Altissimo register fingerings for the bass clarinet

By Thomas Aber and Terje Lerstad

In the years since the debut of the bass clarinet in Meyerbeer's The Huguenots, in 1836, the instrument's altissimo register has been underrated, if not completely ignored. In recent years, however, through the work of soloists such as Harry Sparnaay, Josef Horak and Eric Dolphy, attention has been drawn to the extremely wide range of the instrument. Therefore it has become necessary to codify the fingerings of the altissimo register, which differ greatly from those of the soprano clarinet. With a knowledge of the best fingerings this high range becomes very flexible and usable.

Although the compass is in theory virtually unlimited, it can safely be said that the bass clarinet can reach chromatically to a written C two octaves above the C played with the thumb and the register key. Enrique Raxach has included an A#4 in his Chimaera and Terje Lerstad has written up to a C5 in his Solo. The notes from the highest A to C are sensitive and difficult to obtain, but the notes up to G#4 are quite stable and, with practice, can be employed fluently. Notes in this range, particularly those as high as E4, occur quite frequently in the new solo literature, often in technically difficult passages. They often appear in skips from the lowest notes of the instrument, as in Adriaan van Noord's Reggae:

We have therefore compiled a chart of the most useful fingerings for the notes from C#3 to C5. Where several fingerings are possible we have shown the primary one to the left and the others, with their uses or limitations described, thereafter. Where traditional soprano clarinet fingerings can be used they are included.

We have also shown the differences in fingerings of particular notes caused by differences between the two register ventings systems in common use. One of these systems, used by Selmer and Buffet-Crampon, uses the hole for throat Bflat as the vent for the notes B1-E-flat2 and a second hole, placed in the instrument's metal neck, for the notes E2-C3. The shift from the first to the second vent hole is currently done automatically by a bridge mechanism activitated by the third finger of the right hand. The system used until recently by Leblanc and others uses one small hole, placed higher on the instrument than the B-flat hole, for venting the entire upper register. (The newest Leblanc bass clarinets also use two holes for venting the upper register.) On those instruments with double-hole venting, the changing of the hole held open by adding the third finger of the right hand is often quite useful in producing notes in the altissimo register. The use of the lower vent generally raises the pitch in this range. This phenomenon, which does not exist on bass clarinets with single-hole venting, is the primary reason for the addition of an "S" (for Selmer and Buffet-Crampon instruments) or an "L" (for older Leblanc and others) next to particular fingerings. Those fingerings with a letter are of use to those playing that type of instrument. The "S" or "L" have also been used to designate fingerings which work particularly well with one type of instrument or the other for various reasons other than the venting.

The use of overblown throat register notes is particularly useful for the notes C#3-E3. Also, the opening of the throat G# key is helpful with the notes E-flat3-F3. We have found that combinations of these two methods generally produce fuller tones than the use of the standard soprano clarinet fingerings with the small hole in the first finger pad opened.

Fingering chart

About the writers ...
Thomas Aber, born in 1954 in Kansas City, Missouri, studied bass clarinet with Joe Allard at the juilliard School and with Harry Sparnaay at the Sweelinck Conservatorium, Amsterdam. He was a prize winner in the Gaudeamus Foundation's International Competition for Interpreters of Contemporary Music in 1979. He has worked as a free-lance musician with orchestras in The Netherlands and the United States. He is currently living in Kansas City.
Terje Lerstad, born in 1955 in Oslo, Norway, studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music. He played for two years in the East Norwegian Military Band. He is an active composer and is currently studying bass clarinet with Harry Sparnaay at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands. (The Clarinet No.2, 1982)