Why Play the Clarinet?

For some beginning band students, it’s hard to choose what musical instrument to play. Each band instrument has something intriguing to offer, whether it be where that particular instrument section sits in the band, the shape of the instrument itself, what it is made of, the sound that is produced when the musical instrument is played, and much more. So why play the clarinet? There are many great reasons to play clarinet in school band:

♦ The clarinet has a wide range of notes, making it a very flexible instrument to write music for. It has a very warm sound that can blend, and/or add color and dynamics to most any piece of music.

♦ Clarinet players stay busy in the band, as there is almost always clarinet being played in most of the literature available. Clarinets are also featured quite a bit, too.

♦ There is a wealth of music written for clarinet, making it easy for you to find something you like to play. It doesn’t matter what type of music: classical, rock, pop, R & B, jazz, etc…you’ll never have a problem.

♦ Clarinetists are seldom alone in their section. There are usually several other students playing the same part, which can help you feel less self-conscious. You’ll gain lots of confidence by playing with your peers, which will make performing on the clarinet even more fun.

♦ Once you learn to play clarinet you can more easily learn to play the other woodwind instruments, like flute and saxophone.

♦ Clarinets are pretty small, and come in a case that’s about the size of a messenger bag. They’re easy to store and transport, so you won’t have any problem in getting your clarinet from one place to another.

♦ Clarinets harmonize well with all the other instruments, so it’s easy to play together in duets, trios, quartets and groups of virtually any size, including band, orchestra, jazz big band, etc.