Alternate Fingerings: Utilizing Situational Rules to Simplify Difficult Passages

One of the most common limitations on the technical growth of young saxophonists is a lack of awareness of the many alternate fingerings of the saxophone and the scenarios in which they should be utilized. Unfortunately, many students default to one preferred fingering for each note while overlooking other logical fingering choices that can make the passage easier.

When working with young people learning an instrument, I find that the best approach is to have simple and clear guidelines that are easy for them to remember while practicing between their lessons.

Approach to Alternate Fingerings

When approaching alternate fingerings, my guidelines are rooted in choosing fingerings that maximize efficiency of motion. Generally speaking, we have three types of motion on the saxophone: pressing motion, lifting motion, and sliding motion.

For the purposes of this article, we will be focusing on the first two types of motion, as sliding motion will be exclusive to the pinky keys and not within the scope of this article. It has been my observation with students that combining these two types of motion leads to technical coordination issues.

Thus, in my own playing and teaching, I employ alternate fingerings in a manner that attempts to: 1) avoid moving both hands at the same time when motion can be limited to a single hand and 2) minimize combining the pressing and lifting motions when possible.

In this article, I will focus on the most common notes for which there are multiple fingering options: Bb, F#, C#, and C natural. I will discuss how my approach will create clear guidelines regarding the circumstances in which each fingering option should be utilized. Following these guidelines consistently will build muscle memory where the ideal fingerings will be utilized instinctively, even when sight-reading.

An Observation on Bb Fingerings

Bb has more fingering options than any other note in the normal range of the saxophone, and in my opinion, presents the biggest issue for young people, who tend to exclusively use whichever Bb they are taught first when learning the instrument. Private lessons are often the first time that students are introduced to alternate fingerings and presented with a codified strategy regarding when to employ each fingering. There are certainly different approaches to the utilization of these fingerings, but this is what I have found works best for me and my students.

Side Bb

Side Bb (indicated by Ta marked above the Bb by many publishers) should be used for all trills from A to Bb, most scalar passages that go A-Bb-A, A-Bb-C, or C-Bb-A, and chromatic passages from A-A#-B. Avoid flipping from bis Bb to C when possible, because the timing has to be perfect to avoid extra notes and generally sloppiness due to the combination of motion types while depressing the second finger for the C and lifting from Bis Bb. The one instance that I break from this scalar rule is when playing Ab-Bb-C. In this case, Bis Bb is the best option, as it allows the performer to keep all the motion in one hand.

In the example below from the fourth measure of rehearsal number 8 in the Glazunov Concerto, the repeated A# should be performed using Side Bb. This allows the movement of one key between the A# and every key touch that moves from A# to B will be utilizing a lifting motion to simplify coordination.

Bis Bb

Bis Bb (indicated by the letter P marked above the Bb by many publishers) is most conducive to fluid technique in passages that involve leaps into Bb or out of Bb. This is particularly true when moving to Bb from either Ab or G. I will typically also employ this fingering when moving to Bb from any of the right-hand notes in slower passages, as the intonation and timbre is typically better than either 1+4 or 1+5. Bis Bb is the Bb fingering that typically is the most resonant and homogeneous with the other notes in the left hand. As such, it is usually the best option for sustained notes and lyrical passages.

The example below from the fifth and sixth bars of rehearsal 13 in the Glazunov Concerto illustrates why context is so important when choosing fingerings. While side Bb makes a lot of sense when proceeding from Bb to A as seen in the first beat, utilizing that fingering will complicate the motion from the F to Bb immediately preceding it. In this instance Bis is going to be the much more fluid option for the performer. In the second measure bis is also going to be the best option because it allows all finger motion to be isolated to the left hand.

1+4/1+5

These two fingerings tend to lack the timbral resonance of bis Bb and should only be used in technical passages.

1+4 is typically most useful in passages that move from F natural to A# to B. It can also be useful when needing to trill between A# and B as seen in the example below from Ferling Etude number 5. Many saxophonists utilize side A# here and leave the side key open for the B natural, but it is my opinion that this has an undesirable effect on the timbre of the B natural, which will be present again after the two grace notes. The solution that I have settled on in this instance is to utilize 1+4 for the trill and switch to side in the grace note A#.

1+5 typically has a similar use case to 1+4. It can be used when moving between F#-A#-B. A typical way to utilize this fingering would be in the first movement of the Creston sonata where the use of 1+5 will make the rising arpeggio more fluid.

Like 1+4, 1+5 could also be used as a trill fingering from A#-B. I have found it particularly useful in passages that move from B to A# and back to B. A typical use case is in the beginning of the Heinze etude on page 47 of the Voxman Selected Studies for Saxophone. In the first measure I utilize 1+5 for every A# as it requires the movement of only one finger, as opposed to side Bb, which requires the coordination of movement in both hands. Theoretically 1+4 could be used here as well, but I find 1+5 preferable due to the F# later in the measure.

Side C

Side C (indicated by Tc marked above the C natural by many publishers) should primarily be used for any passage that proceeds from B natural to C and back to B natural. It is never acceptable to use side C to trill to C from bis Bb, as the resulting pitch is closer to a C quarter tone flat. While recommended by many teachers, I typically avoid using side C in the chromatic scale, as using side Bb and side C so close together in fast passages can present coordination issues. I also recommend avoiding this fingering in scalar passages that proceed from C natural directly to D natural, as the right-hand coordination is unnecessarily difficult.

