Meaning & use
clarinet
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Meaning
nouncountablemusic
A long, black woodwind instrument with a single reed in the mouthpiece and keys, played by blowing and covering holes.
Grammar: Takes the when naming the instrument in general: she plays the clarinet.
Patterns
- play the clarinet
- a clarinet solo
She has played the clarinet in the school orchestra for three years.
The clarinet sounded warm and smooth in the slow piece.
He bought a second-hand clarinet from a music shop.
Word forms
| plural | clarinets |
|---|
Common combinations
- play the clarinet
- He plays the clarinet in a jazz band.
- clarinet solo
- The concert included a beautiful clarinet solo.
- clarinet lesson
- I have a clarinet lesson every Tuesday.
- clarinet reed
- A new clarinet reed makes the tone brighter.
- clarinet concerto
- Mozart wrote a famous clarinet concerto.
Synonyms and how they differ
- woodwind
- Woodwind names the whole family of instruments including the clarinet, flute and oboe, so it is a broader term.
- oboe
- An oboe is a related instrument but uses a double reed and has a more nasal sound, so it is not a synonym.
- saxophone
- A saxophone also uses a single reed but is made of metal and has a different shape and sound.
Word family
- clarinetist noun
- a person who plays the clarinet
- clarinettist noun
- the British spelling of clarinetist
- bass clarinet noun
- a larger clarinet that plays lower notes
Commonly confused: clarinet or clarion? clarinet or oboe?
clarinet vs clarion
A clarion is a loud, clear trumpet call, from the same Latin root meaning clear, but it is not the same instrument.
clarinet vs oboe
An oboe is another woodwind, played with a double reed and sounding more piercing.
Practice
A clarinet makes sound through ____.
Choose one answer.
A clarinet has a single reed on its mouthpiece. A double reed belongs to the oboe, which is the tempting wrong answer.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clarinet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.