🎵 CLARINET STRUCTURE STUDY SHEET

1. Main Parts of the Clarinet

The clarinet is made of five main sections (from top to bottom):

1.​ Mouthpiece​

2.​ Barrel​

3.​ Upper Joint​

4.​ Lower Joint​

5.​ Bell​

2. Mouthpiece & Reed

●​ Mouthpiece​

○​ Where you blow air into the instrument​

○​ Shape affects tone quality​

●​ Reed​

○​ Thin piece of cane or plastic​

○​ Vibrates to create sound​

●​ Ligature​

○​ Holds the reed onto the mouthpiece​

Important tip:

●​ The flat side of the reed goes against the mouthpiece.​

3. Barrel

●​ Short piece between mouthpiece and upper joint​

●​ Helps with tuning​

●​ Longer barrel = slightly lower pitch​

●​ Shorter barrel = slightly higher pitch​

4. Upper Joint

●​ Top main body of the clarinet​

●​ Contains many keys and tone holes​

●​ Left hand usually plays this section​

●​ Has the register key, which helps change octaves​

5. Lower Joint

●​ Bottom main body of the clarinet​

●​ Played mostly with the right hand​

●​ Contains longer keys for lower notes​

6. Bell

●​ Flared end of the clarinet​

●​ Helps low notes sound fuller and clearer​

 ●​ Does not make the instrument louder​

7. Keys, Pads & Tone Holes

●​ Keys: Metal parts you press with fingers​

●​ Pads: Soft covers under keys that seal holes​

●​ Tone holes: Openings that change pitch when covered​

How it works:​
Covering more holes = lower notes​
Covering fewer holes = higher notes

8. Register Key

●​ Small key near the top of the upper joint (back of the clarinet)​

●​ Raises the pitch by an octave plus a fifth​

●​ Used for higher notes (like B, C, D above the staff)​

9. Cork & Tenons

●​ Tenons: Ends of each joint that fit together​

●​ Cork: Wrapped around tenons to make joints fit snugly​

●​ Use cork grease to prevent damage​

10. Care & Handling (Structure-Related)

 ●​ Assemble by holding the barrel and joints, not the keys​

●​ Never bite hard on the mouthpiece​

●​ Swab the inside after playing​

●​ Put the clarinet together top to bottom​

⭐ Quick Review Facts

●​ The clarinet uses a single reed​

●​ Most school clarinets are B♭ clarinets​

●​ The register key is on the upper joint​

●​ The bell mainly affects low notes​

If you want, I can:

●​ Add practice questions​

●​ Make a labeled diagram (described)​

●​ Create a 1-page test review​

●​ Customize it for beginner clarinet

🎵 CLARINET STRUCTURE STUDY SHEET

1. Main Parts of the Clarinet

The clarinet is made of five main sections (from top to bottom):

6.​ Mouthpiece​

7.​ Barrel​
 8.​ Upper Joint​

9.​ Lower Joint​

10.​Bell​

2. Mouthpiece & Reed

●​ Mouthpiece​

○​ Where you blow air into the instrument​

○​ Shape affects tone quality​

●​ Reed​

○​ Thin piece of cane or plastic​

○​ Vibrates to create sound​

●​ Ligature​

○​ Holds the reed onto the mouthpiece​

Important tip:

●​ The flat side of the reed goes against the mouthpiece.​

3. Barrel

●​ Short piece between mouthpiece and upper joint​

●​ Helps with tuning​

●​ Longer barrel = slightly lower pitch​

●​ Shorter barrel = slightly higher pitch​

4. Upper Joint

●​ Top main body of the clarinet​

●​ Contains many keys and tone holes​

●​ Left hand usually plays this section​

●​ Has the register key, which helps change octaves​

5. Lower Joint

●​ Bottom main body of the clarinet​

●​ Played mostly with the right hand​

●​ Contains longer keys for lower notes​

6. Bell

●​ Flared end of the clarinet​

●​ Helps low notes sound fuller and clearer​

●​ Does not make the instrument louder​

7. Keys, Pads & Tone Holes

●​ Keys: Metal parts you press with fingers​

●​ Pads: Soft covers under keys that seal holes​

●​ Tone holes: Openings that change pitch when covered​

How it works:​
Covering more holes = lower notes​
Covering fewer holes = higher notes

