FAQ · Instruments & artforms

How does a clarinettist bend pitch?

Updated

Clarinet players bend pitch and play glissandi by sliding their fingers partly off the open tone holes and by tuning the resonances of the vocal tract. The vocal tract gains more control where the clarinet's own resonances are weaker. Lower-lip placement and bite force change the reed's effective stiffness, which also affects pitch. The Albert system's finger-covered holes make such slides easier.

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