Listen to the clarinet
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the clarinet makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the clarinet belongs to the single-reed instruments: a single reed beats against a mouthpiece – clarinets and saxophones.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
Range of the clarinet
The typical range of the clarinet runs from D3 (146.8 Hz) to B♭6 (1,865 Hz) – about 3.7 octaves. Harmonics extend its sound far higher.
From Wikipedia
The clarinet is a single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest woodwind family, ranging from the BB♭ contrabass to the A♭ piccolo. The B♭ soprano clarinet is the most common type, and is the instrument usually indicated by the word "clarinet".
Other single-reed instruments
Questions people ask
Real questions from the Stack Exchange community – follow a link to read the discussion.
Frequently asked questions
What does a clarinet sound like?
Listen to 5 recordings on this page. As one of the single-reed instruments, its sound comes from the way a single reed beats against a mouthpiece.
What type of instrument is the clarinet?
It is classified as single-reed instruments (Hornbostel–Sachs 422.211.2-71).
Sources & credits
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Klarinettenkonzert A-Dur - 2. Adagio – EEF OAL-1 · Wikimedia Commons
- Clarinet and Bassoon by Qwertyxp2000 – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Lick Bass Clarinet by ChickSR – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Clarinet by clarinet:Guido Arbonelli recording:Daria Baiocchi – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Clarinet 03 by Mozart – CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q8343 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Clarinet – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Firma Herbert Wurlitzer Manufaktur für Holzblasinstrumente GmbH, D-91413 Neustadt an der Aisch, bearbeitet von /… – CC BY 4.0