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The Clarinet is a Woodwind instrument which belongs to the Single-reed subfamily. It is played through a mouthpiece with a single reed. The body is usually made of grenadilla wood or ebonite; whilst the keys are made of nickel silver, and they also can be made of silver or gold.
The clarinet player produce the sound by blowing into the mouthpiece. It is usually pitched in the key of B-flat, it means when it plays a C sounds a B-flat, although the A Clarinet is also very common. It is written in treble clef from E3 to C6, but it sounds (B-flat Clarinet) from D3 to B-flat6. In the low register it sounds dark, full, mellow and warm, even more if it is played soft. The middle register is dull and a little weaker than the upper register, whereas the upper register is brilliant, lustrous, bright and compact.
The E-flat Clarinet, also called as Piccolo Clarinet, is the small brother of the Clarinet and is the highest instruments of the Clarinet family. The only difference is that it is smaller than the B-flat Clarinet. It is played like the Clarinet and is made of the same materials.
It produces its sound in the same way as the Clarinet. It is pitched in the key of E-flat and notated in treble clef. So, it means when it plays a C sounds a E-flat. It is written in the same range as the B-flat Clarinet, but in real sounds it goes from G3 to D-flat6. The sound characteristics are quite similar as the B-flat clarinet, but it is more piercing and shrill.
The Piccolo Clarinet is the big brother of the Clarinet, but it is not the biggest one of the family. The differences are that it has a cylindrical crook between the mouthpiece and the body and the bell is angled. It is played like the Clarinet and is made of the same materials.
It produces its sound in the same way as the Clarinet. It is pitched in the key of B-flat, like the B-flat Clarinet, but it sounds one octave deeper. It is notated in treble clef. It is written from E3 to E6, but it sounds from D2 to D5. In the low register it sounds dark, sonorous, mellow and insistent. The middle register is dull and weak, while the upper register is powerful, full-sounding, bright and brilliant. The highest register sounds narrow, incisive and penetrating.