Different Types of Clarinet | Normans Blog

The clarinet is often heard being played in classical music as well as in jazz. This instrument forms part of the woodwind family. This instrument includes a reed and you blow into the mouthpiece to produce a sound. There are many types of clarinets suitable for both beginner and the more advanced player.

Check out our full range of Clarinets: HERE

The clarinet consists of five main parts: 

  • Mouthpiece- The part you blow into. The clarinet is a reed instrument so this is stored here.
  • Barrel- your instrument often comes with two, both different sizes one longer and one shorter. They are used to fine-tune the instrument and adapt to the individual player and orchestras pitch.
  • Upper Joint- includes the keys played by the left hand.
  • Lower Joint- includes the keys played by the right hand. It comes in two parts to help with transportation and cleaning of the instrument.
  • Bell- creates the sound of the lowest tone.
There are three main types of clarinet that we sell at Normans. The A Clarinet, Bb Clarinet and the Harmony Clarinet- which includes the all new plastic clarinet.

A Clarinet

526_1_ This clarinet is suitable for a more advanced or professional player. It has a rich sound and is usually played in orchestras and chamber music. It's often played alongside the Bb soprano, although this type of clarinet is played differently to the Bb clarinet. This type of clarinet is known to be harder to play hence why it's aimed more at advanced players.

Bb Clarinet

508_1_ The Bb clarinet is the most popular and common type of clarinet. The Bb is a soprano clarinet. This clarinet is more suitable for a beginner and younger players. We have starter models available at Normans as well. This instrument is commonly used in classical music with its unique tones that it produces it makes a beautiful sound.

Harmony Clarinet

551_1_These harmony clarinets include bass clarinet and plastic clarinet. Plastic clarinets are great and ideal for children. This means younger children can start to learn an instrument a lot earlier; they are great for children to learn on because they are easy to hold. They are very durable and easy to clean. The bass clarinet is much bigger than the rest of the clarinets, this means it's quite heavy often being too heavy for some players to carry with playing. A neck strap is often used to take some of the weight off.

Thanks for reading if you have any questions please contact the sales team via email: sales@normans.co.uk or call: 01283 535333 and they will be happy to answer any questions you may have.