 The Fingering Forum
|
Author: Josie
Date: 2001-12-25 21:01
HI! I've been playing clarinet for three years and I'm grade 8, and recently I took up the saxophone, in which I'm grade 7. I was wondering, how do you go higher than the top F#...is it purely to do with the embouchere? And also, I play alto clarinet and if anyone knows how to go higher on that......I mean, after top C# (being fingered the same way as Bb soprano clarinet) are you basically overblowing to get the D above that by fingering a lower F and blowing up?? Hmm, I don't think I make any sense at all!!!! But if anyone is bored (and nice) enough to help me it'd be great! Thanx, Josie :-)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Eoin
Date: 2001-12-26 14:17
In the saxophone, the high F# is the official top of the saxophone. Notes above this are called "altissimo" meaning very high. They are produced by a combination of unusual fingerings and good embouchure. There are loads of altissimo fingerings listed here on WFG.
In the clarinet, the almost four octave range is divided in three: the low notes up to "throat Bb" are called the chalumeau register, pronounced shall-oo-mow. They are the basic notes of the instrument. The next octave and a bit, up as far as high C are called the clarion or clarino or clarinet register. They are the same notes up an octave and a fifth, by means of a single "register key". The final octave from C# up to super-high C are called altissimo meaning very high. Up as far as F#, they are produced by a basic note with two register keys, the normal one and the first finger of the left hand. These put the basic notes up two octaves and a major third, so A in the chalumea because C# in the altissimo. The higher notes in the altissimo use peculiar fingerings with no apparent pattern to them, just whatever works. The alto clarinet is exactly the same as the soprano except that for the second register key, you can uncover a small hole instead of the whole of the left index finger hole. THis makes the altissimo notes come out better.
Hope this helps.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: porky (but not fat)
Date: 2004-05-05 00:29
my advice on the sax, is to tighten your jaw, and PRACTICE!! i'm sorry to be nagging, but thats what you gotta do!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Josh
Date: 2005-06-17 20:55
For me, after reaching the high F#, I had to look in a book for the high G fingering because the altisimo fingerings don't have any apparent pattern. You have to practice going from F# to G for a long time before the G will come out, because you will have lots of squeaks until you get the hang of it. You can do this method for every 1/2 step up until you finally reach the top. There are some notes after the top one that are rarely heard because some professionals don't even know the fingerings to them.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
