"False Fingerings"

[Rich]

I've seen in a couple of study books something called "False fingerings" and wondered what is the point in them? For example they say to play an E with an additional key but still sounds an E. Does anyone know what the point in this is and how useful they actually are in real life?

[Ritchie]

False Fingerings give a different sound. Gives you more variety for expression in real life.

[singlereed]

You can hear quite a lot of this in Maceo Parker's playing - use of one or two notes quite rhythmically, one very effective note is A in the second octave, add one or more of the RH fingers and you will see. Actually, false fingerings usually alter the pitch slightly and some players use them for tuning adjustment, and of course extreme examples are used to create quarter- and micro-tones in some classical music. I played bari in a sax choir in which we added the C# key to a low D (IIRC) to create a didgeridoo sound.

[Tim Price]

Please go to the source- PREZ!!! 8)
One of his most used techniques of Prez was his use of “false fingerings”: discovering that some notes could be produced using more than one set of finger positions, resulting in different densities of sound. He would repeat a single pitch making it sound like several different notes

Check out the " Kansas City Six" where yuo'll hear “Three Little Words”; and “Jo-Jo.” “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans”, chock full of these.
Another master- was Lockjaw Davis ! 8) The best!!!
LISTEN TO PREZ :!:

[eagle 0 four]

False fingerings are great, but you have to know how to use them. for example there are like 5 ways to play a B flat. You use a specific fingering depending on several factors.

First is tone, if you are playing a sustained note do your normal fingering because it will tend to be more intune...but there are always exceptions to teh rule...like C sharp, putting down teh second right hand side key or putting down all of teh right hand will alter the tone and help you tune. this is especially important for classical playing (not sure about jazz). It is always best to play with a tuner every now and then to see if your notes are in tune and this will also help to train your ear so you will be able to adjust with your jaw better.

Second, you sometimes use flase fingerings in runs because they make it easier to play...for example you play an alt F sharp (use your right hand ring finger and push down the side key that is right there while using an F natural fingering) when you are doing a chromatic scale just because the transition from F sharp to F natural is smother (all you do is lift your ring finger) you don't hear the flip between teh keys.

Third, this is mostly for classical music i think, when you are playing a really soft exposed piece you don't want to hear the clanging of keys, "fake" fingerings can reduse the noise between notes. for example you can hold down the G sharp key when doing A's and F's and several of the notes around G, and the tone won't be altered too much, this way if you are going up and down in that note range you don't hear the left pinkie keys flopping up and down.

[John Laughter]

Rich, some additional info which may be a dup of above. Hope it helps.

Alternate fingering can be used to obtain a “double tone” (trumpet w/ mute on and off the bell) type of effect that is popular in a lot of solos. Some examples;

1. Play a 3rd space C then finger a Low C with or w/o the octave key and go back and forth.
2. Play a high A then close the right hand D, E and F keys and back and forth.
3. Play a 4th line D and maintain the fingering while opening/closing the left D palm key.
4. Play a 3rd line bis Bb then finger a low Bb with or w/o the octave key back and forth.
5. Play a 3rd space C# then go to the low C# fingering with or w/o the octave key. (You can get a little grit in the tone w/o the octave key by dropping the jaw to get a split octave.)

The small variance of intonation between the above alternate notes help to make the effect.

Other alternate fingerings can be used to help when speed and clean fingerings needed, especially in classical or fast jazz passages;

To play a first space or fifth line F to F# trill, play F then press the alt. F# key that is under the right palm with the 3rd finger. Or, to play F to F# to G real fast or G to F# to F, use the the F# alt. key with the 3rd finger. This will help stop the “crossing noise” that can be produced by uneven fingering that is common with fast F to F# to F fingering.
The same key can be used to play E to F to F# in a fast passage.

There are 3 basic fingerings for Bb;
1. B and A keys with the bottom side key of the 3 keys under the right palm,
2. the first finger of both hands,
3. and the B key with the bis key.

To make a smooth change from F to Bb, use the bis key (pearl key between the B and A keys. Finger F then release all fingers except the B key and bis key. Press both keys with the left pointing finger. Or you can go from F to Bb by fingering Bb with the first finger of each hand. Play F then raise the G and A finger.
To go from B to C and stop the “crossing noise”, play B then press the middle key of the 3 palm keys under the right hand, i.e. the side key above the side Bb key.

Middle C to D can also present a problem with crossing noise if you have a rapid passage back and forth. Many players will leave the right hand D, E and F keys down when going back and forth from D to C real quick. This takes away a lot of key action and noise.

There are many more “alternate” fingering and perhaps some of the board members can suggest a good book. Most of what I learned was taught to me during my classical studies which really helped in other styles of music. I have some additional info if you need it. JSAXL@aol.com