Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet.

Family of clarinets

Clarinets come in a range of different sizes. The most common varieties by far are the standard B♭ soprano and the A soprano, whose ranges are described above, followed by the B♭ Bass and the E♭ Sopranino. Clarinets other than the standard B flat and A clarinets are sometimes known as harmony clarinets. However, there are many differently-pitched clarinet types, some of which are very rare:

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• A♭ Piccolo - Very rare. Used only in Italian marching bands.
• E♭ Sopranino - Fairly common. Also affectionately called the "Eefer". Used in marching bands, wind ensembles, clarinet choirs and sometimes in orchestras to increase the upper range of the clarinet choir.
• D Sopranino - Rare. Occasionally used in orchestral writing, but these pieces are usually played on an E♭ Sopranino.
• C Soprano - Rare. Was fairly common in the early 19th century, with some music by composers such as Beethoven and Schubert is written for it. C Clarinet parts are quite common in Italian music and opera. C parts are often played on a standard B♭. However, the C clarinet is having somewhat of a resurgence in orchestra and solo literature.
• B♭ Soprano - This is the standard clarinet used for marching band, orchestra and jazz band.
• A Soprano - Standard orchestral instrument used alongside the B♭ Soprano. Orchestral clarinetists always come equipped with a pair of clarinets. The A clarinet offers a slightly richer tone than the B♭, but the instrument's primary advantage is its greater ease of playing in orchestral repertoire written in keys with many sharps.
• A Basset - The basset clarinet was written for by Mozart and others. It is essentially a soprano clarinet with a range extension to low C (written).
• G Soprano - Also called a "Turkish Clarinet". It has a much deeper timbre than the soprano and is capable of microtones. It is primarily used in ethnic music.
• F Basset Horn - This instrument was written for by Mozart often; his friend Anton Stadler was an accomplished player. It is not common in wind band or orchestral music. It differs from the alto in that it has a range to low C and a smaller bore designed to be played with a soprano mouthpiece. In appearance, the basset horn is most often distinguished from the alto by the low C extension.
• F Alto - While the F Alto shares some design features of the basset horn and looks like a small bass clarinet, the alto has a range only to low E♭ (written) and presents a larger bore than the basset horn. Some examples of extended range (to written low C) alto clarinets in F are presently manufactured.
• E♭ Alto - Used in marching bands in previous centuries but not as common anymore in the traditional setting. Used in clarinet choirs and some works for concert band. There is a limited solo repertiore.
• B♭ Bass - An octave below the B♭ soprano. Commonly used in concert bands and clarinet choirs; also fairly common in orchestral writing, especially of the 20th century. Some marching bands may have marching bass clarinets, but this is rare, as the instrument is heavy and can be awkward and difficult to carry on the field.
• EE♭ Contra-Alto - An octave below the E♭ Alto. Fairly common, especially in wind band literature. Sometimes called the "EE♭ Contra-bass". The lower range of the Contra-Alto (as opposed to the B♭ Bass Clarinet) can match some of the lower range passages written for bassoon, tuba and double bass. Its popularity among players rests in the ease with which one transposes parts for bassoon, tuba, and bass.
• BB♭ Contra-Bass - An octave below the B♭ Bass. Rare, except in large clarinet choirs and wind ensembles. Orchestratively, its usage is primarily supplemental, though some works for concert band and orchestra employ distinct passages expressly for this instrument; the contrabassoon is sometimes substituted.
• EEE♭ Octocontralto - Only three were ever built.
• BBB♭ Octocontrabass - Only one was ever built. (The only one that exists is in the personal collection of Mr. George Leblanc.)