Alto clarinet: Encyclopedia - Alto clarinet

Alto clarinet

The alto clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. It is a transposing instrument usually pitched in the key of E♭, though instruments in F have been made. In size it lies between the soprano clarinet and the bass clarinet, to which it bears a greater resemblance in that it typically has a straight wood or plastic body but a curved neck and bell made of metal. In appearance it strongly resembles the basset horn, but usually differs in three respects: it is pitched in E♭, it lacks an extended lower range, and it has a wider bore than most basset horns.

The keys of the alto are similar to the keys on smaller clarinets, and are played with virtually identical fingerings. Commonly, however, an additional key gives a low (written) E♭, absent on most soprano clarinets. The range of the alto clarinet is from the G♭ in the second octave below middle C to the middle of the second octave above middle C.

Invention of the alto clarinet has been attributed to Iwan Müller and to Heinrich Grenser. Adolphe Sax made notable improvements to the instrument.

The alto clarinet has not been commonly used in orchestral scoring. It is used mostly in concert bands and clarinet choirs, where it often doubles other parts; since at least the 1950s some musicians have opined that the alto clarinet could and should be eliminated from the standard wind band. A few jazz musicians, Hamiet Bluiett, Vinny Golia, and Joe Lovano among them, have made use of the alto clarinet.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Alto clarinet", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki