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The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

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Re: Clarinet does not sound correct

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2018-08-14 00:08

The Bb clarinet is a "transposing" instrument. You can Google the history of the clarinet or use the search utility here to find explanations. But the upshot is that a C fingering on the clarinet sounds the pitch of Bb on a non-transposing instrument like a piano, a flute, an oboe, any of the strings and other instruments. Non-transposing instruments are called "concert-pitch" instruments - their notes sound at "concert pitch."

Your clarinet is playing as it was designed to play - each written (fingered) note sounds a step (2 semi-tones) lower than its notated pitch - a written C sounds "concert" Bb (which is why your instrument is called a Bb clarinet), written D sounds like a piano's ("concert") C, etc...

Karl

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