What Materials Is the Clarinet Made Of?
The clarinet is a member of the woodwind instrument family that uses a single reed in order to create sound. It's called a "woodwind" instrument because it is primarily made of wood; most of the materials are variations of wood materials. However, this is not the only material designers use to make clarinets.
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Woods
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Dark African hardwood is one of the primary clarinet materials used by professional musicians; however, other dark woods have been used to construct clarinets throughout history, generally classified in the granadilla family of dark woods.
Plastic
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Mass-produced clarinets used by high school bands are made of plastics because this is cheaper. Plastic clarinets don't have the same crisp sounds of wooden instruments.
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Ebonite
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This is one of the materials many clarinets are made of because it is not as expensive as wood. Ebonite is a hard, black rubber used since the 1860s; however, few clarinet designers, such as Hanson Clarinets of England, use ebonite. Ebonite is usually used to reinforce granadilla compounds.
Ivory
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In the eighteenth century, ivory was one of the materials used to make a few clarinets, but instrument makers found that ivory cracked and didn't keep its shape.
Wood Powder
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Buffet Crampon, a maker of woodwind instruments, uses a combination of wood powder and carbon fibers to make their clarinets. This material is heavier and less prone to damage caused by humidity (see Resources).
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