How to guide
1. Search by fingering
Click the keys of any fingering to search for all its predicted notes and multiphonics.
Click on the edge of ring keys to press the ring while leaving its hole uncovered.
Then click “Search” and The Virtual Clarinet displays the predicted notes and the top predictions of two-note or three-note combinations audible as multiphonics. See Search by multiphonic for more about multiphonic predictions.
Results legend
- The predicted ease of playability, from most playable to least playable
- Notes which are predicted to have a dark, or dull timbre
- Top predictions of two-note or three-note combinations audible as multiphonics
2. Search by note
Select a written note to search for an alternative fingering, microtone or trill candidate.
This tool allows you to find alternative fingerings that may:
- Have intonation that differs from the standard fingering
- Have different timbre from the standard fingering
- Play microtones
- Be useful in fast passages or trills
- Be easier to play in certain contexts
The number of fingerings for notes ranges from a couple (for E3) to several thousand (e.g. for C#6). Depending on musical context, you may wish to filter fingerings by requiring certain keys, i.e. specifying which keys you want to hold down, or excluding certain keys, those that would be inconvenient to touch.
You can rank fingerings by the following criteria:
- Intonation (default): ordered by the deviation in cents (whether sharp or flat) from the standard note frequency
- Playability: ordered from most playable to least playable
- Darkness: ordered from most dark, or dull
to most bright in timbre
Finding microtones
Use the half-flat 
and half-sharp 
accidental buttons to search directly for quarter tones.
Finding trills
For a trill fingering, include the pressed keys from one note (such as a standard fingering) in the search of the other note.
3. Search by multiphonic
Select two or three written notes to search for a multiphonic fingering.
Each fingering plays a handful of notes and may also produce multiphonics. Not all pairs or groups of notes can be played simultaneously. The top predicted fingerings that produce audible multiphonics appear first and are marked with a icon.
You can rank fingerings by the following criteria:
- Playability (default): ordered by a combination of the individual note playabilities of the multiphonic
- Intonation: ordered by a combination of the individual note deviations from the standard note frequencies
Unconventional clarinet finger positions
Ring-only positions operate a ring while leaving its hole uncovered. These positions may be useful for some alternative, microtonic and multiphonic fingerings.
On the interactive graphic for The Virtual Clarinet, pressed ring-only keys have a thicker outline. When you search for alternative, microtonic or multiphonic fingerings, the search will normally not return fingerings using unconventional finger positions. Selecting “Allow unconventional finger positions” includes ring-only positions and other unconventional combinations in these searches.
In addition to ring-only positions, there are many fingerings that are difficult to finger because they simply include too many pressed keys. Ensuring that the “Allow unconventional finger positions” option is not selected will remove these fingerings from the search results.
A note on clarinet models
How well will The Virtual Clarinet work for your particular instrument?
Most modern clarinets can be played using the same fingering, because their key systems and tone hole placings and sizes are fairly similar. For the same reason, The Virtual Clarinet will work for most clarinets. However, just as the intonation or ease of playing may vary slightly from one instrument to another, The Virtual Clarinet's predictions may have small errors for your instrument. (The predictions of The Virtual Clarinet are based on a Yamaha YCL-CX1 Bb clarinet.)