Sax Fingerings

[2Dog]

Three octaves would be great and using R4 for a few notes would limit the learning curve for me.

[2Dog]

Just got my order so I can start to experiment. I was assuming you can use over-blow and register change at the same time on the thumb hole so now I can test that.

[admin]

No, you currently can only choose one option to change the register, unless the fingering pattern explicitly uses the thumb hole (there aren't currently examples of that, but if I add a sax fingering I include the thumb hole as part of the pattern, and then you would be able to get two octaves with the thumb and a third by overblowing. Would you want to email me a chart with exactly what you have in mind and I can take a look?

[2Dog]

I will work on that this week. Want to try the existing ones to see what makes sense. I will create a document linking the note on the staff with the proposed fingering. If you have a blank template please send it to me.

[admin]

I don’t have a blank template, but something like that chart you linked earlier would be great. Thanks!

[2Dog]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DvWxnu ... sp=sharing Proposed sax-like finger covering the sax range and then some on both ends using the back hole for octave change and over-blow for another octave. Suggest the software allow for transpose to any key and that the 3 buttons could be mapped to any key like one for Eb, another for Bb and the third for C. The current fingerings offered are limited to acoustic instruments and us sax and clarinet guys need full chromatics for several octaves. (just noticed an error on the chart below low G#. I will either come up with alternative fingerings or limit the range to low G#) This would be an issue for clarinet as they go down to E. Their lower register is fingered differently than a sax so if I work up a clarinet fingering chart I will try to come up with a way to get down to E. The sax chart high range is ok for clarinet. Revised chart to only go down to G# which would be an issue for clarinet as they go down to E. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17BLBY_ ... sp=sharing I could extend the range using over-blow without the back button but that may not be initiative to play.

[admin]

Thanks! It looks good to me. I’ll try to get to this this week. I’m not sure if I would add the button functionality as that would be more of a major rewrite and my space on the microcontroller is limited so I need to be a little selective about what. However, you could have similar functionality by having three different instruments in three keys, and using buttons to switch between instruments. Or you might be able to use a CC command to switch keys in whatever MIDI app you’re using. Or you could set buttons to semitone shift up/down, but of course you have to press them repeatedly.

[2Dog]

I am excited. Once we nail the sax we can work on the clarinet and you may have the only wind controller for clarinet on the market. Clarinet will be a challenge and it does have similarities to the sax but in one register only. Not thinking we can get the full range but I do think we can get enough to make it marketable. Clarinet players already have the concept of covering holes unlike us sax players. I double on both.

[admin]

For anyone who wants to try it, the new sax fingering suggested in this thread is available in the attached firmware version. Once you install it, the sax option will appear in the Configuration Tool. I haven't written a clean version of the chart yet, but in a nutshell it gives you 3 1/2 chromatic octaves and works like this:

-The right ring finger is used to reach the lowest few notes
-The right pinky sharpens notes to make accidentals that aren’t elsewhere in the chart, i.e. D#, G#, etc.
-The left thumb is used to switch between the lower two octaves
-Covering the thumb hole and also overblowing reaches the third octave.

This might be useful to concert flute players etc. too, as it's similar...

[2Dog]

Just learning the Sax fingering for a few days. Recorded this on ipad mini using Sampletank cello sound. WARBL was played with boda bag and PUC+ BTLE wireless midi to ipad. Just wanted to demo the range, staccato and octave switching using back thumb hole and over-blow. It is musical gibberish at this point but coming along. I could never do this with any wind instrument that I have played. Recorded this with ear phones and no noticeable latency. https://soundcloud.com/michael-homan-89 ... -fingering Sounds are much better on Mac but I am sticking with ios devices due to portability issues.