Clarinet is an instrument with many alternate fingerings and adjusted fingering options which can be overwhelming to students. It can also be overwhelming to band directors that do not have advanced experience playing the instrument. (After you read this article, print the free PDF hand out to give your students with the basic 4 rules.)
During times when you are helping a student choose the best clarinet fingering to use, you can arrive at the correct answer by following this process. As with anything, there are exceptions to these rules – especially when you get into high school level music and extreme key signatures. However if you use and teach this system as a basis, you can adjust as needed for tuning, tone and exceptions in special circumstances.
Rule #1 – Don’t slide
“Don’t Slide” example: If you have an Eb on the 4th space next to a C on the third space you would not slide from the Eb with the right pinky (I call this the TopTop key – top layer, top key) to the C with the right pinky (I call this the home key). Since there is no alternate for Eb, you would finger the Eb Right TopTop and the C on the Left Golf Club key. (I call this the ‘golf club’ key because it looks like a golf club.)
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