This is an interactive fingering chart for clarinets. This is an interactive clarinet fingering chart for a Bb clarinet in the standard Boehm system that not only shows but play back how every note sounds. Each note of the clarinet’s range can be explored simply by clicking on it with your mouse (or using computer keyboard if you prefer).
This means that every key you need to press is clearly marked, along with the note being played out loud, across the entire written range (from low E (high C)). The notation also appears on the treble staff allowing you to link fingerings immediately to the sheet music.
How to Use This Clarinet Chart
Your main way to use it is the row of buttons at the foot of the widget. These are buttons for each semitone across the range of the clarinet. To view a different note just click on its button, and the display area change to show the new note on the staff notation and the corresponding fingering diagram.
Alternatively, use the left and right arrow buttons next to the play control to jump from note to note. On your computer keyboard you can simply hit the right or left arrow key to go up or down a semitone. This means you don’t have to hunt around looking for mouse-clicks but can step up and down scales, or even see what fingering is like for nearby notes.
The central display provides three types of information simultaneously. To the left is the note name and frequency plus a miniature image showing position of the note on the treble stave. Below this is an indication of which register the note is in; i.e., is it part of the clarion range or the chalumeau range? The right-hand side presents the clarinet’s physical layout as shown by a key diagram. Open holes are displayed as empty outlines while filled-in circles indicates the keys that need to be pressed. This visual code is clearly explained in the legend beneath the diagram.
A tap on the diagram or note name plays the corresponding note. There are some added useful buttons to make this more of a learning tool. The main play button plays audio from whatever is selected. When there’s another possible fingering for a note like some lower Fs and Es that could be performed by either pinky, then there is a second button called alternate. That changes which of the correct fingers is used and you can compare how easy each one feels.
A volume control adjusts main volume up or down. Full Screen makes the widget fill your whole screen for a better look at the keys. This helps when using smaller screens, such as a phone or tablet.
The header is designed with accessibility and help features. To get detailed information about each of these controls, click how to play button. This opens a help panel that summarizes the controls and explains the keyboard shortcuts. The interface handles reduced motion preferences automatically. This allows users to navigate comfortabley without any discomfort transitions.
You can also use your keyboard. Pressing question mark will toggle the help guide open and closed. F will put you into full screen mode. A cycles through alternate fingerings. The space bar will replay the currently selected note. This makes it possible for you to learn the shortcuts efficienty so you don’t have to interact with the mouse.
The visual clues also help train your eye quickly to get through your practicing. Note in the diagram how the register key indicator shows where the thumb hole is engaged. Because of this, the pitch rise a twelfth above the lower register equivalent when using the same fingering in the upper clarion register. Finally, additional flat and sharp keys are located close to their corresponding main key on the diagram to reflect exactly where they sit physically on the body of the clarinet.
This helps the player know exactly where to place their fingers based off what they see on-screen. This is great if you want to check any tricky changes of register or play through some complicated passage work. For instance, when you are learning a new piece, stop on difficult bars and look up the fingering. This way, you know what is expected. It also ensures your idea of the fingering matches normal technique.
It’s also a good exercise for training your ear as you watch the notation appear on the staff alongside hearing the pitch. This split between what you hear and what you see is helpful if you are just starting out as a clarinetist. It helps if you do not always distinguish between written and sounding pitch while adjusting to instrument being in Bb.
To get started with it, choose a simple melody or scale from the note strip down below and watch how the fingering change step by step. Listen to each tone too so you can form an association between the diagram you see and what sounds out of it. You’re also able to toggle between keyboard and mouse control so you can work in a way that’s most natural for you.
Practice regularly and you’ll find yourself able to recall the fingerings quicker then more intuitively, closing the gap between performance and theory.