Classy Clarinets
The clarinet is the workhorse instrument in the band. A band can have lots of clarinets! My husband, Mr. Katz, is a fantastic clarinetist. This page is dedicated to the clarinet.
Putting Your Clarinet Together
The clarinet is one of the more complicated instruments to assemble. It is very important to do this correctly. If you are not careful you can bend keys and your instrument will stop working. Here is a step-by-step summary of how you put your clarinet together. To take your clarinet apart, just follow the steps backwards!
If you need a better review, watch the video on the Instrument Basics page. |
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The Parts of the clarinet
The clarinet has a lot of parts. In addition to the five main parts, you need a reed to make the air vibrate and you need a ligature to hold the reed on the instrument. In your clarinet case you will also find some cork grease which makes the parts easier to put together and a swab to keep your clarinet clean.
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Playing your first 3 notes using a FIngering Chart
Now that you can put your clarinet together and make a sound, it is time to figure out what keys to press down for each note. You find this out by using a FINGERING CHART. It's really simple. The chart has circles for each key or ring that you press. If a circle is colored in, you press that key down. If the circle is NOT colored in, that finger stays up. Remember that your LEFT hand goes on the top half of the clarinet and your RIGHT thumb supports the clarinet using the thumb rest.
Here are some examples:
Here are some examples:
What do these notes sound like? |
The notes on the clarinet sound different than the same notes on the piano. If you play the note E on the clarinet it sounds the same as the note D on the piano. D on the clarinet sounds like C on the piano and C on the clarinet sounds like Bb on the piano. Do you see the pattern? Each note on the clarinet sounds the same as the note ONE LETTER NAME LOWER on the Piano!
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