Clarinet
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The clarinet is a woodwind instrument.
The first clarinet was made so that oboe players could play an instrument that sounds like a trumpet.
The clarinet has one reed. The reed is attached to the mouthpiece with a ligature usually made out of metal. Blowing through the mouthpiece makes the reed vibrate and therefore makes the sound. The body of the clarinet is a tube with holes. The holes are covered by the fingers to make musical notes. There are also keys pressed by the fingers which allow pads over holes to open or close so all notes of the chromatic scale can be played.
One kind of keyed clarinet is called the Albert clarinet. Another kind is called the Boehm clarinet.
The Boehm clarinet is much used by classical orchestras and by jazz musicians. In North America the most popular clarinet is the clarinet pitched in B-flat. This clarinet is used in concert, marching, and school bands. The A-clarinet is also used by musicians for orchestra.
The beginner clarinet player usually can play a note within the first ten minutes of instruction. It is considered by most instrumental music teachers a good instrument for a young player. The fingering system very similiar to the flute and the saxophone so transition to these instruments can be made with relative ease after the student has mastered a certain comfort level on the clarinet.
