Clarinets

I have 15 minutes left of maths, so I'm going to use it to promote my instrument. The clarinet.

The clarinet is a woodwind instrument. It is made of wood but cheaper models may be made of plastic. As a single reed instrument, you need a single reed (which I believe is made out of cane) to play it. (FYI saxophones also have a single reed, but their reeds are larger. Oboes and bassoons use a double reed.)

Clarinets are extremely versatile due to their huge range, in terms of pitch and dynamics. The clarinet's pitch range is perhaps the largest of all of the woodwind instruments. The standard range extends from the concert D middle line of the bass stave to the high concert F 3 leger lines and a space above the treble staff. The extreme range extends all the way up to the high concert Bb above that. In short: the standard range is 3 octaves and a minor third, and the extreme range is 3 octaves and a minor 6th. Although the clarinet may not be the loudest instrument in the orchestra, it makes up for it for having a large range of dynamics and can play very quietly, which makes the clarinet useful for sections of music that fade away to nothing.

Clarinets are used in a range of ensembles: symphony orchestras, wind orchestras and jazz bands, as well as chamber ensembles such as wind quintets and clarinet quintets. Symphony orchestras only contain two clarinets. Wind orchestras can contain a lot of clarinets grouped into 1st, 2nd, 3rd and sometimes 4th. Chamber ensembles only have one clarinet.

Here is a list of some clarinet music popular among clarinet players (some of which I'll be playing in my performance exam this semester):

• Francis Poulenc- Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (I'm playing the second and third movements this semester)
• Gerald Finzi- Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano (I played the last movement last semester)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- Clarinet Quintet (I played the first movement last semester)
• Johannes Brahms- First Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
• Johannes Brahms- Second Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (I'm playing the second movement this semester)
• Malcolm Arnold- Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano
• Camille Saint-Saens- Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (I played the first movement last semester)