The example below from the cadenza of the Glazunov Concerto presents the ideal scenario in which side C should be utilized.

Middle C#

This is an alto-specific fingering and typically does not work on the other members of the saxophone family. Of the fingerings we are going to discuss, this is the only one that is primarily for intonation and tone color.

Middle C# on alto will often tend rather flat and have a dull timbre. To combat both issues, many saxophones will use what is referred to as “vented C#” which utilizes the lower octave key as a vent to raise the pitch. The fingering most often used is octave key plus the 3^rd finger on the left hand. On most Yamaha saxophones, I find this to be slightly sharp, so I add the middle finger of the right hand to lower the pitch slightly. While this is the combination that works best on my instrument, you may utilize any combination of right-hand fingers to adjust the pitch as needed for your instrument.

An added benefit of this fingering is that it helps clean up the finger coordination between the octave key and third finger of the left hand when moving to D natural, and blends timbre more effectively with notes in the upper register. On any modern Selmer saxophone that has a C# vent key (such as the Series III), this fingering cannot be utilized.

Chromatic/Trill F#

Chromatic F# (indicated by Tf marked above an F# by many publishers) should be used in any type of chromatic passage that moves through F#/Gb. It should be avoided if F# is going to be followed by D or D#, as it will be impossible to get to those notes smoothly from chromatic F#. While possible to go F-F#-E using Tf, it is generally awkward and one of the rare instances where I would suggest flipping between the first and second finger of the right hand.

In the example below, chromatic F# is ideal in beat 4 but beat 3 should be marked by the performer to utilize middle finger F#, as it is impossible to get the ring finger into position when moving from chromatic F# to D natural.

In the example below all instances of F are sharp unless marked otherwise. In this example, there is a bit of flexibility regarding how chromatic F# will be utilized. The first F# in beat one is a textbook example of using chromatic F#, as it is chromatic motion moving through F#. While it is technically possible to utilize alternate F# in beat two in order to use the same F# fingering throughout the passage, I have found that technical consistency is greater when students flip to middle finger F# in this beat.

While this is not an all-inclusive list of alternate fingerings for the saxophone, systematic usage of these common alternate fingerings will set students up for success by developing good habits that encourage good hand position and fluid technique.

For more extended practice utilizing alternate fingerings using the philosophy described above, I would recommend purchasing Daily Studies for the Improvement of Saxophone Technique by Larry Teal. There are short etudes in this book that are specifically geared towards the mastery of each of the fingerings discussed in this article.

HAPPY PRACTICING!

About Chris Anderson

Since completing his doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Christopher Anderson’s services as a pedagogue have been in high demand throughout the Midwest. From 2008-2023, he served as Adjunct Instructor of music at Richland Community College in Decatur, IL, where he taught music theory and history courses. From 2020-2023, he was also Instructor of Saxophone and Clarinet at Parkland College in Champaign, IL. In 2022, Dr. Christopher Anderson joined the faculty of University of Northern Iowa as Instructor of Saxophone and in 2023 also began teaching Music Theory. Additionally, Dr. Anderson joined the faculty of Wartburg College in the Fall of 2022 as Senior Lecturer of Saxophone. In addition to his instructional duties at University of Northern Iowa, Wartburg College, Parkland College and Richland Community College, Dr. Anderson was appointed as Adjunct Instructor of Saxophone at the University of Iowa for Spring 2023 as sabbatical replacement for Dr. Kenneth Tse, and Lecturer of Saxophone at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the Fall 2016 semester as sabbatical replacement for Professor Debra Richtmeyer.

Dr. Anderson has maintained a private studio of nearly 40 saxophone and clarinet students in the Champaign-Urbana area since first accepting students in 2010. Students in his studio regularly earn top chairs in the ILMEA District 3 concert and jazz bands as well as All-State bands. Students in his studio who have chosen to study music beyond high school have been accepted to prestigious studios throughout the country and received scholarships to continue their studies.

When not teaching, Dr. Anderson has established himself internationally as a specialist in new music for saxophone. As a result of his enthusiastic and imaginative approach to new music, he has had numerous works dedicated to him and has had the opportunity to collaborate with many composers and has premiered works by Dr. Stephen Andrew Taylor, Shawn Allison, Ashley Fu-Tsun Wang, Robert Lemay, and Christian Lauba.

As a soloist, Dr. Anderson made his concerto debut with the Prairie Ensemble performing Jacques Ibert’s Concertino da Camera. He has had the opportunity to perform Milhaud’s La Création du Monde with Sinfonia da Camera and the Mark Morris Dance Group at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. He has also had the opportunity to present programs throughout the United States and France, and regularly presents at North American Saxophone Alliance and World Saxophone Congress conferences.

Dr. Anderson hails from Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he studied saxophone with Ida Wiedeman and Tod Kerstetter. After graduating from Greenwood High School, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Eugene Rousseau and Otis Murphy. His Master’s Degree is from Ithaca College, where he was graduate teaching assistant in saxophone under the tutelage of Steven Mauk. In 2014 he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was the graduate teaching assistant in saxophone and studied with Debra Richtmeyer. Dr. Anderson has had additional studies in saxophone and modern music with Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Connie Frigo, Kenneth Fischer, Tom Liley, Christian Lauba, Richard Ducros, and Kenneth Tse.

Dr. Christopher Anderson is a Vandoren Artist Clinician and performs exclusively on Vandoren Mouthpieces, Ligatures, and Reeds.