8. Register Key

●​ Small key near the top of the upper joint (back of the clarinet)​

●​ Raises the pitch by an octave plus a fifth​

●​ Used for higher notes (like B, C, D above the staff)​

9. Cork & Tenons

●​ Tenons: Ends of each joint that fit together​

●​ Cork: Wrapped around tenons to make joints fit snugly​

●​ Use cork grease to prevent damage​

10. Care & Handling (Structure-Related)

●​ Assemble by holding the barrel and joints, not the keys​

●​ Never bite hard on the mouthpiece​

●​ Swab the inside after playing​

●​ Put the clarinet together top to bottom​

⭐ Quick Review Facts

●​ The clarinet uses a single reed​
 ●​ Most school clarinets are B♭ clarinets​

●​ The register key is on the upper joint​

●​ The bell mainly affects low notes​

If you want, I can:

●​ Add practice questions​

●​ Make a labeled diagram (described)​

●​ Create a 1-page test review​

●​ Customize it for beginner clarinet

🎵 CLARINET STRUCTURE STUDY SHEET

1. Main Parts of the Clarinet

The clarinet is made of five main sections (from top to bottom):

11.​Mouthpiece​

12.​Barrel​

13.​Upper Joint​

14.​Lower Joint​

15.​Bell​

2. Mouthpiece & Reed

●​ Mouthpiece​
 ○​ Where you blow air into the instrument​

○​ Shape affects tone quality​

●​ Reed​

○​ Thin piece of cane or plastic​

○​ Vibrates to create sound​

●​ Ligature​

○​ Holds the reed onto the mouthpiece​

Important tip:

●​ The flat side of the reed goes against the mouthpiece.​

3. Barrel

●​ Short piece between mouthpiece and upper joint​

●​ Helps with tuning​

●​ Longer barrel = slightly lower pitch​

●​ Shorter barrel = slightly higher pitch​

4. Upper Joint

●​ Top main body of the clarinet​

●​ Contains many keys and tone holes​

●​ Left hand usually plays this section​

●​ Has the register key, which helps change octaves​

5. Lower Joint

●​ Bottom main body of the clarinet​

●​ Played mostly with the right hand​

●​ Contains longer keys for lower notes​

6. Bell

●​ Flared end of the clarinet​

●​ Helps low notes sound fuller and clearer​

●​ Does not make the instrument louder​

7. Keys, Pads & Tone Holes

●​ Keys: Metal parts you press with fingers​

●​ Pads: Soft covers under keys that seal holes​

●​ Tone holes: Openings that change pitch when covered​

How it works:​
Covering more holes = lower notes​
Covering fewer holes = higher notes

8. Register Key

●​ Small key near the top of the upper joint (back of the clarinet)​

●​ Raises the pitch by an octave plus a fifth​

 ●​ Used for higher notes (like B, C, D above the staff)​

9. Cork & Tenons

●​ Tenons: Ends of each joint that fit together​

●​ Cork: Wrapped around tenons to make joints fit snugly​

●​ Use cork grease to prevent damage​

10. Care & Handling (Structure-Related)

●​ Assemble by holding the barrel and joints, not the keys​

●​ Never bite hard on the mouthpiece​

●​ Swab the inside after playing​

●​ Put the clarinet together top to bottom​

⭐ Quick Review Facts

●​ The clarinet uses a single reed​

●​ Most school clarinets are B♭ clarinets​

●​ The register key is on the upper joint​

●​ The bell mainly affects low notes​

If you want, I can:

●​ Add practice questions​

●​ Make a labeled diagram (described)​

●​ Create a 1-page test review​

●​ Customize it for beginner clarinet