Exercises that Alternate Pinkies

Pay careful attention to the right and left requirements. Some clarinets may struggle to play low E with only the left pinky. Consider adding your right F pinky to help this note speak.

Pay careful attention to the right and left requirements. Some clarinets may struggle to play B with only the left pinky. Consider adding your right C pinky to help this note speak.

Make sure you are playing the correct keys for each note. Play along with the audio recording and make sure your notes sound the same.

Make sure you are playing the correct keys for each note. Play along with the audio recording and make sure your notes sound the same.

Make sure to alternate throughout this piece. Start each note with your tongue.

This exercise does not use the same pinky keys as Jaws in F shown on the left. Make sure your notes match the audio recording.

Continue alternating throughout this exercise.

Continue alternating through this exercise.

Although you can play the low F#'s on either the right or the left in measure 5 and 6, consider playing them the same way as you will be forced to in measure 7 (left pinky fingering). The Ab's in measure 7 and 8 force us to play the F# and E in the left hand.

The only alternating we have to do in this piece is shown in measure 3. Continue this fingering pattern in measures 6, 9, and 12. You could also finger those measures as left-right.

This one is a challenge! Some pinky fingerings are marked in for you, some are not. Use the knowledge you've gained on the previous pages to pick the best fingerings. As always, use the audio example to confirm that you are playing the correct notes.