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Guide To The Orchestra
clarinet title image The clarinet is played with a reed, which is a very thin piece of wood that vibrates when you blow through it. A relative youngster in the orchestra, the clarinet is only about 300 years old! It is a long tube made of wood (or plastic) and has metal keys to press. The bottom of the clarinet is shaped like a bell.
clarinet Listen to the clarinet listen to Instrument Range Listen to it played from its lowest to highest note listen to Special Effects Lip glissandi (slide) / Flutter-tongue listen to Hear it in action Hear the clarinet playing in Ravel's Mother Goose The clarinet player is sometimes called upon to play the saxophone or the bass clarinet. saxophone Saxophone - the saxophone was developed from the clarinet by Adolphe Sax in 1840. bbc Listen to the saxophone play in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an exhibition bass clarinet Bass Clarinet - The bass clarinet makes a lovely, deep, rich sound. bbc Listen to the bass clarinet play in Stravinsky's Petrushka
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bass clarinet
John Bradbury Meet the Orchestra! John Bradbury plays the clarinet with the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester. Read about him below. John Bradbury, Clarinet How old were you when you first started playing? I took up the clarinet at the age of thirteen. Why did you choose that instrument specially? My dad played the clarinet and I really liked the sound. Do you play any other instruments? I play the piano. What do you like most about playing in an orchestra? Is it fun? It's the most gregarious form of music making, which is good socially and gives a great sense of achievement through team-work. Do you play any other kinds of music? No. What's your favourite music? Brahms' symphonies. Do you have any hobbies? What are they? Geology and swimming. All pictures are copyrighted - picture credits Woodwind Brass Flute Trumpet Oboe French Horn Clarinet Trombone Bassoon Tuba Strings Percussion Violin Tuned Viola Untuned Cello Timpani Double Bass Harp Keyboards Conductor LEARN AN INSTRUMENT Which instrument, which age, finding teachers, buying guide and the perils of practice Get help Get help Listening About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy Explore the BBC
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