10 Ways to Play Scales on the Clarinet - wikiHow (2025)

Table of Contents
Learn about flats, sharps, and key signatures. Listen to scales. Learn the B flat major scale. Learn the Eb, Ab, and F scale. Practice the Db, C, and G scale. Learn the Gb, D, A, E, and B scales. Increase your scales by 2 octaves. Learn to play 3 octaves. Learn the chromatic scale. Learn the natural minor and other scales. Community Q&A Tips Warnings Things You'll Need You Might Also Like References About This Article Did this article help you? References
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IN THIS ARTICLE

1Learn about flats, sharps, and key signatures.

2Listen to scales.

3Learn the B flat major scale.

4Learn the Eb, Ab, and F scale.

5Practice the Db, C, and G scale.

6Learn the Gb, D, A, E, and B scales.

7Increase your scales by 2 octaves.

8Learn to play 3 octaves.

9Learn the chromatic scale.

10Learn the natural minor and other scales.

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Tips and Warnings

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Last Updated: October 14, 2024References

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Playing scales on the clarinet will help you get used to different key signatures and help expand your musical knowledge. Scales are extremely important in music. An example would be in the Chaconne movement in Gustav Holst's First Suite in Eb, in which there is an eighth note (quaver) run in the clarinet part that is essentially an Eb scale. Scales are used in most music, and scales are also necessary for most auditions. Memorizing the 12 major scales is always a great thing to do.

1

Learn about flats, sharps, and key signatures.

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  1. Recognize flats and sharps, and understand key signatures. Flats make the notes sound a half step (semi-tone|) lower and sharps make them sound a half step (semi-tone) higher. Study your fingering chart, and refer to it if you come across a note you are not familiar with. Also be aware of notes that have two names -- for example, F# and Gb are the same, G# and Ab, etc. This will be important to know on that harder scales.

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2

Listen to scales.

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  1. Get a feel of how a scale sounds.[1] A good musician can tell if they've played a wrong note immediately, even if they've never played a certain scale before. There's a pattern or half and whole steps that you should be able to recognize without even thinking about it.

3

Learn the B flat major scale.

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  1. Begin by practicing the B flat major scale.[2] Since the clarinet is a transposing instrument, it actually starts and ends on C (to play it one octave, start on below-the-staff C and end on third space C). All the notes in this scale are played natural. This is also a good scale to learn if you're just learning to "cross the break" -- get from the second space A to B natural and above.

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See Also
The 6 Essential Major Scales to Play on the Clarinet (with Sheet Music and Audio Accompaniment)

4

Learn the Eb, Ab, and F scale.

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  1. Practice the other "basic" scales. The “basic” scales are the scales that occur most often in music you will play. These are the Eb scale[3] (starts on F, one flat, the one octave scale is just a matter of lifting fingers), the Ab scale [4](starts on Bb, two flats), and the F scale (starts on G, one sharp).

5

Practice the Db, C, and G scale.

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  1. Learn the next few scales, which some directors call the "intermediate" scales. These scales are often played for auditions, if the requirement is to play 7 scales, so they're important to know. These are the Db scale[5] (starts on Eb, 3 flats), the C scale[6] (starts on D, 2 sharps), and the G scale[7] (starts on A, 3 sharps). Starting to see a pattern here?

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6

Learn the Gb, D, A, E, and B scales.

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  1. Learn the last 5 major scales, which are the most difficult. These scales are: the Gb scale (starts on Ab, 4 flats), the D scale (starts on E, 4 sharps), the A scale (starts on B, 5 sharps), the E scale (starts on F#, 6 sharps), and the B scale (starts on Db, 5 flats).

7

Increase your scales by 2 octaves.

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  1. Learn to play scales 2 octaves.[8] This will definitely increase your chances of doing well in auditions, and is also a good way to work on high notes. Most scales can be played 2 octaves without any of the highest notes (above-the-staff C# and up), with the exceptions of the C and B scales.

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8

Learn to play 3 octaves.

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  1. Once you've mastered 2 octaves, work on playing 3 octaves. This is a great way to work on the highest notes on the clarinet, and again, octaves make all the difference in auditions. Some scales are very difficult (almost impossible -- that would be the C and B scales) to play a third octave, so it's best to start with the ones that start the first octave the lowest -- the D, Eb E, and F scales.

9

Learn the chromatic scale.

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  1. The chromatic scale is an important part of auditions. It is also very useful for getting your fingering chart into your head. A chromatic scale can start on any note, and it covers the whole range. Typically, clarinets start on G, but any note is fine. The scale pattern would be G, G#, A, A# (Bb), B, B# (C), and so on. It's basically just playing every single note on your fingering chart in order. Work on learning this scale 2 and 3 octaves as well. Another common pattern is from E (the lowest note on a standard clarinet) to E 3 octaves higher.

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10

Learn the natural minor and other scales.

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  1. Try different types of scales to increase your skills. Now that you can play all the major scales, try learning natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales, or even more obscure scales, like Romani scales. You can also work even more on your major scales by learning scales in 3rds, or purchasing a method book with scale exercises in it.

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  • Question

    What are the parts the clarinet?

    10 Ways to Play Scales on the Clarinet - wikiHow (23)

    Community Answer

    Mouthpiece, ligature, barrel, upper/lower sections and the bell are the parts of the clarinet.

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  • Question

    How can I memorize scales?

    10 Ways to Play Scales on the Clarinet - wikiHow (24)

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    You might want to buy a book of scales and practice them a lot. Quiz yourself on them or have a friend quiz you. You could also use flashcards.

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    What is the highest note on a clarinet?

    10 Ways to Play Scales on the Clarinet - wikiHow (25)

    Joseph_85

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    That is a written 4th ledger above the treble clef G for most players.

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      Tips

      • A good understanding of scale theory and the circle of fifths will make scales much easier -- you may not even need a scale sheet anymore.

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      • Your fingering chart is your best friend. Always have one handy... you'll use it often.

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      • When practicing difficult scales or high octaves, use tetrachords. Tetra means four, so this basically means practicing four notes at a time. Play the first four notes of the scale over and over, gradually increasing in speed until you can play them cleanly, then move on to the next four.

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      Number of Flats/SharpsFlat or Sharp Added
      1 flatBb
      2 flatsEb
      3 flatsAb
      4 flatsDb
      5 flatsGb
      1 sharpF#
      2 sharpsC#
      3 sharpsG#
      4 sharpsD#
      5 sharpsA#
      6 sharpsE#

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        Warnings

        • It is a fact of life that scales aren't the most exciting things in the world. You may get bored of scales for a while, which is normal -- play something else for a little bit, and then get back to your scales.

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        • When learning a scale, learn it by the notes, not the fingerings. If you only know a scale by memorizing the way your fingers move, you may be in trouble if someone asks you to start in a different place (in the case of the chromatic scale), or if you're auditioning and get distracted -- you'll have no idea where to pick back up, and you'll lose points for starting over.

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        Things You'll Need

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        10 Ways to Play Scales on the Clarinet - wikiHow (2025)

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