The clarinet is a woodwind instrument with a single reed. It is a black tube about two feet long, with silver keys and a bell that flares at the bottom. The player holds it straight down in front and blows through a mouthpiece at the top. The clarinet can play low and dark, high and bright, and anything from a whisper to a shout.
Quick facts
- Family: woodwinds
- Size: about 26 inches long
- Made of: black wood or plastic
- Sound is made by: one reed on a mouthpiece
- In an orchestra: two or three
How it makes sound
A reed is a thin, flat strip of cane. It is held against the mouthpiece by a metal band. When the player blows, the reed flutters against the mouthpiece many times a second. That sets the air in the tube shaking.
The fingers cover holes and press keys to change the note. A key at the back, worked by the left thumb, jumps the clarinet from its low notes to its high ones.
Three voices in one
The clarinet sounds different in each part of its range.
The low notes are dark, woody, and rich.
The middle notes are smooth and clear.
The high notes are bright and can be piercing.
It also has one of the widest ranges of loud and soft of any wind instrument. A good player can start a note from nothing.
Its job in the orchestra
The clarinets sit in the second row of the woodwinds, behind the flutes. They play tunes, blend with the other winds, and fill in the harmony.
The clarinet joined the orchestra later than the flute, the oboe, and the bassoon. It was developed in Germany around 1700 and became a regular member in Mozart’s time. Mozart loved it and wrote a concerto for it in the last year of his life.
The clarinet in bands and jazz
A concert band has many clarinets. They do the job the violins do in an orchestra. The clarinet is also a star of early jazz and of klezmer, the dance music of Jewish communities in eastern Europe.
The clarinet family
The B-flat clarinet is the standard one.
The bass clarinet is twice as long, with a curved metal neck and an upturned bell. It plays an octave lower.
The E-flat clarinet is small and high.
Pieces to hear
The cat in Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev. Low, smooth, and sneaky. See the guide.
Clarinet Concerto, slow movement, by Mozart. A calm, singing tune.
Rhapsody in Blue, the opening, by Gershwin. The clarinet starts on a low trill and then slides up in one long swoop.
“The Cuckoo” from The Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saëns. The clarinet plays the same two notes, again and again, from the back of the room.
“Simple Gifts” from Appalachian Spring, by Copland. A clarinet plays the tune alone. See the guide.
Starting to play
The clarinet is a common first band instrument. Many children start at about nine or ten. A child needs fingers big enough to cover the open holes and front teeth that have grown in.
Beginners often use a plastic clarinet, which is light and sturdy. Reeds wear out and need to be replaced. A box of reeds is part of the cost.
A child who learns the clarinet can move on to the saxophone. Both use a single reed, and much of the fingering is alike.
Things to do together
Be the cat. Play the cat’s music from Peter and the Wolf and creep on tiptoe.
Low and high. Play a low clarinet solo and a high one. Ask if they sound like the same instrument.
Cuckoo count. Count the cuckoo calls in the Carnival piece.
Oboe or clarinet? These two look alike. Play the duck and the cat from Peter and the Wolf, and ask which sounds smoother.
Print and play
Tick the woodwinds on the instrument families listening chart. For the rest of the family, read woodwind instruments for kids. To see how a band differs from an orchestra, read band vs orchestra.
More from this guide
This article is part of Instruments of the orchestra for kids: the four families and how they sound.
Band vs orchestra: what is the difference?
Band and orchestra compared for kids and parents: which instruments each one has, what music each plays, and how to choose between them at school.
Brass instruments for kids: what they are and how each one sounds
The brass family explained for parents and kids: how the trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba make sound, how to tell them apart, and pieces to hear.
Keyboard instruments for kids: piano, organ, harpsichord, and more
Keyboard instruments explained for kids and parents: how the piano, the organ, the harpsichord, and the celesta each make sound, and a piece to hear for each.
Orchestra seating chart for kids: who sits where and why
Where each instrument sits in an orchestra and why: strings at the front, woodwinds in the middle, brass and percussion at the back, with a chart to print.
Percussion instruments for kids: what they are and how each one sounds
The percussion family explained for parents and kids: drums, cymbals, xylophone, timpani, and more, how each one makes sound, and pieces to hear.
String instruments for kids: violin, viola, cello, double bass, and harp
The string family explained for parents and kids: how a string makes sound, how to tell the violin, viola, cello, double bass, and harp apart, and what to hear.
Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.