How to Read Clarinet Music

A clarinet is a woodwind instrument with a range slightly over three octaves. The most common clarinet is the B flat clarinet. The clarinet is a versatile instrument found used in diverse musical styles such as classical, jazz, big band and the blues. Due to its wide range and complex keys, learning to play the clarinet takes patience and practice. Understanding how to read music or notation for clarinet takes extra skill as well, since the clarinet is not a concert pitch instrument but what's known as a transposing instrument.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Read the notes on the musical staff as you would for any instrument if you are playing music written for the B flat clarinet. Music written expressly for the B flat clarinet is already transposed, meaning the notes you see written will be the necessary ones for you to play if you play with instruments playing the same music at concert pitch.

2. Transpose notes up one step if you are playing music written for piano, guitar, flute or any other concert pitch instrument. In order to play the written piece in the right key, you will need to transpose, either by manually writing the correct notes above the written notes or mentally playing one step higher than the notes written. For example, if the flute piece you're reading has the notes G, A and C, you would play A, B and D on your clarinet.

3. Always read key signatures a step higher if you are playing music not written expressly for clarinet. This will save you the trouble of trying to transpose individual notes. If you're playing a piece written for guitar in the key of D, for instance, play your clarinet in the key of E.

References

• Clarinet Transposition