j some ea! et it £ : aay ALDSSIMO REGISTER FINGERINGS FOR THE CLARINET vy Ets Ludewig-Veedehr Michigan State University ‘As composers continue 10 expand the range ofthe clarinet and requite greater ‘echnical ‘city of the clarinet, one often finds the need for a wider selection of allssimo Fegtet fingerings than those found in traditional fingering charts The following list of alteciacs SSngerings was compiled from a variety of soufees: some are "standard” fingerings, some were learned from students, some came from) other teachers, some by experimentation, some quite by accident, and some from fingering charts in recent books by Drushlers Gold Siegel Rehfela® and Heim * 1m several cases there are yet additional fingerings ot listed here, but itis felt thal the ‘ones appearing below are the most reliable in production and inionation. It is intended. that this list of fingcrings constitute 2 sort of thessurus from which one may: select a fingering test suited toa passage in which! intovaiion. dypamics speed oF Gingeving ‘fequitements present specific dificulics. Many. of the fingerings require little explanation, Dut some discasion may be helpful aad is offered following! the fingerings to make the ‘compilation more useful and complete A few additional observations may be pertinent. It will are rather unusual and somewhat awkward to use. yet cio, specilieed situations. Algo, because of the varying physical ‘oted that some fingerings be quite felpful in certain tributes and differing reed fe the same resulls with given fingering, and a fingering that works well for one pefson may mot work as well for another. Additionally, the dynamic requirements, ax well as the pitch tendencies of ‘ifferet instruments. mst be considered and some slight alferation of a fingering may be necessary. depending on the required dynamic of the noth or on (he. position of the ‘ote within the harmonic or melodic carext. For example | covering or uncovering. at xtra hole (producing a sigdtly lower or higher pitch), emplofing the halt-hole technique. fo acing 4 ciferent (Mh finger will often alter the pitch ald tesponding qualities of 2, specific mote. Finally, fingerings which ure somewhat flat on the Brflat clarinet are. often 4 Bit sharper on the A clarinet. and some which are flal af a loud dynumic level may work well at a sofi dynamic. Thus. experimentation by y individual player wi ‘ecessry to make this Compilation more weft lin this article the term “slssimo register” refers ta) notes above}, ie. from ‘eshagp? and above. ‘sDrushler, Paul. The AWtasimo Register: A Partial Approach. Shall-me Publications, ‘Box 2824, Rochester, NY 14626. 1978. $9.30. {Gold Cecil. Contemporary Clarinet Techalques. Vol. {: A Study of the Altisimo Regier. 965 Woodland Circle. Annupoli, MD 21801 ‘Sigel Aten. Twentieth Century Clarinetist. Franco Colymbo. Inc, New York, NY. 1366. ‘Rehfeldt, Pillip. New Directions for Ctarinet, University af California Press, Berkeley, cA 97, {icim, Norman. The Development of the Altisimo Rbeister for Clarinet. Kendor Music, Inc, Delevan, NY 14032, » 2 > ” 3 n Ni esharp? + a-at® 4) 5) 6) 7 fee at : ihe ah 38 8 he abd ual En) S and passages at a soft dynamic level. assuges 10 simplify fingering. rs efore No. 6 for esharps ta bt, I dynamic level when b> is Fingered,NACWPL JOURNAL. WINTER. 1982-985 NACWPI_JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-15. a 2g aa 5g oa ; a Bp a DK : Pear aes : &o8 fob 8 4 Se 7), 8) Dg 2g gy Mew &, 4 a i448 G CP at i ws A ws wy ” o D Reqular fingrog 1 Regular finecine 2) Often stighiy fs bur useful In fastmoving passages as eft to @ and cats 2) Useful for adiedconrl in aachs and pygsages ata soft dyramie tov eae 3) Useful for e+ to d* in loud and fast passages as in Rimsky-Korsakey, Capriccio 3) Useful when note before or after the d-sharp* (or e-flatt) requires the use of Expagul, fis movements. U4 Utter Ad : eh hand rag ingen gis 4) sell in some fas-moving passages to simply fingering. particularly at soft dynamic 4) Useful in a passage as in Debussy Rhapsodie, second messure after Leiter C, for eet f es Uo efla at