Skip to main content

How to Finger the High C on a Clarinet

Playing pitches on the clarinet requires proper hand position and the knowledge of the proper fingers to use for each pitch. Use a fingering chart to make it easier to identify the fingerings for any pitches you do not know. Students should print out and keep a copy of a fingering chart in their music folders to ensure that they always know the correct fingering for a pitch. Often, many combinations are possible for each note. This makes it possible to choose the finger combinations that will make the music easier to play.

Hold the clarinet properly. The left thumb should cover the thumb hole on the bottom of the clarinet with the tip ready to play the register key. The index, middle and ring finger of the left hand will cover the first three keys on top. The pinky of the left hand occupies the nearest extension key. The right hand uses the index, middle and ring finger on the next three keys. The right pinky plays the extension keys at the end.

Cover the thumb hole with the pad of your thumb and use the tip of the thumb to press down on the register key.

Use a firm embouchure in which the muscles of the cheeks and mouth are squeezed together. Blow a quick, narrow stream of air through the clarinet while covering the thumb hole and register key.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...