Editing Clarinet (section)

==Construction==

===Materials===

[[File:Mouthpiece with conical ring ligatur.png|thumb|upright=0.5|left|Mouthpiece with conical ring ligature, made from hard rubber, holding the reed in place]]

Clarinet bodies have been made from a variety of materials including wood, plastic, hard rubber or [[Ebonite]], metal, and [[ivory]].{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|pp=4, 65, 293}} The vast majority of wooden clarinets are made from [[African blackwood]] (grenadilla), or, more uncommonly, [[Rosewood (timber)|Honduran rosewood]] or [[cocobolo]].{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=4}}<ref>{{Cite report |last=Jenkins |first=Martin |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265495248 |title=International Trade in African Blackwood |last2=Oldfield |first2=Sara |last3=Aylett |first3=Tiffany |publisher=Fauna & Flora International |year=2002 |isbn=1-903703-05-0 |page=21}}</ref> Historically other woods, particularly [[Buxus|boxwood]] and [[ebony]], were used.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=4}} Since the mid-20th century, clarinets (particularly student or band models) are also made from plastics, such as [[acrylonitrile butadiene styrene]] (ABS).{{sfn|Coppenbarger|2015|p=20}}{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=5}} One of the first such blends of plastic was Resonite, a term originally trademarked by [[Henri Selmer Paris|Selmer]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Saunders |first=Scott J. |date=1 January 1952 |title=Music-making plastics |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1290821116 |journal=Music Journal |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=22–23, 48–51 |id={{ProQuest|1290821116}}}}</ref>{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=94}} The Greenline model by [[Buffet Crampon]] is made from a [[composite material|composite]] of resin and the African blackwood powder left over from the manufacture of wooden clarinets.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=368}}{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=7}}
Metal soprano clarinets were popular in the late 19th century, particularly for military use. Metal is still used for the bodies of some contra-alto and contrabass clarinets and the necks and bells of nearly all alto and larger clarinets.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|pp=293–294}}{{Sfn|Harris|1995a|p=74}}

[[Mouthpiece (woodwind)|Mouthpieces]] are generally made of hard rubber, although some inexpensive mouthpieces may be made of plastic. Other materials such as glass, wood, ivory, and metal have also been used.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=10}} [[Ligature (musical instrument)|Ligatures]] are often made of metal and tightened using one or more adjustment screws; other materials include plastic, string, or fabric.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=21}}

===Reed===
The clarinet uses a single [[reed (instrument)|reed]] made from the cane of ''[[Arundo donax]]''.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=154}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Obataya E |author2=Norimoto M. |date=August 1999 |title=Acoustic properties of a reed (''Arundo donax'' L.) used for the vibrating plate of a clarinet |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243524477 |journal=[[The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America]] |volume=106 |issue=2 |pages=1106–1110 |doi=10.1121/1.427118 |accessdate=12 May 2015}}</ref> Reeds may also be manufactured from synthetic materials.{{sfn|Lowry|1985|p=30}} The [[ligature (musical instrument)|ligature]] fastens the reed to the mouthpiece. When air is blown through the opening between the reed and the mouthpiece facing, the reed vibrates and produces the clarinet's sound.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=19}}

Most players buy manufactured reeds, although many make adjustments to these reeds, and some make their own reeds from cane "blanks".<ref name="intravaia">{{cite journal |doi=10.2307/3344436 |last=Intravaia |first=Lawrence J |author2=Robert S. Resnick |date=Spring 1968 |title=A research study of a technique for adjusting clarinet reeds |journal=Journal of Research in Music Education |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=45–58 |jstor=3344436 }}</ref> Reeds come in varying degrees of hardness, generally indicated on a scale from one (soft) through five (hard). This numbering system is not standardized—reeds with the same number often vary in hardness across manufacturers and models. Reed and mouthpiece characteristics work together to determine ease of playability and tonal characteristics.{{sfn|Pino|1998|pp=153–156}}

