crossfingering

Crossfingering is a technique in wind instrument playing in which a player uses nonstandard fingerings—often partial holes, half-holes, or alternative key combinations—to produce a given pitch. The practice is most commonly discussed in relation to instruments with fixed fingerings and many holes, such as recorders, flutes, and other woodwinds, but it also appears in instruments like clarinets, saxophones, and ocarinas. Cross fingerings are typically learned from specialized fingering charts and performance notes.

The primary purposes of crossfingering are to achieve chromatic notes more smoothly, improve intonation in certain keys or registers, or facilitate rapid passages where standard fingerings would require awkward hand movements. They can also be used to produce microtonal variants or alternate tonal qualities, offering players additional control over tone and phrasing. The exact fingering and its effects vary by instrument, make, and individual performer, so cross fingerings are highly instrument-specific.

Technique and notation vary by tradition. In pedagogy and repertoire, players consult fingering charts that indicate alternate patterns, sometimes annotated in performance notes or technique sections of method books. On some instruments, cross fingerings can alter timbre as well as pitch, which players weigh against the stability of standard fingerings.

Limitations include inconsistent pitch accuracy across instruments, a steeper learning curve, and potential intonation drift. Cross fingering is generally considered a specialized skill used in particular musical contexts rather than a universal substitute for standard fingerings.

See also: fingerings, half-hole techniques, microtonality, wind-instrument pedagogy.