 The Fingering Forum
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Author: Asuka
Date: 1999-06-19 00:30
Hi all I'm a pianist, violinist and beginner soprano recorder player (I don't have a teacher, I just play stuff from my old piano repitoires) hoping to join the jazz band next year (actually, as many music ensembles as I can) but I can't make any sound with a brass mouth piece. The school I'm going to next year just cancelled beginner band! (I'm in strings right now) So I talked to band teacher at my current school. He told me to choose band experienced, so I did. But I'm afraid that I won't catch up. That school doesn't count recorder as a band instrument, so I have to switch to either flute, clarinet or sax. I'm wondering if it would be too hard to switch from recorder right to sax 'cause the band teacher at my school told me to learn clarinet first to get used to the fingering. Since I don't have time to learn clarinet before grad, I'm assuming that recorder would be helpful too. Any suggestions please reply thank you very much have a nice day
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 1999-06-21 08:18
If you are any good at the recorder, then you have no trouble moving your fingers at high speed. All the instruments you mention - recorder, flute, clarinet and sax - have different fingering. You shouldn't have any problem
with the fingering of any of them.
What you will find difficult is the embouchure, that is,
holding your tongue, lips and cheeks in the right position.
The clarinet is easy to get a note out of and with a minimum of practise you can get two and a half octaves out of it. To get the higher notes requires good control of the embouchure and you may find it hard. Tuition will be necessary. The full range of the clarinet is generally reckoned to be about three and a half octaves.
You need good strong front teeth to play the clarinet. If you have only just got your front teeth or are wearing corrective braces, it is not advisable to start playing the clarinet yet.
The saxophone works on similar principles to the clarinet. The same warnings about teeth apply to it. The saxophone has
simpler fingering than the clarinet but more difficult embouchure. Getting the low notes and high notes is trickier and the total range is more limited.
I don't play the flute but I gather that it also requires a good embouchure. I believe the fingering is simple.
Eoin McAuley
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Author: Sax Girl
Date: 1999-06-25 21:56
Switch to sax! I have played clarinet, sax, flute, and recorder. The saxophone's fingerings are nearly identical to the fingerings on the recorder. Of course, so are the flute's. The saxophone embouchure is very easy to form and is even easier than the clarinet embouchure. I disagree with the previous post about the limited range of the saxophone. The saxophone has a range from low Bb to high F# (not counting altissimo). That is two and a half octaves - about the same as the clarinet range without altissimo. With altissimo up to 5 octaves can be reached. I have even reached high G with quite a bit of ease. And unlike the clarinet, high notes are very easy to reach as well as low notes. All you need is a decent saxophone and reeds.
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Author: the woodwind guy
Date: 1999-07-19 18:25
The recorder is for sure the easiest woodwind that somebody can play, and that means that any other woodwind you want to play will need some effort. I have played the recorder for two years, and tomorrow is my first flute class. The fluteīs fingering is almost the same as the recorderīs (but not the same!!!), so that instrument would be my suggestion. I disagree with the "sax girl" because a clarinet professional has told me that the clarinet has the widest note range (can reach the most notes)of all the woodwind family(more than the sax)
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Author: Danny
Date: 1999-08-05 21:25
Iīd say the flute, since the fingerings are pretty similar to the recorderīs. Besides, with the flute you are worry-free of reeds. Flutes and clarinets are cheaper than saxophones (excluding the soprano sax). Blowing into a flute is easier than blowing into a clarinet or saxophone.
Anyway, you choose.
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Author: bioman
Date: 1999-10-17 20:42
Why would anyone talented at both violin and piano bother playing woodwinds? Every jazz band I ever joined was crying for a decent pianist... and jazz violin is extremely cool!
I play in a number of "pick up" dixieland jazz groups and several violinists regularly sit in and just make the finest music! I play clarinet/sax/flute and I'm going to be made extinct by those violinist! Listen to Stefan Grapelli and play!
bioman.
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