Clarinet Fingering Guide by Key

The first thing I did after purchasing my clarinet was to hit the library for a fingering chart. To my chagrin, I found complex charts encompassing the entire chromatic scale with non-intuitive key numbering systems and/or extraneous information for simple fingerings. I may have a Ph.D. in physics, but my poor, little brain was overloaded. I tried a new approach. I've produced 15 fingering charts arranged by key. I've devised a simpler, purely graphic representation of fingerings. Keys or banks of keys are only shown if they are used for a particular note.

I think diatonic scales are the best way to study fingerings, but I've had so many requests for chromatic scales that I provide them too. Look for them at the bottom. I get many requests for trill fingerings. If someone provides me with a comprehensive set of trill fingerings, I'd be glad to think about ways to draw them up. I've had interesting exchanges with folk who assert that my drawings are upside down because they don't show the view you see when you are playing and look at your fingers. That seems logical, but it doesn't work for me. If it makes sense to you, please have a go at my charts with a graphic editor. If you send me the result, I'll add it to my site if your work is clean.

If you are having trouble printing any of these images, it certainly is a configuration problem with your own computer and/or printer. Please do not write to me for help.

Sorry, I don't know fingerings for bass clarinets, saxophones, and clarinets that use other fingering systems.

I took a left turn and have started to learn fiddle instead of clarinet. I hope to get back to clarinet and klezmer music, but that isn't likely to happen until my children go off to college. In the mean time, I'm still playing my main instrument, clawhammer banjo with my band, Squirrelheads in Gravy. For those of you just starting out in band classes, the best advice I have to offer is that if you love playing music for yourself, all the time you spend is worth it.

In 2003, my original web host self-destructed without giving me any notice and I lost my original site. Since I relied on my webhost to back up the files, this has been painful. Fortunately, I'd given permission to several organizations to mirror my original site, but they weren't up to date with the latest corrections. I am rebuilding, but I haven't finished. If you notice an error that were originally corrected but has reappeared, please write to me. I do have my original artwork, so I can regenerate the online GIF's if necessary.

I welcome comments/corrections/suggestions from other beginners and from those who know far more about clarinets than me!

	C major	A minor
	F major	D minor
	B major	Gminor
	E major	C minor
	A major	F minor
	D major	B minor
	G major	E minor
	C major	A minor
	F major	D minor
	B major	G minor
	E major	C minor
	A major	F minor
	D major	B minor
	G major	E minor
	C major	A minor
Chromatic	Low Range	High Range

Legal Stuff
This file and the files linked from it are Copyright © 1995, 1997, 1998, 2003 by Joseph M. Izen and are made available as a service to the Internet community. They may not be sold on disk, tape, CD-ROM, packaged or incorporated with any commercial product, published in print, or distributed by music teachers to their students without the explicit, written permission of the copyright holder. Permission is hearby granted to make one printed copy of these pages for your own personal use if you send me a thank you. Reasonable offers will be considered for non-personal use, and for higher resolution reproductions of these charts.

License is hereby granted to redistribute on electronic or other media for which no fees are charged (except for the media itself), so long as the text of this copyright notice and license are attached intact to any and all republished portion or portions.

Inquiries from commercial publishers are welcome.

Please send comments and inquiries to Joe Izen (clarinet@squirrelheads.org),