Clarinet

The clarinet is a single-reed woodwind with a mostly cylindrical bore. Its register key raises notes by about a twelfth, reflecting a strong shift toward odd-numbered harmonics.

Single-reed instrument: A wind instrument in which a single flexible reed vibrates against a mouthpiece to produce sound. The clarinet’s vibrating reed places it in this instrument family.
Reed (mouthpiece): A thin vibrating strip, commonly made from cane or synthetic material, used to excite a woodwind instrument’s air column. A single reed is the clarinet’s sound-producing element.
Chalumeau: An early single-reed woodwind instrument with a cylindrical bore, regarded as the clarinet’s predecessor. Its low register gave the clarinet the name of its lower range.
Orchestral clarinet: The clarinet as used in the symphony orchestra, where it serves melodic, harmonic, and coloristic roles. Its broad range and varied dynamics make it a flexible orchestral voice.
Oboe: A double-reed woodwind with a conical bore and a penetrating tone. Its conical bore and double reed produce different resonance and register behavior.
Clarinet mouthpiece: The part of a clarinet that holds the reed and shapes the airflow entering the instrument. The reed vibrates against its tip to start the clarinet’s sound.
Woodwind instrument: A wind instrument whose sound is produced by directing air through an opening, against a reed, or between reeds. The clarinet belongs to this broad family despite commonly being made from wood or plastic.
Johann Christoph Denner: A Nuremberg instrument maker associated with the development of the early clarinet around the turn of the eighteenth century. Denner is traditionally credited with adding features that extended the chalumeau’s range.
Clarinet concerto: A concerto in which a clarinet is the featured solo instrument with orchestral accompaniment. The instrument’s agility and expressive range suit solo concerto writing.
Saxophone: A single-reed woodwind with a conical metal body, invented by Adolphe Sax. It shares the clarinet’s single reed but has a conical bore and octave register break.

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