5 Tips to Perfect Your Chromatic Scale!

Virtual Clarinet Academy Co-Founder Rucha Trivedi goes through 5 tips to help you learn, speed up, and perfect your chromatic scale!

Rucha plays a Yamaha CSVR-ASP Bb clarinet.

Connect with us on social!

[sitarnut]

You're the prettiest and most alive Clarinet teacher I've seen..your dedication and enthusiasm are infectious. I've learned more form you in 11 minutes than in years about sane, logical fingerings. All 5 tips very welcomed. Your tone is superb. Nice Clari....

[gracetaylor]

Great tips! I never thought about breaking up the chromatic scale into pieces. I will try it. Thanks!

[robkunkel]

The “flip” Bb / B was such a simple solution. And some of the other fingerings. Practicing in 5 note sections is a nice idea. It makes it easier to want to practice. I am in a funk lately and my teacher said to work on simple exercises to practice each day. This little class will do the trick! Thanks . Subscribed.

[ginley_]

I have chair tryouts tomorrow and I have to know it, I already know the fingerings, but I needed help with not being fast enough, this really helped thank you!

[loganfoster]

#4 helped a lot! I didn’t know these alternative fingerings.

[michaelshelley]

wow....did NOT know you could play F# with the side 3 and 4 keys!!! TY!!!

[jefft]

Excellent mentoring. You actually demonstrate as opposed to just talking about it as some others do. Thanks.

[wanginha]

Thank for your tip~ Really like your video

[glennjohnson]

Great tips! Looking forward to using the chromatic fingerings to increase the speed and quality of my chromatic scale.

[nigelhaywood]

Thanks, that's useful. I was curious to know what you would recommend for the Bb/Eb options that can substitute the RH side-key 1 for the LH sliver key (ring-key) but perhaps that would be for another video. I remember I had to change the fingerings I used for chromatic scales when I changed teacher. It was really hard because my chromatic scales were already fast and automatic. I had to slowly reteach my fingers right from the beginning. In the end I came up with a combination of fingerings that works for me. I use the LH sliver key, that I mentioned, and also I use the normal F# fingering (no side-key) when I'm coming down. In the end I think there are many different combinations that can be used and it seems that every clarinetist I meet has a different set of fingerings for the chromatic scale. The ones you've given here seem to be the most practical and most effective for most cases though.

[frankmercurio]

Good job! I like your 5 tips, especially going slow and only playing 5 notes at a time.

[Yasharvl]

Honestly, great video and useful tips! Thank you!

[desamansamarasinghe]

Great superb explanation, , , million thanks plus appreciations....

[joflow]

im going to try and use these tips in my future practices, also about the alternate fingerings for low B flat, why do you use your third finger instead of your middle finger, Ive know about the alternate fingerings but havent mastered them yet, and using the third finger felt unnatural. Also the other tips all sound really helpful.

[michaelfreeman]

When demonstrating the low chromatic, please let the fingers be seen in the camera for all to see. Thanks for your series!

[paulkafant]

I’ll probably use more of the alternate fingerings the higher I go, though I do use some now, but I just have to get my recordings turned in fast and I’ll do that at a later time. I procrastinated and now I have to get it good enough to turn in by the end of today. I’m only a freshman in the symphonic band so it doesn’t have to be perfect

[time__get_ready]

I have huge difficulty with low E, F, F# and when to start with the left hand and when to start with the right hand. Same with B & C below treble staff.

It's doing my head in because watching a mirror image of someone else or in a mirror doesn't help me figure out which keys I'm actually meant to use.
Fingering charts can also be confusing.
Anyone? 😦

[trumpettamizhan]

Hai sister ..How much in this clarinet...I am india....Brand name...

[spandan]

Hi is your tutorials in hindi or marathi

[stanleywhetstone]

I've only been learning the clarinet for three years and have just been advised on the importance of the chromatic scale. my problem is smoothing the Bb to B# and on upwards, is there a trick to this.