[honkytone]

I've never quite known what this term means. Is it any stand alone key, such as a side key, that has it's own perpendicular pivot? I noticed a reference to forked palm keys on a soprano, as distinct from inline keys (a la Mark VI soprano) and assume that's what's meant.

 

[Dave Dolson]

Honkytone: Yes, that's how I use the term . . . applied to the stand-alone palm keys (from 'nino to bass, I suppose), but mostly on sopranos, only because some sops have the inline style of the MKVI, VI-clones, and early Conns. I don't recall seeing that inline design on anything other than sops. DAVE

 

[martysax]

A Forked Key?

That means something totally diffent heah in Bahsten.

If I have one, I bring it to Emilio.

 

[kavala]

One that is damaged beyond repair :twisted:

 

[honkytone]

Honkytone: Yes, that's how I use the term . . . applied to the stand-alone palm keys (from 'nino to bass, I suppose), but mostly on sopranos, only because some sops have the inline style of the MKVI, VI-clones, and early Conns. I don't recall seeing that inline design on anything other than sops. DAVE

Thanks for that, Dave. I wonder why the word "fork" to describe that configuration? Seems a little odd to me.

 

[mostly alto guy]

It also refers to specialized fingerings, such as the old-fashioned way of achieving E-flat by fingering D with the middle finger raised (thus forming a "fork"). Many of us have pre-50s horns that are configured to do this and have a secondary vent which opens to bring the fingering into tune--"forked E-flat." Recorder and Irish whistle players rely heavily on such fingerings (and of course all that half-hole magic they do).

 

[Agent27]

I only use the term for the "fork" F# ie, the alternate/chromatic F# key in the low and middle octaves. I guess this is similar to the above post because you're using the 1st and 3rd fingers of the right hand making a "fork".

 

[Dave Dolson]

Well, the original question was about forked keys, so I think my answer was still valid. However, I agree with MAG and Agent27 that if the question was about fingering, the alternate Bb L1 and R1 or R2, etc. would apply.

Honkytone, I think the use of the term "forked" to describe soprano palm keys comes from their design . . . three individual touches and levers forked out from the horn's body. DAVE

 

[martysax]

"When you get to the Fork in the road, take it!"






"If you don't know where
you are going, you might wind up someplace else!"


-Yogi Berra (both)

 

[Saxplayer67]

'Forked key' is an expletive uttered by a repairer when they can't get a key back on the sax. Well, it sounds similar...

Or... you must have seen that western movie, where the ***** saxophonist says to the cowboy saxophonist 'white man play with forked key'. Apologies if that last seems non-PC to Native Americans.

 

[honkytone]

Excellent descriptions, Dave, Mostly Alto Guy, and Agent27. Many thanks. All makes sense now.

 

[saxmusicguy]

Thanks for that, Dave. I wonder why the word "fork" to describe that configuration? Seems a little odd to me.

Yes, I wondered this too.

It also refers to specialized fingerings, such as the old-fashioned way of achieving E-flat by fingering D with the middle finger raised (thus forming a "fork").

This makes sense. It corroborates some information found here.

Honkytone, I think the use of the term "forked" to describe soprano palm keys comes from their design . . . three individual touches and levers forked out from the horn's body. DAVE

Perhaps, although this explanation is less convincing.

 

[Dave Dolson]

Wow, this is an old thread. Let me expand a bit . . . the word "forked" when I used it to describe the independent left palm keys on any saxophone is mine . . . at least I had not heard those types of left-palm keys described any other way. Without remembering what to call them in writing, I chose the descriptor "forked" to differentiate from the Selmer/Conn soprano-style in-line palm keys.

But I've also heard of the term FORKED being used for years to describe the fingerings on the stack such as alternate Bb (L1 and R1 or R2); or the vintage "forked Eb" which used to be built into vintage saxophones and sounded Eb when the player put down R1 and R3, leaving R2 raised. This all was discussed above.

Another way to look at it is the way one's fingers play the right-hand stack - fingers being slightly bent as opposed to more straight on a clarinet . . . thus the fingers are bent and in some circumstances look like the bent tines of a fork. Oh geez . . . DAVE

 

[Chris Peryagh]

Forked fingerings are usually when fingers 1 and 3 are used together on either right or left hand so the sounding note issues from the tonehole left open in between them - only on some altissimo notes are true forked fingerings used. Forked fingerings are mostly found on earlier instruments with only a few keys and simple system instruments such as recorders, Baroque flutes and oboes, Classical era clarinets, fifes and they're also still employed on simple and modern German and Oehler system clarinets, German bassoons and modern oboes - Boehm system flutes and clarinets have pretty much eradicated forked fingerings and as saxes are largely based on the Boehm principle, they too have pretty much eradicated forked fingerings.

F# on saxes when played with the cross key isn't (by definition) really a forked note, even though it's played with RH 1 and 3 as the F# issues from the tonehole at the back (above the thumbhook) and there aren't any toneholes closed below it (the E and C# toneholes are too far away to count), whereas F# with the normal fingering (xxx|oxo) is in essence a forked note as there's a tonehole closed below the one the F# issues from. Likewise with C when played with LH2 only (oxo|ooo). Saxes fitted with the forked Eb mechanism do use the forked fingering (xxx|xox), but again the Eb produced this way isn't by definition a true forked note as it's issuing from a tonehole near the usual Eb tonehole with another tonehole open below it and not issuing from a tonehole that's left open between RH fingers 1 and 3.

Another meaning of forked keys refers to the connection or linkage between two parts of a mechanism, such as the side Bb and C keys which are linked by forks at the ends of the key arms to the projecting pins on their respective pad cups (eg. Yamaha saxes up to and including the 82Z, Selmer SBA, SA80II and SIII and Yanagisawa saxes among many others). The front F touchpiece on Yamaha 62 sopranos has a fork linkage in it to connect it to the rocker that lifts the high F key.

 

[Souportwenty]

G#/Ab. I really have to shed on this one more and whenever I play with guitar bands that tune down 1/2 step, I find that key can sometimes be forked for me.

 

[clarnibass]

A "forked key" is how people in some areas in the UK call keys after they get bend, etc.

 

[Dog Pants]

Is it possible that the Op misheard "Forged" as forked???

 

[cvsimson]

You use your Forked Key with this one here:

http://craziestgadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/key-pocket-knife.jpg