The Clarinet is a musical instrument classified within the woodwind family of instruments and professional brands are typically made from African hardwoods. However, modern less expensive models are usually crafted from plastic resin commonly referred to as Resonite. The Clarinet has the widest pitch range of any of the woodwind family and the instrument achieves this through the use of a single reed made from a type of grass.
The Clarinet has a cylindrical bore and the body utilises a number of tone holes that when covered with the fingers in a particular sequence can produce notes from a Chromatic scale. Aside from being used in a classical environment, Clarinets were popular with the big band sound of the 1930s and 40s and in the 1950s Dixieland Jazz used Clarinets to create its signature sound.