===Components===
[[File:Parts of clarinet 1.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|The construction of a [[Böhm system (clarinet)|Boehm system]] clarinet]]
The reed is attached to the mouthpiece by the ligature, and the top half-inch or so of this assembly is held in the player's mouth. In the past, string was used to bind the reed to the mouthpiece. The formation of the mouth around the mouthpiece and reed is called the [[embouchure]]. The reed is on the underside of the mouthpiece, pressing against the player's lower lip, while the top teeth normally contact the top of the mouthpiece (some players roll the upper lip under the top teeth to form what is called a 'double-lip' embouchure).{{Sfn|Pino|1998|pp=21, 54–59}} Adjustments in the strength and shape of the embouchure change the tone and intonation. Players sometimes relieve the pressure on the upper teeth and inner lower lip by attaching a pad to the top of the mouthpiece or putting temporary cushioning on the lower teeth.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=38}}

The mouthpiece attaches to the barrel. Tuning can be adjusted by using barrels of varying lengths or by pulling out the barrel to increase the instrument's length.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}}{{sfn|Pino|1998|pp=39–41}} On basset horns and lower clarinets, there is a curved metal neck instead of a barrel.{{Sfn|Dobrée|1995}}

The main body of most clarinets has an upper joint, whose mechanism is mostly operated by the left hand, and a lower joint, mostly operated by the right hand.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} Some clarinets have a one-piece body.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} The modern soprano clarinet has numerous [[tone hole]]s—seven are covered with the fingertips and the rest are operated using a set of 17 keys.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} The most common system of keys was named the [[Böhm system|Boehm system]] by its designer [[Hyacinthe Klosé]] after flute designer [[Theobald Böhm|Theobald Boehm]], but it is not the same as the [[Böhm system|Boehm system]] used on flutes.<ref name="ridley">{{cite journal |last=Ridley |first=E.A.K. |date=September 1986 |title=Birth of the 'Böhm' clarinet |journal=[[The Galpin Society Journal]] |volume=39 |pages=68–76 |doi=10.2307/842134 |jstor=842134}}</ref> The other main key system is the [[Oehler system]], which is used mostly in Germany and Austria.{{Sfn|Shackleton|1995}} The related [[Albert system]] is used by some [[jazz]], [[klezmer]], and eastern European folk musicians.{{Sfn|Shackleton|1995}} The Albert and Oehler systems are both based on the early [[Ivan Mueller|Mueller system]].{{Sfn|Shackleton|1995}}

The cluster of keys at the bottom of the upper joint (protruding slightly beyond the cork of the joint) are known as the trill keys and are operated by the right hand.{{sfn|Pinksterboer|2001|pp=5–6}} The entire weight of the smaller clarinets is supported by the right thumb behind the lower joint on what is called the [[thumb rest]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Horvath |first=Janet |date=September 2001 |title=An orchestra musician's perspective on 20 years of performing arts medicine |journal=Medical Problems of Performing Artists |volume=16 |issue=3 |page=102 |doi=10.21091/mppa.2001.3018 }}</ref> Larger clarinets are supported with a neck strap or a floor peg.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Corley |first=Paula |date=June 2020 |title=Not like the others: playing strategies for A, E-flat and bass clarinet |url=https://clarinet.org/pedagogy-corner-not-like-others-playing-strategies-e-flat-bass-clarinet/ |journal=The Clarinet |volume=47 |issue=3}}</ref>

Below the main body is a flared end known as the bell. The bell does not amplify the sound but improves the uniformity of the instrument's tone for the lowest notes in each register.<ref name="physics"/> For the other notes, the sound is produced almost entirely at the tone holes, and the bell is irrelevant.<ref name="physics"/> On [[Basset-horn|basset horns]] and larger clarinets, the bell curves up and forward and is usually made of metal.{{Sfn|Dobrée|1995}}

In the 1930s, some clarinets were manufactured with (filled) plateau keys,{{sfn|Pagliaro|2024}} but they were expensive and had issues with sound quality. They were designed for use in cold weather (allowing gloves to be worn), for saxophone or flute players, and for players with certain physical requirements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plateau Mechanism: Covered holes |url=https://www.clarinet.dk/content/show_content.php?id=101&cont=eu&lang=en&instr=cla |publisher=Lohff & Pfeiffer |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref>