 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ed Lowry
Date: 2014-12-16 23:45
About a year ago I acquired an old but very nice Selmer Series 9 Eb Contra. I've read of the difficulties players have in the altissimo, especially since there's no hole in the left hand index finger pad as there is in the Selmer Bass. The primary draw for my getting this instrument was being able to play cello and bassoon parts without transposing (except for the key) to the bass. However, there were many pieces with notes above middle C that I found difficult to play, so I went back to learning bass clef in C to treble in Bb.
I recently discovered that altissimo notes up to F can be played by using the register key, but not the thumb key, with some good results. For example, C sharp is register key and index finger LH, D is register key only, D sharp is register key and side A flat key, etc.
Is there an available finger chart for this instrument that refines on my recent primitive efforts, and discusses tuning of these notes with these fingerings? I'll keep experimenting, but if someone has done some work that can be shared, I'd be grateful.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-12-17 00:04
With lower clarinets from bass downwards, a lot of experimentation is up to the player to find out which notes work best on their instruments - so make a note of any fingerings you find work well and keep it safe for future use.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2014-12-17 00:10
With Vito's you can use the G# key as a sort of altissimo vent and use bass clarinet fingerings. However I have no idea if this works on Selmer instruments.
Good luck.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2014-12-17 01:55
On my Bundy contra-alto, the fingerings suggested by jdbassplayer above don't work. I have yet to find good altissimo fingerings for my instrument (but then again, I've spent little or no time trying).
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