 The Fingering Forum
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Author: beginnerclarinet
Date: 2004-07-03 00:57
I play beginning clarinet and in our school we have to play clarinet for a couple of years b4 we can go to sax.Is there any kind of sax or other wind insturment that has the same type of fingeerings or is a b flat insturment?
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Author: Amanda
Date: 2004-07-03 05:08
The bassoon has similar fingerings, but is in C. The trumpet is Bb.
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Author: Erica
Date: 2004-07-03 13:39
Soprano sax, I think, is in the same key as clarinet and has some similar fingerings... but most people start on alto or tenor sax... tenor sax is in the same key, has similar fingerings, but it will sound an octave lower.
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Author: Erica
Date: 2004-07-03 13:41
Also... I think that policy at your school is screwed! People should be able to start on the instrument they want to start on!
Well, it was good sticking with it, beginnerclarinet! Now you'll be rewarded playing the instrument you actually want to play!
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Author: JfW
Date: 2004-07-03 14:23
The saxophone's fingerings are not like the clarinet's apart from some similarity in the middle octave. The saxophone's fingerings are far more sensible and consistant from the the lower to higher octave. I think you're looking towards the saxophone transition all wrong: you are looking for similarities where you should be assuming everything is completely different, as to not risk compromising your technique on either instrument.
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Also... I think that policy at your school is screwed! People should be able to start on the instrument they want to start on!
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There is good reason in some places. It's quite similar to the "four years of piano" policy some schools have for precussionists, else you'd have a severe oversupply of people who just want to bang a drum. Saxophone tends to be more popular than the other woodwinds, both because of modern music and the male stigma of other wind instruments being 'for girls'. Without some sort of limits to entering the section, you'd end up with a large group of horns that would have terrible, hard-to-control problems with overpowering the rest of the woodwind section.
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Author: Ricktator
Date: 2004-07-05 19:08
If you've started on clarinet, let me tell you that you should consider yourself LUCKY!
I find in most cases of the people I work with that those that started on clarinet and moved to saxophone have a MUCH EASIER time than those going from sax to clarinet. The clarinet is a very difficult instrument. While the sax isn't persay easy, it is much more forgiving!
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Author: Derek
Date: 2004-07-05 20:53
in response to ricktator: i don't think the clarinet is all that more difficult than the sax. (i switched from sax to clarinet quite successfully) If you are talking about the fingerings then yes, it is more difficult because the clarinet overblows on the 12th (thus the same fingerings cant be used in different octaves). However, as with any instrument, the fingerings become second nature and the difficulty is based on other factors, sound, intonation, the music you're playing, etc. Just a thought....
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Author: Ricktator
Date: 2004-07-05 21:04
Derek,
Fingerings are simply mechanics which can be taught to a monkey. We understand this. Some fingering combinations of simply uncomfortable, but with time they become second nature.
What I was more thinking (whether or not I typed it is another question) was concerning the embouchure. I've found than any slight movement in the clarinet embouchure causes sqeaks or the tone to suffer and that the position you hold the clarinet at is quite vital to any success. With my sax I can play a stellar passage with the horn with the mouthpiece upside down and with the horn 45 degrees to the side. That's all.
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2004-07-06 15:46
I totally agree with JFW...sometimes there's good reason to not let a student start on sax, and sometimes there isn't.
One of my favorite jazz tenor sax players, who i had the pleasure of meeting this weekend at a club in NY, said that when she joined middle school band when she 10, girls weren't allowed to play sax. PERIOD. She had to play clarinet. Guess the band director had something against girl sax players. She only got to start playing sax when she was 16 in HS when she had a different director who had nothing against female sax players, and her high school's jazz band desperately needed an alto sax.
But like JFW said, sometimes there's good reason. Too many saxophones is one big reason. I remember when I started band in 5th grade there were about 12 alto saxophones my age in the band. The next year, there were only 7. Now that I'm a junior in HS, only 2 from our grade remain....kind of makes you question the dedication of the other kids. After some kids get past the 'woah! i get to play the saxophone, cool!' mentality, and realize they actually have the practice, it doesn't seem as appealing.
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Author: Dan (accomplished sax player)
Date: 2005-12-03 06:24
In all fairness the soprano sax is the closest in relation to the clarinet. Both the Soprano and Bb clarinets are in the same key, but they do not sound very similar. The fingerings are also very different that the clarinet. Also the Bassoon is not similar to any of the saxes. Maybe a C melody sax would be the closest. If you are looking for and insturment with many capabilities and depth go for the Soprano Sax. You can do a whole lot more with it. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask.
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