Bass Clarinet

Low E♭ on the Bass Clarinet

Written E♭4 — sounds concert D♭3. Tap the diagram to hear it.

E♭4
Concert D♭3Beginner note
Written E♭4 on the treble staff

Low D with the A♭/E♭ side key. On bass the side keys are long levers; press the pad of the finger flat against them rather than reaching with the tip.

About this note

Low D with the A♭/E♭ side key. On bass the side keys are long levers; press the pad of the finger flat against them rather than reaching with the tip.

  • Primary fingering: Thumb hole + Left index (hole 1) + Left middle (hole 2) + Side key 4
  • Written pitch: E♭4 · Concert pitch: D♭3
  • Sounding frequency: 138.59 Hz

Alternate fingerings for Low E♭

  • Left-hand E♭/B♭ sliver key: Thumb hole + Left index (hole 1) + Left middle (hole 2) + Left sliver key. Use when moving between D and E♭ or trilling, since only the left hand has to move.
  • Fork fingering (right index): Thumb hole + Left index (hole 1) + Right index (hole 4). Slightly sharp; use for facility when the neighbouring notes already put the right index finger down.

Bass Clarinet fingering data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.