Definition

Noun: 1. A woodwind musical instrument with a single reed and a straight, cylindrical tube: The clarinet is a member of the woodwind family. Sound is produced when the player blows air through a single reed attached to a mouthpiece, causing the reed to vibrate. The instrument's body is typically made of wood (like grenadilla or rosewood) or plastic, and it has a system of keys and holes that the player covers to change the pitch.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She practices the clarinet for an hour every day.
  • The beautiful solo was played on a B-flat clarinet.
  • He is first clarinet in the city's symphony orchestra.

Advanced Usage

• "To play the clarinet": This is the standard phrase for performing on the instrument.
  • She learned to play the clarinet in middle school.
• Clarinet family: The term "clarinet" often refers specifically to the common B♭ or A soprano clarinet, but it is also the name for a family of instruments of different sizes and pitches, such as the E♭ clarinet, the alto clarinet, and the bass clarinet.

Variants and Related Words

• Clarinetist (noun): A person who plays the clarinet.
  • The famous clarinetist performed a concerto with the orchestra.
• Clarionet (noun): An archaic or less common spelling of "clarinet."

Synonyms

• Woodwind instrument: This is the general category to which the clarinet belongs, along with the flute, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone.
• Single-reed instrument: This describes the clarinet's sound production mechanism, which it shares with the saxophone.

Related Idioms or Phrases

• There are no common idioms that feature the word "clarinet" itself. The word is used literally to refer to the musical instrument.

Noun

1. a single-reed instrument with a straight tube