Composers choose either the Bb or A clarinet for the parts in their works.Ī lot of the time, the players will have to change back and forth from one clarinet to the other as required by the composer. Orchestral musicians will have one of each clarinet that they use. These instruments take their names from the concert pitch note that is produced when the player plays a C. The A clarinet sounds a half-step lower than the Bb clarinet. The A clarinet is nearly exclusively an orchestral and solo instrument. Of all of these instruments, the two most commonly used are the Bb clarinet and the A clarinet.
The larger ones have keys over the holes, though, because a person’s fingers are not large enough to cover the holes.
There is also a very rare sub-contrabass clarinet that plays an octave lower than the contrabass.Ĭ clarinets were once common, but the intonation problems caused by a cylindrical bore covered at one end by a single reed when that bore is tuned in concert pitch made them untenable.Įven today, when the manufacturing techniques are much better than previously, they are little more than an affectation because professional players who are confronted with C clarinet parts simply transpose up a whole step while using the Bb clarinet.Īll of them have the same key and hole pattern. The A clarinet is a slightly longer clarinet with a darker tone and half-step deeper pitch, used almost exclusively as an orchestral and solo instrument.Īfter that, there are the alto, contra-alto, bass, and contrabass clarinets. What is the difference between the B flat and A clarinets? The Bb clarinet is the main clarinet, used in both bands and orchestras. The Eb clarinet is about half the size of a Bb clarinet and is used for color in both band and orchestra. It’s so small, in fact, that many players cannot even play it because their fingers are bigger than the keys and the tone holes. Before we get into it, just want to let you know we have a massive post on clarinet frequently asked questions and talk about how to play it as well.
There are a whole family of clarinets of various sizes.
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