The Different Parts of the Clarinet

Series Summary

This “little trumpet,” hailing from the woodwind family, has drawn many supporters over the years, such as Sidney Bechet, Artie Shaw, Pete Fountain, Benny Goodman, and yes, even the famous writer/filmmaker Woody Allen. We're talking about the clarinet, a single reed instrument with a large selection of varying pitches and a multi-faceted history of tones and forms.

Clarinets have found a prominent place in several forms of music, most notably in big band productions, in classical and orchestral works, and in Dixieland jazz. Some people, in recent years, have formed quartets, or even choirs, devoted solely to clarinet playing.

In these free video lessons, our expert will show you how to begin playing the clarinet. From clarinet care and maintenance to tuning techniques, here's everything you need to get started. Learn how to play clarinet: it’s an easy lesson for absolute beginners.

Video Transcript

" Hi! Welcome for expertvillage.com this is Mitch Kaplan, and in this clip we will be talking about the different parts of the clarinet. First we have the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece is comprised of three different major parts. The mouthpiece is comprised of the ligature, that is this part that holds the reed onto the mouthpiece, which vibrates and creates the sound. The mouthpiece itself is this part right here, and then we have the barrel, which is used for tuning. And we have two parts of the body, and that is comprised of several keys that you would press down to change the sounds, and then we have the bell, the bell simply looks like a bell and that is why it got its name, and it magnifies the sound. "