F Major Scale Clarinet Finger Chart

This interactive widget maps out the B flat clarinet F major scale. It starts at the bottom of the clarinet’s range, written as F4 to F5. The way the instrument transition over the register break is shown in this way.

One of the difficulties facing players is when they has to cross from the chalumeau into the clarion register. You can play with the interactive interface by clicking on the widget or by using your computer’s keyboard. There’s a simple but effective display of eight note across the grid on the main route. Tap on one of these notes and it plays and displays the fingering for that note. The note at the top will change to the active note and the virtual keyboard will illuminate showing where your fingers should of been positioned.

How to Use the Clarinet Widget

There is an option to run through the scale yourself or choose from a selection of drills. It will play the scale back to front, loop round the tricky bit over B flat and D, or you can just survey the entire scale. Quickly navigate with the keyboard on your computer. Arrow left/right moves forward/backward a note at a time. Spacebar plays the current selection (it doesn’t change selection). To jump to the important notes of the register breaks, hit B for B flat or C for clarion C. When ready, press Enter to play the selected drill sequence. This will then sound out the notes in order you’ve set.

This is a faithful representation of the Boehm system keywork. A large virtual keyboard on the left illuminates to display the exact keys you should press for every note, from the pinky end of the instrument through to the thumb register key. This visual cue assist in internalizing the change in hand shapes as it crosses over the register break. A readout panel indicates the sounding pitch relative to the written out music along with the note name and scale degree.

Set your crossing pace slider to speed up or slow down the automatic drill. By sliding it to the right, you will increase its pace, which helps you build confidence and endurance. Sliding it to the left slows it down, allowing you to concentrate on accurate finger timing for the B flat to C transition. The reed volume slider is used to adjust the sound’s loudness of the synthesized tone.

To begin playing the automated sequence for your selected drill, just click the cross the register bridge button. It’s handy if you want to warm-up or check that you remember what to do with your fingers. To stop playback manually, click to release the reed. This will instantly silence it as well as clear any running timers. Click “how to play” to toggle the help panel on and off and see detailed instructions about instrument conventions and keyboard mappings.

Use the loop drill to isolate the register break. The quick change in finger movement and air pressure is often where smearing or intonation issues occurs. By looping only these three notes you are able to work on that transition again and again until it flows smoothly. To make sure your technique is good in each direction, alternate the two drills by doing the full scale drill and then the reverse drill.

Fullscreen the widget to eliminate distractions and give the virtual keys some breathing room (especially handy if you’re viewing on a small screen). Click the fullscreen button again, or use the exit command from your browser… To return to normal size.

With its support of dark mode and reduced-motion system settings, the interface adapts comfortabley to different light levels. Start by selecting the survey full route drill and setting the pace to a comfortable speed. Listen carefully when you pass each register key on the throat tones then notice where it is that the register key joins in. Also observe where the hand frame changes for clarion C. Then use the keyboard shortcut to return to the break point and practice timing your fingers until it feels right.