(Repost from discord)
The fingerings discussion reminded me of this video:
Clearly she went against how the instrument is designed to be played.
But it makes me think, if someone had used an uncommon alternate fingering all the time, even in places it doesn't make sense, would I consider that "wrong" or not.
I guess she is familiar with wind instrument fingerings, but not ocarina. Watching the video, she is mostly lifting fingers sequentially from right to left, which is a common pattern on flute and other wind instruments.
But she is lifting the left pinky in linear sequence, instead of the ring finger. Beginners typically do that when they have not been taught the correct fingerings. The fingerings above A seem to have been created by putting down other fingers, to find combinations that produce the correct pitch.
While the fingerings she is using are uncommon, they are not hindering her performance in this case. The music being created is ultimately the goal, and the performance sounds good.
I do think it is a good idea to learn the correct fingerings because they serve as a good baseline. If someone is using alternate fingerings as they clearly don't know the correct fingerings, one may want to mention this to a player.
Lifting the pinky sequentially is arguably a bad idea, as it tends to cause the A to sound sharp. It also changes how the instrument is supported, as the pinky is designed to be a support point.
It is a nuanced topic though. Ocarinas do have the advantage of permitting a more diverse range of fingerings, vs other wind instruments, because of how the air in the whole chamber oscillates.
Alternative fingerings can be used deliberately to make a sequence of notes easier to play. From that perspective, a fingering is only objectively wrong if it makes the player's life harder for no reason, or creates intonation problems.
It is also possible to use alternate fingerings plus breath control to vary note loudness. In such a case the fingering's can't be 'incorrect', because they are a deliberate choice. I don't think that was the intent of the video author though.
A lot of times I'll find a wacky fingering that's in tune and technically a bit easier in a certain context, but decide not to use it.
It will have to be a lot easier for me to use it instead of a more common one I'm already used to. The mental load of having different fingerings for different pieces is sometimes not worth it, I think.
Dynamics is a valid reason to use different fingerings imo.
Also, having a fixed set of fingerings trained deeply into muscle memory makes the player's job easier. They are good enough in most cases, and removes the need to think about what fingers need to be moved to perform some note sequence.
I agree.
If you're selective about it, under what cases do you consider alternative fingerings to be worthwhile?
If I can't play a passage reliably or as intended with the written articulation / directions in the score is when I'll start looking for alternatives. The problems is, this depends on my skill as a player.
I think beginners should learn more common alternate fingerings to improve their skill before exploring obscure ones that might be easier in some cases.
I agree. Also, the 'proper' fingerings may become viable as a player gains experiance, especially beginners.