 The Fingering Forum
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Author: musicbabe703
Date: 2004-05-14 22:54
I would like to know how to play the high A which is said to be the highest note on the B Flat Clarinet. If you know how, please tell me or even better, send me a picture! Thanks
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Author: Theboy_2
Date: 2004-05-14 23:38
check the fingering charts here, and A isn't the highest note. fingering charts usually stop at that note for high school, because not much music is written to go above an A in high school level music. theoretically, a woodwind has no definate 'highest note', the highest note is unlimited, high enough to break glass or only a dog can hear and higher. going this high is extremely unlikely, i doubt reed cane can vibrate that fast either. hope this helps.
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Author: Tim Reichard
Date: 2004-05-15 00:53
Theboy_2 wrote:
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theoretically, a woodwind has no definate 'highest note', the highest note is unlimited, high enough to break glass or only a dog can hear and higher.
In truth, every wind instrument has a highest note, which is determined by the "cutoff frequency". Imperfections in the tubing (such as the tone holes and a bell at the end) cause distortions in the sound waves inside the tube, and these distortions become worse for higher notes to the point that eventually no note can resonate above a certain frequency.
I know flutes best, so as an example, the cutoff frequency is almost always between F#7 and G#7, meaning the highest note of the chromatic scale is F#7 or G7. For example, on my student model, C-footed flute, I can play G7 (with a bit of effort) but never G#7, but on my intermediate model, B-footed flute, G7 is impossible, leaving F#7 as the highest note. For other instruments, the cutoff frequency will be different, but for a given instrument, it should be roughly the same from one model to another, some models perhaps getting an extra note or two above other models.
For the Bb (soprano) clarinet, I've never seen fingerings for notes above written G7, so one might expect that the cutoff frequency is near that note. Lower clarinets (like the bass or contrabass) can go as high as written C8 and maybe higher. Fortunately, A6 will usually be enough!
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Author: Derek
Date: 2004-05-19 00:21
A slight correction to the Bb clarinet Cutoff frequency, it is possible to hit A7 (i've done it before) but it's quite high and nasty and no one wants to bleed from the ears while listening to an instrument play =P
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Author: dramaqueen234562
Date: 2004-05-19 01:46
i am deciding to play a clarinet for band .and dont know what the difference between high a and a flat
musicbabe703 wrote:
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I would like to know how to play the high A which is said to be the highest note on the B Flat Clarinet. If you know how, please tell me or even better, send me a picture! Thanks
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Author: Joel Clifton
Date: 2004-05-20 14:58
Some people can get to C or higher. I occasionally can get it out, but usually not. A and Ab are rather easy, if you can do the lower of the altissimo register comfortably. I don't use those notes much so I don't know more than one fingering for each, but for Ab I use the following fingering:
X OOO`,OOO`
middle ` is the C#/G# key, the , is the side Eb/Bb key and the last ` is the Ab/Eb key. For A, merely overblow the basic fingering for E, which is X OXX OOO`
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