taal dynae level and tora temo foam to eae 29 io i sent at nd ee wf ai ees 5) Use for added contrat in atscks and panages at soft Sytrce eel the A clarinet: also useful is some fast-moving passages to simplify fingering, 8) Useful for added control in wttucks and passages at a soft dynamic level: is somew: paricaly at soft dynarae lee 7 6) sell for ert til eter tune than no. 5 7) Useful for added cool in stacks and passages at soft dynam level 7) Useful for b= to d® emolo as in W. O. Smith. Five oo ane eerie 8) Useful in a passage as in Debussy Rhapsodie, second measure after Letter cG No. 4. fifth measure from the end when b# is fingere ‘¢* to e-flar? at a soft dynamic bevel and for a tremolo from <4 to €-flat 7 9) Useful fr til fom eabarp to Ucharpt at sft dyson lee tel A key e 10) Use n'a pssge us in Debussy Rhapeole, second measure ster Lener © for * ‘0 ea xt a sot dynamic level and fora temolo from ois fags e 8 Posible 3s top note in wl from esha to dat sf} dynamic level (ull Ab Ley). ovary = ests, te be Ye 2a Dan De 3 oe: 38 ‘ = bes ae ws ubeNACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-1983 NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982- Regular fingering. Useful for g 1 e% 25 in Schubert, Shepherd on the Rec, sixth measure of the be 1 Allegretto. #o oe Chea in paage a sf djoami rom cf 6 and for 0 remot. : i Possible for e? in passages at a soft dynamic level fsharp « geflas Poul for cin sages at sl dynamic evo atop ate for wil fom ea fe tala top | ‘asta for ssiang «a vot dyrami evel and for leaps te fom the clarion ee fener ats dymcnie ee : g Uae for et sot dynam Ives and as top vote for wil from eft at ce Dp Dg Fg Mg 5g San 7p 8p We AD) RAID, gk ail 4 4 a We 1g 1D)g 1g py tdg 8 8 8B The "le The gt 4 § b en s. 8° fingering, somewhat sharp in piteh. ist passages from ©? 10 F and for cto F tremolo, ‘ sett in tnt postages trom eta fad fore 10.0" fremolo sellin fst hansges (rom eo 6 and for ct Hemolo 16) 17)g 18 )y Fes fom iene io emia, ae RO lito fin fot scale pssges 26 in Bier major sale and as top from e-flat* 10 f oe i act Uist for wit from et egule ingeie) to Patahie bor ties tease al a : a) & ae ‘Useful for tremolo from Fe ; Useful for added control in aiticks and passages at x foft dynamic level. FeNACWPIJOURNAL, WINTER, 19825 10 NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-1983 i 1) Regular fingering, somewhat flat, sharper when using Fsharp key. 2) Regular fingering, and better ia tune than nO. 1 when ight hand “bis” o¢ sliver Key is added 3) Regular “long” fingering. somewhat sharp in pitch and bright in qu 4) Speaks easly, somewhat sharp. 5) Speaks easily, somesthat sharp. 6) Useful in soft passages. may be somewhat fat. 7) Useful in soft passages 8) Ts more resistant 9) Useful in fast passages from cto f-sharp? and in a &} (o fsharp? tremolo. 10) Usafl in fast passages from cto Fsharp? and ia a et to fsharpt tremolo. 11) Possible for soft, sustained passages, comewhat unstable. 12) Somewhat sharp i pitch. 1B) Somewhat sharp in pitch 14) Useful for trill from f2 to Fsharp® (trill key 1. 15) Useful for tremolo from ef to ¢ 416) Useful in soft dynamic level as, for example, from € to f-sharp? or as bottom note in till from fsharp* to g-sharp (irl fingers on bottom two holes of right hand), 17). Usefut in soft dynamic level as, for example, feom e? to fshargs 18) Possible in wills from Fsharp? to é bes at or 10 gshurp? Soe rece ce FFF 19) Useful tremolo From © 10 shor 2 e ” 2» 2 ” 6 a ” Dp (2) de OR Me a) wo &) ab) "ah ag aa at 13), Dp 8 8 « 3 wee roe 16g 172g 18) 199 20) Oey MH aes 3 oe eee fe cof ety Band ring ¢ Reguler fingering. somewhat shuep und bright: ait brings pitch down. Better in tune than no. 1: ase of fl Without a-flat key a the end of Min Useful in fast passages ftom © 10 p Useful in arpeggion as from ut to E minor arpeggio. ‘An addtional, stable fingering. ‘An additional. stable fingering Useful for Foshurp# 19 gill oF scale passage team a Usetul for £10 ¢2 iil or scale passages fiom Fe to £ Useful for A clarinet a in Brahim Flo. Lesier I: is often somewhat flat on the tt fey sharpens pitch: useful in softer pus jethoven Eighth Symphony. 