Pads must work wet and dry, make no sound of themselves This requires springs to be strong and the axis to have as little friction as possible. Don't forget that some keys open AND close different holes at the same time -Īnd some levers are long! Bass clarinets have got mechanics that move pads about half a meter away. Usually this is no problem, but then a spring has to put the key back into exactly the same position That is really quick and for both directions: One move is done with your finger, That is at least a third of the diameter of the tone-hole. Give as little resistance to the air flow as possible when open - this requires a key-pad to open to a distance In order to work properly, a key mustĬlose the tone-hole completely tight - when closed, no air should go through it. You need the clarinet's keys in order to do what you can We players have just learned how to do the fingering,Īnd we do that now without much thinking about it. Some even interact in complex ways.įor somebody who does not play the clarinet (or the oboe or bassoon which have got a very similar system), it appears to be confusing, and many players, too, couldn't definitely say which keys would open in detail when they play a certain note. Short and long levers, blocks, axes and tubes move long and short keys, which having pads in the end covering tone holes.

It looks rather complicated and it sure is. When comparing a modern clarinet and a recorder, the first thing that obviously is different (next to the colour of the wood and the size) is the clarinet's key system.

B flat clarinet fingering chart