Bass Clarinet Fingering Chart
B♭ bass clarinet · chalumeau, throat & clarion registers · written pitch · ● = key/hole covered
How to play
- Tap a note to see which keys and holes to cover and hear the pitch. The bass clarinet uses the same fingerings as the B♭ soprano clarinet — it just sounds far lower.
- The diagram groups the keys the way you hold it: the back register and thumb keys (plus the throat A key), the three left‑hand holes, the three right‑hand holes, and the little‑finger E and F keys. A filled circle means cover it.
- Cover the thumb + all six holes for G, then lift one finger at a time to climb up to open G (the throat tone). A and B♭ use the side A key.
- Transposing: written notes sound a major 9th lower on a bass clarinet. Play note repeats; Play all runs up the range. Vol sets volume.
- Tip — the register key (left thumb) jumps each fingering up a twelfth into the clarion register.
This interactive fingering chart help you visualize how to play the bass clarinet by providing a sound for each note. By playing back scales on auto repeat mode or just clicking on the notes in the grid you can discover range of the instrument. It blends together an audio engine with a classic B-flat soprano clarinet fingering diagram.
To begin, tap the note buttons located on the left-hand side of the card in the main grid. These represent each pitch of written range, starting with low E through to high C. If you tap one of these buttons the corresponding pitch will light up in blue so you can see which note is active. Immediately, the right-hand display change to indicate both the name of the note and also the frequency it produce in Hertz. This visual confirmation allows you to be sure you’re looking at desired interval before trying to play it on your instrument.
How to Use the Bass Clarinet Chart
As you can see in diagram above (right), this corresponds with common fingering chart for a B-flat soprano clarinet. Controls has been grouped according to where they are located on the instrument to make them easier to read. Starting from the top of the diagram, we have the following: The back keys includes a throat A key, a thumb hole, and a register key. There are six main tone holes divided between those played by right-hand and left-hand players. There are trill keys for F and E at the base of the instrument.
To listen to the full range in one go just press the Play all button and it will step up through each note from lowest to highest. You can then compare how the instrument sound in the lower (chalumeau) register different than the higher (clarion) register. To pause the run of notes simply press the play all button again which transforms into Stop while playing.
Below the diagram is the Play note button. This plays that particular note only so you can focus in on a specific note if needed as well as pick out any issue with your intonation or tone quality.
If you find that the sound is too quiet/loud for where you are, tweak the volume slider at the top-right of the page. This adjusts the master gain of the Web Audio engine that make the tones. If you keep it fairly moderate you’ll be able to hear the instrument’s characteristic breathiness but without any distortion. It also remembers your choice as you go through rest of your session so you don’t need to adjust the volumes when switching between listen modes.
To expand the help panel and gain some extra information, click on the How to play button found at the top of the page. Here you’ll find some basic advice on how to deal with changing registers alongside explanations about the transposition rules. If you’re unfamiliar with reading bass clarinet notation or simply want a refresher on the transposing intervals (the major ninth), then this will come in handy. To close the panel down, just click on the button again and you’ll have complete fingering chart visible once more.
To fill up your computer screen with the widget in its entirety, click on the Fullscreen button. This will maximize the widget to help remove any distractions when learning fingerings. You can also use it to project the widget into a classroom setting. If you have a bigger screen, the layout will adjust to size of the screen to make reading and seeing the diagrams easier and clearer. You can get out of full screen simply by clicking on the Fullscreen button once more or your typical browser exit command.
The bass clarinet has the same fingering as the B-flat soprano clarinet. Therefore, whatever you already know on one transfers directly across to the other. The only difference is the register key (which sounds an octave plus a fifth lower than it is written), and this works in much the same way. Using this widget will help reinforce your muscle memory when moving smooth from register to register.
Pick some challenging finger-change notes first to develop dexterity. Then, pick up your instrument. If you have a few minutes I’d encourage you to run through it at your convenience and note the evolution of tone throughout the range. Pay particular attention to the finer points of fingering. Focus especially on notes high up on the instrument as these often make the biggest difference. Once you’re happy with navigating around the site, leave it open for future reference when practicing from your chosen repertoir.