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clarinet

clarinet

42 3.1
A wind instrument with a straight tube and a mouthpiece with a thin vibrating reed
  • noun
  • /ˌklærɪˈnɛt/
translation icon : clarinete
  • During the concert, the sound of the clarinet filled the room with warmth and melody.
  • play the clarinet
  • a clarinet player
  • a clarinet solo

So recorder, everyone played the recorder, you know, Greensleeves, and then moved to clarinet and no oboe in the middle.

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Examples

  • Today I learned Steven Spielberg played the clarinet on the Jaws soundtrack, which would technically make him a famous musician.

  • Lopez learned to play the saxophone and clarinet in high school.

    Academic text (1999)
  • -Back home, I used to be a clarinet player for a year.

  • Who else plays the clarinet better than I do?

  • If that song had been coming through a clarinet, I would have known right away.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • This is David and he plays the clarinet.

  • Imagine a middle-aged adult who would like to learn the clarinet and play in an ensemble.

    Academic text (2001)
  • I play the clarinet.

  • DORIS: When I first met your father, he was classically trained on the clarinet and had a Music scholarship to University of Texas.

  • During the week, he taught band at the local high school: trumpet, alto sax, clarinet, trombone.

    Fiction book (2000)

Synonyms

woodwind
vsclarinet
3 4.2

An instrument that makes sound when you blow into or across it, like a flute

is the particular straight single reed cylindrical form among woodwinds
reed instrument
vsclarinet
1 4.1

An instrument that makes sound when a reed vibrates, like a clarinet or saxophone

is only the single reed straight cylindrical form not all reed types
woodwind instrument
vsclarinet
1 3.6

A musical instrument that makes sound when you blow air, often using a reed, like a clarinet or oboe

is narrower, being a straight cylindrical single reed instrument
B-flat clarinet
vsclarinet
4.4

A clarinet tuned to B-flat that is commonly used in bands and orchestras

is the general single reed cylindrical instrument, not the pitched form
4.5

A musical instrument like a clarinet or saxophone that makes sound when air passes one reed

is defined by its straight cylindrical tube and single reed
6.4

A wind instrument that uses one reed to make sound, like a clarinet or saxophone

is focused on the straight cylindrical tube shape rather than general woodwinds

Compounds

bass clarinet
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A large clarinet that makes deep, rich sounds much lower than a normal clarinet

A clarinet tuned to B-flat that is commonly used in bands and orchestras

A group of clarinet players in a band or orchestra

How Low

contrabass
  • Specialized
9.2
bass clarinet
  • Specialized
1 4.6
clarinet
42 3.1
alto
  • Specialized
3 5.9

Surface Forms

clarinet singular
clarinets plural

Etymology

Clarinet comes from the French clarinette, a word for a 'little trumpet', and from the root clar- meaning 'clear' or 'bright', just like the English word clear. So a clarinet is named for its bright, clear sound.