Clarinet Scales
Pick a scale and play along. You see every hole and key for each note, on a Boehm or a German-system clarinet, and hear it at your tempo.
How to read the fingerings
T is the thumb hole, R the register key, both on the back. The dots are the six finger holes: left hand on top, right hand below. Filled means closed.
Your C sounds B♭
The notes here are written for B♭ clarinet, which sounds one whole step lower. So the F Major Scale is the concert E♭ Major Scale your band plays.
Start slowly
Begin at 60 BPM with the click on. Play every note full and steady. Speed up only when it feels easy.
tonestro
24 clarinet scales in the tonestro app
Play along and finally know if it's right. Right notes turn green. Missed one? Play it again.
Questions about clarinet scales
Which clarinet scale should I learn first?
A good first scale is the F Major Scale in one octave: it starts on low F and stays below the break. Then take it to two octaves, learn the D Major Scale across the break and the Chromatic Scale.
How do I read the fingerings?
T is the thumb hole and R the register key, both on the back of the clarinet. The six dots are the holes for your fingers: left hand 1 2 3 on the upper joint, right hand 1 2 3 on the lower joint. A filled dot is a closed hole. Extra keys are named in words.
Is this for the Boehm or the German system?
Both. The tool starts with the Boehm system, the standard outside Germany and Austria. Switch to the German (Oehler) system next to the clarinet: the drawing, the fingerings and the words change with it. The table on this page shows the Boehm fingerings.
Does this work for an A or E♭ clarinet?
Yes, for the fingerings: Boehm clarinets in B♭, A and E♭ use the same fingerings for written notes. The sound here is a B♭ clarinet.
What is the break on the clarinet?
The step from the throat notes (G, A♭, A and B♭ in the middle of the staff) to B, the first note of the upper register, with the register key and all holes closed. Go slowly and close every hole fully.
How fast should I play scales?
Start at 60 BPM with the click on and play every note full and steady. When the scale feels easy twice in a row, go 4 BPM faster.