What Are the Pitches Produced by a Clarinet?
There are over a dozen types of clarinet, some common, some rare or experimental. Clarinets are identified by their range -- soprano, bass, piccolo -- and the notes they sound when a "C" is fingered. Each clarinet can produce a range of pitches. Clarinet pitches are divided into registers, that is, groups of notes that have a similar tone. The registers are, from lowest to highest: "chalumeau," or dark tones; "throat tones," or neutral tones; "clarino," or bright, clear tones and "altissimo," which are the highest notes the instrument can produce that still sound good. The pitches that fall into these registers differ with each type of clarinet.
Other People Are Reading
-
Transposing Instruments
-
Clarinets, other than the rarely used C clarinet, are transposing instruments. This means that the notes that are written for them, and that are fingered by them, are not the same as the notes they sound. To distinguish between the two, actual pitches are called concert pitches or notes to differentiate them from the written or fingered notes used by these transposing instruments. Transposing instruments are identified by the note they sound when a "C" is fingered. Thus, a B-flat clarinet is called a B-flat clarinet because it plays a concert "B-flat" when a "C" is fingered, an A clarinet produces a concert "A" when a "C" is fingered and an E-flat clarinet produces an "E-flat" when a "C" is fingered.
Identifying Musical Notes
-
The Acoustical Society of America System calls middle "C" C4. They call it that because it is the fourth "C" -- or the "C" that starts the fourth, full octave -- on a standard, 88-key piano keyboard. Notes above and below this are labeled with their letter designation and a number denoting the octave they are in on a piano keyboard. Thus, C5 is the "C" above middle "C," B3 is the "B" below middle "C" and A4 is the "A" above middle "C." The lowest pitch on a piano is A0 while the highest is C8.
-
B-flat Clarinet
-
The B-flat soprano clarinet is the most common form of the instrument and is used in orchestras, marching bands and jazz combos. The B-flat clarinet has a written range of E3 to G6. This translates into a concert range of D3 to F6. A well-trained clarinetist can play higher than this, but this is the highest pitch written for the B-flat clarinet, with the exception of parts written as humorous sound effects. The chalumeau range on a B-flat clarinet is E3 to D4. The neutral, or "throat tone," range is E4 to B4. The clarino range is C5 to C6. The altissimo range is D6 to G6.
A and E-flat Soprano Clarinets
-
The other two most common soprano clarinets are the A and E-flat clarinets. The A soprano clarinet is sometimes used in orchestras. An A clarinet has a written range of E3 to G6 and a concert range of D-flat3 to E6. An E-flat soprano clarinet can be found in clarinet choirs or quartets and military bands. An E-flat soprano clarinet has a written range of E3 to A-flat6 and a concert range of G3 to B6.
Bass Clarinet
-
The bass clarinet is a B-flat clarinet and has a written range of E-flat2 to G5 when written in the bass clef and E3 to G6 when written in the treble clef. When written on the bass clef, it sounds a major 2nd lower than written. When written on the treble clef, it sounds a major 9th lower than written. A bass clarinet can be modified to play down to a written C2, with either a permanent or removable bottom joint extension. In bass clef notation, the low E-flat to D3 register has a dark, rich tone. The E3 to the B3 is the reedy, or full, register. The C4 to C5 range has a brighter sound. Notes above the C5 are strained.
Rare and Experimental Clarinets
-
Other clarinets include the A piccolo, D and C soprano, E-flat contralto, B-flat contra-bass, A basset clarinet and F basset horn. Classical-era music, such as that written by Mozart, sometimes features these instruments. They can also be found in clarinet choirs and in non-western music, but rarely in modern-day orchestras or bands.
-
References
- The Technique of Orchestration: Kent Wheeler Kennan
- Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary: Clarinet
- Elson's Pocket Music Dictionary: Louis C. Elson
- Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary: Table of Octave Designations
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
