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RE: Contra Clarinet Fingering, Compass, and Scorin

Author: Terje Lerstad
Date: 2002-08-24 09:33

Thank you for an interesting article. I had no idea that so many
people would read my article about the fingerings for contrabass
clarinet. I agree with you on most of the opinions about why and
how to use the instruments.
Some clearing up:
The article about bass clarinet appeared in "The Clarinet" in 1983.
My co-author was Thomas Aber from Kansas. We both sudied in the
Hague 1981-82, and the article is a sum-up of all the collective
experience of the several students of Harry Sparnaay from all over
the world.
The article about contrabass clarinet appeared in "The Clarinet"
in 1991, and is the result of my personal experience from around
1975. I still use the same fingerings.
Both articles can be found at
http://kunst.no/lerstad/altissimo.html

Comments of the fingerings of the first octave:
(I have tried those on my Leblanc contraalto and contrabass
clarinets (And I don't use a hard reed!))
C#3 BBb, Eb RT-23|12-
slightly flat, very nice in soft dynamics, easy to attack
>C#3 BBb, Eb R-1--|---
nice fingering
>D3 Eb R----|---
can't attack (use "feather" register key)
>D3 BBb --23|12-| can�t attack
no problem to attack
>Eb3 Eb R-G#---|---
nice fingering
>Eb3 Eb RTG#123|-2- lip down
hopelessly sharp, use my fingering (I never ever lip down)
>Eb3 BBb TG#123|123F can�t attack
no proble to attack
>E4 Eb R-A---|--- slur, lip down
hopelessly sharp, use my fingering (I never ever lip down)
>E4 Eb RTG#123|---
fine, I consider this the "standard" fingering
>E4 BBb TG#123|---
fine, I consider this the "standard" fingering
>F4 Eb,BBb RT123C#|123
fine, I consider this the "standard" fingering
>F#4 Eb,BBb RT12-|123
fine, I consider this the "standard" fingering
>G4 Eb,BBb RT1--|123
fine, I consider this the "standard" fingering
>G#4 Eb RT1--|---
fine, I consider this the "standard" fingering
>G#4 Eb RT--|---G#
fine, I consider this the "standard" fingering
>G#4 Eb,BBb RT-23|123F# lip down on BBb
hopelessly sharp (quarter-tone on BBb, half tone on Eb), use my
fingering (I never ever lip down)
>A4 Eb,BBb RT-23|123
a bit sharp on BBb
>Bb4 Eb,BBb RTG#---|---
quarter-tone high on Eb, half tone high on BBb
>B4 Eb RTG#123|---
fine
>B4 BBb RTG#123C#|---
on BBb this is a C, on Eb OK but a bit sharp (OK for ff)
>C4 Eb,BBb RT1--|12-
this is a C sharp!

Terje Lerstad

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