Giving Igor the Finger…

The opening solo to Sacre is made easier by understanding how to use that middle finger…

After hundreds of hours of practice, you will occasionally want to offer a gesture of disdain for this challenging passage. Here are two exercises for finger technique that improve the control of the opening C as well as refine the execution of the grace notes. 

Many of you will be told to use a ‘half-hole’ with the second finger to make the opening high C entrance with confidence.  That half hole works by lowering the pitch of the C, but why does it improve the clarity of the attack?  It’s all in our embouchure response.  Here is a practice routine that will help you understand the acoustical and psychological advantages of the second finger tact…

Feel free to skip the following obnoxiously nerdy section…

Modern wind instruments and their proliferation of pads has given us enormous chromatic possibilities, but tone bending is a real art.  However, the five open tone holes on a modern bassoon allow us to use gradual finger motions to achieve the following glissandi/portamenti [in the fundamental range first]:

• F3 to E3 half-step
• E3 to D3 whole-step
• D3 to C3 whole step
• C3 to B2 half-step
• B2 to A2 whole-step

The two half steps work pretty well, the whole steps are more challenging.  As we move over the break, the options are reduced:

• F4 is almost impossible to sound as a 2nd partial bore resonance, which is to say – you can’t really play tenor F without a cross fingering [which utilizes a 3rd partial bore resonance…]
• tenor E [F4] will work on a bassoon but it’s quite weak.  However, we use it all the time for D/E trill in the tenor register.  A gradual closing and opening of the second tone hole is worth trying.
• D4 to C4 – you can certainly try using your 3rd finger to find a glissandi between D4 and D4.  The problem is is the very small diameter of the D tone hole and the presence of the ring.  Good luck…
• C4 to B3 is a very easy glissandi.  You master it by learning to feel the tip of your right hand first finger as it slights across the open tone hole.
• B3 to A3 is not much of an option due to the presence of the ring.

• Play a long tone on high C 
• Slowly close the E tone hole [it’s the largest of the three holes…] with a side to centre motion, not from the top or the bottom
• The pitch will gradually drop from high C to high B
• Slide the finger back open
• Slowly and evenly lower and raise the pitch a full half step
• Don’t adjust your embouchure yet
• Pay attention to the quality and volume of the tone – keep it the same!
• Here are the fingerings…

High B fingering

As you develop a familiarity with the relationship between the finger slide and the pitch drop, you can start practicing gentle high C attacks.  Here is the magic…a flatter pitch C fingering demands a bit more embouchure pressure, which in turn begins to eliminate some of the unwanted little harmonics at the beginning of the sound.  And the extra resistance of the partially closed E tone hole gives us something to blow against, building confidence in the quality and the timing of the ‘attack’.  The ideal solution for many is to practice these soft entrances with breath only.  Repeat a soft breath attack over and over, experimenting with very slight shifts in the amount of tone hole being covered.  Finally, practice gradually opening the half-hole second finger as you develop the sonority of the opening high C. 

One of the key challenges of playing the Sacre opening is controlling the speed of the grace notes.  But why is this such a prevalent problem?  It’s because the motion of the second finger while closing an open tone hole is never as acoustically efficient as a pad!

• Practice the opening four notes of the solo down a fifth, starting on tenor F and making the grace note E/F/E using the G key in the right hand
• Notice the clarity?  
• Observe how easy it is to get the ‘right’ speed for the mordant?
• A well sealing pad makes the note change precise both closing and opening
• The goal is to make fingers on open tone holes sound this clear
• Now practice opening solo down an octave starting on C and making the grace notes B/C/B with right hand first finger.  This will deliver a more precise mordant – even though it’s an open hole – because the first finger function on your dominant hand is almost universally quicker than the middle finger on your weaker hand.  And…the C tone hole on the boot is a smaller diameter than the E tone hole on the wing
• Experimenting with mordants utilizing pads will attune your ear to the kind of clarity that you need to achieve in the high B/C/B operation
• The size and shape of fingers varies hugely among players.  Those with more delicate hands have a more difficult challenge than those with larger and flatter fingertips.

Christopher Millard is the former Principal Bassoon for Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra.