Friday 20 January 2017

Musical Instruments: Clarinet and Saxophone

The clarinet and the saxophone are single reed instruments. This is because the reed is inserted at the back of the mouthpiece. They are members of the woodwind family of instruments. Clarinets and saxophones are transposing instruments, this means they play a different pitch from the written notes.

The Clarinet

The clarinet has a range of over three octaves and is written mainly in the treble clef, except the bass clarinet which can be written in the treble or the bass clef.  The clarinets most used are in A and Bb. These are most common in the orchestra.

The picture below shows two clarinets.
Photo credit: APMus via Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Below are two performers playing a clarinet duet.
Photo credit: hans s via Foter.com / CC BY-ND

The Saxophone

The saxophone is similar to the clarinet. The most widely used saxophones are in Bb and Eb.

The picture below shows a saxophone.
Photo credit: adil113 via Foter.com / CC BY
The saxophone is not usually used in the orchestra. It is more widely used in jazz groups and military bands. It has a range of about two and a half octaves and is written in the treble clef.


Taylor, E. (1991). The AB guide to music theory, part II. 1st ed. London: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. pp. 211 and 212.

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