B♭4 Bass Clarinet Fingering
How to play B♭4 on the bass clarinet: Register key · A throat key.
Filled keys and holes in the diagram are the ones you press or cover. The thumb hole is on the back of the instrument, so it is drawn to the left; the clusters at the bottom are the pinky keys, and the wide key marked "Low E♭" is the bass clarinet's extension key, below the right-hand pinky keys.
Hear B♭4 and try the fingering
Pick an instrument and a note and the diagram updates instantly — filled keys are the ones you press. The same finder sits on every note page, pre-set to that note.
The B♭4 fingering, step by step
- Press the register key with your left thumb.
- Press the A throat key — one of the two small keys at the top of the upper joint, worked by the left hand.
In short: register key · A throat key.
Alternate fingering for B♭4
A throat key · trill key 2.
This is a trill fingering, used when moving quickly between A4 and B♭4.
About B♭4 on the bass clarinet
The throat tones are played at the top of the upper joint with very few fingers down. On the bass they need even more air support than on the soprano — with so little of a very large instrument involved, the airstream does most of the work.
B♭4 is the highest of the throat tones, and the note immediately before the break — the same step soprano players practise most, on a bigger instrument with longer key travel.
B♭4 is note 20 of the 34 in the full bass clarinet fingering chart, sitting between A4 below it and B4 above it.
Doubling from soprano clarinet? This is the same fingering as B♭4 on the clarinet — the Boehm fingerings are shared across the clarinet family, which is why the bass is the standard first double. Like every fingering on this site, it was checked against the Woodwind Fingering Guide's bass clarinet charts and Yamaha's official chart before publishing.
Practising B♭4
Practise this note long and slow. Throat tones need firm air support and a stable embouchure to stay in tune, because so few fingers are helping — and the bass needs noticeably more air than the soprano for the same written note.
Questions about B♭4
What is the fingering for B♭4 on bass clarinet?
Register key · A throat key. B♭4 is a throat register note on the bass clarinet. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
What does B♭4 sound like on a bass clarinet?
The bass clarinet is a transposing instrument in B♭ that sounds a major ninth below its written notes, so written B♭4 sounds as concert A♭3. When your band director asks for a concert A♭3, this is the note you finger.
Is there an alternate fingering for B♭4?
Yes — A throat key · trill key 2. This is a trill fingering, used when moving quickly between A4 and B♭4.
Think this fingering is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.