[B Flat]

So I'm a little strange in that I really don't ever use my side Bb or C keys.
I've got nothing against them, I just tend to favour my second finger C and my Bis key fingering.
Generally I'm pretty happy with that arrangement and can get around pretty well with it, but I feel a little
odd about it all.
Am I the only one out there that is side key handicapped?
Or are there others with this strange disorder?(at the border).

 

[Harri Rautiainen]

So I'm a little strange in that I really don't ever use my side Bb or C keys.
I've got nothing against them, I just tend to favour my second finger C and my Bis key fingering.
Generally I'm pretty happy with that arrangement and can get around pretty well with it, but I feel a little
odd about it all.
Am I the only one out there that is side key handicapped?
Or are there others with this strange disorder?(at the border).

Nothing strange there; whatever works for you best.

At least you know that the side keys are there. If you should need them one day.

 

[Currawong]

The side C key can come very handy. Bb fingering often is a matter of preference. I use the side key all the time, but there are times when using when of the other fingerings makes rather more sense.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Am I the only one out there that is side key handicapped?
Or are there others with this strange disorder?(at the border).

I doubt you are handicapped, you could use them if you wated to. I'm sure if you ever wanted or needed to play certain ornaments such as trills or turns you'd adapt very quickly to using them.

But OTOH you could go through life happily never using them if you find you don't actually need them. No problem.

 

[B Flat]

I'm feeling a little better now, knowing I'm not completely strange.
I just had a bit of a play around trying to use those keys specifically and found the side Bflat pretty comfortable.
The side C still doesn't really gel with me, even though the note does seems to sound a little better than the other fingering.
I will have to work at it more though because the transition from Bb to C using the Bis key and middle finger C sometimes sound a slight C#
if not tonging the notes.

 

[SaxPunter]

I prefer bis but I use side Bb on "I feel good" much easier

 

[Captain Beeflat]

Purely preference; but there are times when use of the side C in particular, is smoother. I too , seldom use the side keys....at the same time, I know an elderly full time pro who never uses the bis...always the side keys....the choice is yours.

 

[Peterogping]

I'm feeling a little better now, knowing I'm not completely strange.
I just had a bit of a play around trying to use those keys specifically and found the side Bflat pretty comfortable.
The side C still doesn't really gel with me, even though the note does seems to sound a little better than the other fingering.
I will have to work at it more though because the transition from Bb to C using the Bis key and middle finger C sometimes sound a slight C#
if not tonging the notes.

You are not alone in feeling that the side C sounds a bit better. I read somwhere that the old guys used to call it "Ballad C" preferring it for beautiful sound.

 

[B Flat]

You are not alone in feeling that the side C sounds a bit better. I read somwhere that the old guys used to call it "Ballad C" preferring it for beautiful sound.

Yes, it sounds a little more open or clear to me.
Makes the other C seem stuffy in comparison.
Not so with the side Bb though.

 

[TMadness1013]

You might be able to "clean up" your technique a bit if you can work to incorporate the side C & side Bb in certain situations. I use both in the chromatic scale. Why flip your index & middle fingers when going from B to C when you can make minimal movement and touch the side C? It's all about finding the way to use the least amount of effort possible.

If unsure which fingering is best in a given situation, try trilling between the notes using the different sets of fingerings. Whichever is smoother is likely the best choice. (ex. try trilling from A up to Bb using bis, then try trilling A up to Bb using side key)

 

[jlima]

Someone whose nickname is B Flat MUST be able to play Bb in every conceivable way, including the side key option.

 

[smonkman]

So I'm a little strange in that I really don't ever use my side Bb or C keys.
I've got nothing against them, I just tend to favour my second finger C and my Bis key fingering.
Generally I'm pretty happy with that arrangement and can get around pretty well with it, but I feel a little
odd about it all.
Am I the only one out there that is side key handicapped?
Or are there others with this strange disorder?(at the border).

How do you play the bis key? With 2 fingers or 1?

 

[wheels410]

To me, it just depends on the passage. I play whatever feels most comfortable for that particular piece of music. I'll even go back and forth sometimes trying to decide which I like best. My advice would be to not leave out the possibility. Stay open to it. You might just find that a side key works well for you some time.

Jeff

 

[MartinMusicMan]

I never use the bis key, always the side Bb. But I never use side C. I never learned to use the bis or side C when I started out and it's hard to change now. I have to force myself to think about using them, which of course slows me down and makes me stumble.

Edit: I wish I learned to use them early on. Then I'd have more flexibility. I learned to play clarinet first so I just adapted my clarinet fingering to sax.

 

[Fader]

I use the side C when I absolutely have to. There are passages that simply don't "clean-up" well without it. I use the side Bb almost exclusively. Like MMM, I wasn't taught these fingerings when I began playing so I never really learned them until I found a need for them.

 

[Bubba06]

For what it's worth, my teacher, a retired professor, always makes the point that my new professor will insist I use side C a lot of the time. He says, "It's the academically accepted way of doing it. But everyone does their own thing post-college."

-Bubba-

 

[MartinMusicMan]

I just realized I do use the side C. Do you mean the RH pinky key at the bottom? I learned fingering on clarinet, so I learned that fingering only worked on the low register. On sax I would just use it on C1. Years ago, I accidentally went from D2 down to C2 using the RH pinky key (as if I was playing D1 down to C1). I discovered it works fine, although that fingering for C is a little sharper than the middle finger C. Now I do it a lot. It's a good alternative, especially if you're trilling or going down to C2 from above and back up fast.

Edit: excuse me if I've said this wrong. It's hard to write about something that's automatic in my hands and head. I don't always know the proper names for things.

 

[B Flat]

How do you play the bis key? With 2 fingers or 1?

Only one. I roll onto it from b natural.

 

[B Flat]

I just realized I do use the side C. Do you mean the RH pinky key at the bottom? I learned fingering on clarinet, so I learned that fingering only worked on the low register. On sax I would just use it on C1. Years ago, I accidentally went from D2 down to C2 using the RH pinky key (as if I was playing D1 down to C1). I discovered it works fine, although that fingering for C is a little sharper than the middle finger C. Now I do it a lot. It's a good alternative, especially if you're trilling or going down to C2 from above and back up fast.

Edit: excuse me if I've said this wrong. It's hard to write about something that's automatic in my hands and head. I don't always know the proper names for things.

The key I mean isn't the one used for low C but the one you use the side of your right index finger to actuate.

 

[MartinMusicMan]

The key I mean isn't the one used for low C but the one you use the side of your right index finger to actuate.

That's what I thought you meant. So I'm offering a new thought: you can use the RH pinky low C key to also play C2.