved: thumb, left hand 1, 2, 3, C# key for chalemeau C#, open up LH 1st finger, press the register key and don't overblow it to hit a passable clarion Bb which comes in very handy at times, then push more air on the same fingering for a decent altissimo F. I like this fingering for runs in the key of Eb and beyond, where the clarion Bb and Ab are right next to each other. In a fast run, no one will notice the slightly weak Bb, but it sure is much easier to hit the Ab right after it with moving only the left first finger down. This sure beats the more popular side key fingering for clarion Bb in this case.
I'm sure this is just the beginning of the discussion of fingering strategies. The true masters of this game are the professional clarinetists. Economy of motion, on-the-mark intonation, lightning fast runs, trills and more trills, all of these benefits can be had if you learn as a second nature reaction a bunch of the fingering strategies available to the clarinet. Dee mentioned that this was one of the keys of success for her daughter. I will put forth the somewhat substantiated claim (based on my pro tutor's helpful hints and from what I can glean from Ridenour's Fingering Book) that this is indeed one of the secrets to success for the clarinet.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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