A clarinet is a wind instrument. Most clarinets are made of wood. The instrument consists of a tube with a mouthpiece at one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other end. A clarinet has open tone holes and other holes covered with small metal levers called keys. The musician places his fingertips over the holes and keys and blows on a flat reed attached to the mouthpiece. The reed vibrates, producing a full, rich sound. The musician plays different notes by plugging or uncovering various holes. Clarinets are made in five pitches. The B flat soprano clarinet is the most popular. Johann Cristoph Denner made the clarinet in Germany in the 18th century by adding a regester key to the previous chalumeau. Over time, additional keys and correct pads were added to improve sound and playability. Today, the clarinet is used as jazz and classical ensembles, in arch groups and as a solo instrument. There are many types of clarinets: the chalumeau, E-flat clarinet, soprano clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, basic horn, alto field clarinet, contrabass clarinet, and piccolo. clarinet. First spelling Klarinette. Used orchestrally as military bands. Clarinets have the widest range of pitches of common woods.[7] The complex organization of the keys that makes this range possible can make the playability of certain passages tricky. The bottom of the clarinet's written range is defined by each instrument's keyboard, with standard keyboard schemes allowing for a low E on the common B♭ clarinet. The lowest concert pitch depends on the transposition of the instrument in question. Almost all soprano and piccolo clarinets have a keyboard allowing them to play the E below middle C as the lowest written note (in scientific notation which sounds D3 on a soprano or C4 clarinet, i.e. concert C central, on a piccolo clarinet), although some B♭ clarinets go down to E♭3 to allow them to match the range of the A clarinet.[8] On the B♭ soprano clarinet, the concert pitch of the lowest note is D3, one tone lower than the written pitch. Most alto and bass clarinets have an additional key to allow for an E♭3 (written). Modern professional quality bass clarinets usually have an additional keyboard compared to the written C3. Among the less frequently encountered members of the clarinet family, contra-alto and double-bass clarinets may have key work written as E♭3, D3, or C3;[10] the basset clarinet and basset horn typically go to serious.1. The mouthpiece and reed are surrounded by the player's lips, which exert light, even pressure on the reed and form an airtight seal..