What's your Favorite Alternate Fingering?

[TheJH]

The 6th partial TC F is also sharp on my 4-valve Sovereign, but it's pretty much in tune when played with 1-3. My F# is pretty accurate so no need for alternates there. A is also perfect in tune so no need to use 3 there. Other than that, on my Willson I use 3 for that high TC A, and C# and D above that are just 0 or 1 and 2 respectively and seeing what sticks becaise those notes just refuse to center

[aroberts781]

Thanks Franz, that was very useful information for me!

[Snorlax]

I like 1 for the F# above middle C.
Comes in handy for Festive Overture.

[franz]

I like 1 for the F# above middle C.
Comes in handy for Festive Overture.

Great! I had never thought about it. Too bad, Festive Overture was on last year's program and Ab between two Gb is much easier with 1 than with 2-3 (treble clef).

[NLeuph]

I like 1 for the F# above middle C.
Comes in handy for Festive Overture.

Yes that is one of my favorites! Also 1-3 for 6th partial Eb. And sometimes 1-2 for A above that instead of 2.

[ghmerrill]

Mine would probably be 4th valve for low C (in the staff - bass clef). Instead of 1&3. Second would probably be 1&2 for G in the staff.

I use the 4th valve for C both for intonation and technique purposes. The 1&2 for G is primarily for intonation (and usually on notes with some sort of "longer" duration).

Totally with you on this, but surprised that you even consider these alternate fingerings -- although maybe I'm incorrectly reading "alternate" as "non-primary". Also, the C in the bass clef staff can't be low C, can it? I mean ... it's in the staff. ��

[John Morgan]

Totally with you on this, but surprised that you even consider these alternate fingerings -- although maybe I'm incorrectly reading "alternate" as "non-primary". Also, the C in the bass clef staff can't be low C, can it? I mean ... it's in the staff. ��

Well, it's lower than the next higher C.

I do almost consider 4th valve as the primary choice for "C in the staff". I can't think of many situations where I use 1&3. I have even integrated 4th valve into chromatic scales and play the low B 2&4 followed by 4 for the C that is pretty low and next to the 2&4 B.

In the Herbert L. Clarke version of "Carnival of Venice", in variation 1 in the second half where the solo goes down to "C in the staff" about 4 times, I use 4 for that C. I have seen Brian Bowman do the same thing. Not sure whose idea that was or who did it first, but I did it before I saw him doing it. I wonder if he teaches that. When I learned this solo in the 8th grade (5 hours a day for the better part of the entire school year), my fingers always felt clumsy/awkward on that line when I used 1&3, but I only had a student baritone and no 4th valve. It still took me a goodly while to learn to play that variation to speed using the 4th valve for the C that is lower than some of the other C's.

[58mark]

The only alternate fingering I use on my E3 is 1-2 for the D above the staff

[ghmerrill]

Well, it's lower than the next higher C.

Somehow I knew you were going to go with that.

Not sure whose idea that was or who did it first, ...

I can't even speculate on that. But it seems to have become the most popular approach on compensating 4-valve euphoniums. It seems that most of the fingering charts I've seen for the comp horns list it as "4 or 1-3". Not so for the non-comp horns, and I definitely don't use 4 any more than I have to on my old 4-valve non-comp oval horn.

[RickF]

I never thought of the 4th valve being an alternate fingering for low ‘C’ concert either.
I use 3rd valve all the time for ‘G’ concert in the staff as it’s really necessary on the M5050 horn as it’s the sharpest note on the horn. I use 1-2 sometimes for ‘D’ concert above the staff. For instance we’re working up “The Cowboys” overture by (John Williams; arr. James Curnow) and there are a few slurred 16th passages of ‘F’ to ‘D’ in a few places at a bright tempo. First valve really helps in Festive Overture for the high ‘G’ flat concert.