2° ino G major atpegeio or eto gt 0 Use eft Key. left major sl cares b2 NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-1983 NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-. 3 10) Is somewhas sharp 11) Ts somewbat unstabie: could be useful for added control in attacks and passages at a soft dynamic level 12) Possible for tril from # (fingered : ) to g at soft dynamic level (till, a fingers on bottom two holes of right hand), 13-18) Other fingerings for 5°. 19) Useful for c# to g3 tremolo, fo be — ‘esharp? = aflaw mr aor\oro wh (on FY » 2 » ” 6 » » 10) 1» 12 B) » 16)g 1D 18)y 19)g fe ERO we 8 ok 8. (on Fit) Useful from g¥ to a-flatS as in A-flat major scale. Is sharp in pitch; better with left hand ring finger but not reiable in sl leaps 10 it Useful from e-flats 10 a-flat® as im A-flat arpeggios: better in tune than and speaks more easily Speaks easly and works well in slurs and leaps to a bright in sound lar 10 m0. 4 speaks easily, 1s somewhat flat with a-flat key but can be used in soft passages: pitch is sh with f key, P% somewhat shary 1s somewhat sharper than no. 6; useful in fast passages from e-flatt to a-flat? the A-flat arpeggios. Useful as top note for fom aw a wen wi ft 9 (ee) 2 season fingering Speaks easily and useful in articulated leaps to a-flat® or from 2 fingered 1 to fia, Speaks easily and is quite stable ‘Same a5 mo. 10 except with right hand e-flat key rather than left hand, Js somewhat Mat but useful in some tents at a soft in fsharp? (see fingering no, 16) 10 g-harp ‘nd fourth fingers of right handy 1s somewhat flat but useful in some contexts at a soft dynamic level Useful for till from fsharps {0 esha wl 1. Indes tinge 5“ NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-1989 NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982.,.3 19) Possible for wl fom tsbaep? to. eshatph ail index anit third fingers of let. hand, a 8 16419) Other fingerings for g-sharpl Somewhat flatter and less bright than mo. 1 3) Somewhat flater than no. 1: useful at loud or soft dynamic levels 4) Somewhat flater and less beight than no. 1 ‘Sh Useful for gto a ell when g2 is fingered. g « b, 2) 13) 1445) 14) Often considered reguler fingering long” b-fla useful in Bartok Contrasts first movement, m. 51 long” b-flat, often a little sharper than no. 2. “long” b-flat, often somewhat sharp. ‘Speaks ead Useful in B-flat arpeggios from F 10 B-flat, Somewhat sharp. ae Similar to no. 5, somewtat flater and more subdued: useful in slor from soft dynamic level Useful in trilling from regular fingering for s* (no. 1 above) to Deft. Can be used as top note in till from acflatt (fingering no. 10) to. bel somewhat fla. seta fop note for sft 0 sll when aft ic Hngeed Ry 38 wg ‘48 top note in rill from 83 to b-flat! when a? is fingered 8 Postible for g-sharp3 10 a-sharps trill when gesharpt is fingered Re tony,16 NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-1983 Fingerings to be wsed for b2, cl esharpt, dt, d-starpt and et are determined more by the mouthpisce-reed-embouchure set-up of be player then the other altissimo notes and are slso dependent upon various factors as the speed of the passage, the intonation required and whether the passage is slurred or articulated. Taking slightly more mouthpiece into the mouth is helpful in producing notes above ct. Employing the bottom teeth directly fn the reed to obtain dt, d-sharpt, et and higher notes is also al times helpful but the ‘oles produced in this manner are difficult to play at more than a soft dynamic level. ia | Dg Qe De yn Dee Hee Dea “hay “Ne “hen “EB ee E ts re er es es et ee | Bean | Bg gn PQ 1g 12)4 pg ad % te Yh bk ft as Popd wh cb od ek : wh pb bk + eas a 1p 2) 3) , 5 Spa: Ok eaty 8 Rob tea gar Tea ee ee as at wi wt weg ws ron) sy ye 1) 2) Saha 4 ws 9), 10) 11) 12) ag ge 1g, 1s & NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 16983 1Dde ta ag be we { ah 8 BA 4 af A \ 8)an ea det oh we ws a + 8 ul bo cabarpt - dna De en Sen Slag 7) to 8 o# gene ye, a8 s “aiM ' : tie NACWPI JOURNAL, WINTER, 1982-1983 _