What Are the Notes a Clarinet Can Play?
The traditional B-flat clarinet can play across more than three octaves and has the greatest range of any instrument in the woodwind family. Clarinets produce the most consistent sound in all registers of their range, according to the Department of Music at Virginia Tech. The clarinet is considered to have four separate ranges of notes: low, middle, upper and high.
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Low Register
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The clarinet's low register, the notes from E below middle C to E above middle C, produces a deep, rich sound and is called the chalumeau.
Middle Register
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The notes of the middle register, ranging from from F to B-flat, are called the throat tones. Because the tone holes for these notes are in the upper portion of the instrument and create little resonance, a player must compensate to prevent them from sounding thin and weak.
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Upper and High Registers
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The clarinet's bright and clear upper register, sometimes called clarino, ranges from B to C above the treble clef staff. The highest clarinet notes are produced in the instrument's high or altissimo register. These notes, from the D above the treble clef staff to the A above that, sound piercing and shrill. Although an accomplished player can produce even higher notes, most ensemble music rarely requires a player to sound tones above a high G.
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References
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