B♭ Clarinet

Low E♭ on the B♭ Clarinet

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

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

The standard E♭ adds the lowest of the four side keys, pressed with the side of the right index finger. Two long-established substitutes exist for chromatic writing, so it is worth knowing all three before you meet a fast run.

About this note

The standard E♭ adds the lowest of the four side keys, pressed with the side of the right index finger. Two long-established substitutes exist for chromatic writing, so it is worth knowing all three before you meet a fast run.

  • Primary fingering: Thumb hole + Left index (hole 1) + Left middle (hole 2) + Side key 4
  • Written pitch: E♭4 · Concert pitch: D♭4
  • Sounding frequency: 277.18 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.

B♭ 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.