How to Play Chromatic Scales on the Clarinet

Scales are the foundation of music. By practicing scales, you will actually improve your fingering ability and your tone. Working scales on reed instruments, such as the clarinet, also help you to break in your reed and warm up your fingers. Here's how to play a chromatic scale on the clarinet.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Clarinet
• Fingering chart

1. Understand the difference between a scale and a chromatic scale. While all scales are a progression from one note to a note slightly higher, a chromatic scale progresses at one half step at a time. A clarinet can produce a chromatic scale from low E to high E.
2. Learn the fingering positions on your clarinet for 8 consecutive notes on a chromatic scale. Using the simplest chromatic scale, you will need to learn the fingerings for low E, low F, low F sharp, low G, low G sharp, low A, low A sharp and low B.
3. Practice moving your fingers in that order over and over until you have the finger positions for those notes on your clarinet memorized.
4. Rehearse moving down the chromatic scale. Start at low B, and move downward half not by half note until you get to low E.
5. Play the chromatic scale on your clarinet up and down. Start with low E, and play your clarinet up to low B. Repeat low B and work your way back down to low E.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have this chromatic scale perfected, try going faster and faster. The quicker you can train your fingers to move, the better clarinetist you will become.
• Any set of eight notes that progress in half steps is a chromatic scale. This article focuses on the lowest of the chromatic scales because even beginner clarinetist can play these notes. As you advance, try practicing chromatic scales that are higher in the clarinet's range.