Clarinet
(क्लेरिनेट)The Carnatic clarinet, developed by A. K. C. Natarajan for South Indian raga, is a B-flat clarinet with gamaka through embouchure bending, in Carnatic concerts since the Thanjavur court era.
£300 - £3,500
The Carnatic clarinet uses a standard B-flat clarinet. Student ABS instruments for Carnatic beginners start around £300. Mid-range wooden instruments from established makers (Yamaha, Buffet E11) cost £500 to £1,500. Professional African blackwood instruments (Buffet Crampon R13 and Tosca, Yamaha Custom), used by concert performers, cost £1,500 to £3,500. Beyond the choice of mouthpiece and reed, it needs no adaptation.
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History & Origins
The Carnatic clarinet
The Carnatic clarinet is the B-flat clarinet as South Indian classical music plays it, and ours suits the student and the concert player. A. K. C. Natarajan leads the tradition; he spent decades building a technique for the gamaka-rich language of Carnatic raga on a Western woodwind. Its cylindrical bore gives a hollow, focused low register and a bright, penetrating upper one, unlike the saxophone's conical bore, and its keywork covers the chromatic scale across three registers.
How it plays raga
The bore makes the clarinet overblow at the twelfth, an octave and a fifth, where the saxophone overblows at the octave, so Carnatic players must move fluently through the chalumeau, clarion and altissimo registers. Gamaka comes from embouchure bending, jaw and lip pressure on the reed, with vocal-tract shaping and partial tone-hole cover: kampita, jaru and nokku over the keywork's fixed pitches, with breath shaping each ornament. Its breath-sustained tone suits alapana. It holds a recognised place on the South Indian concert circuit, with a smaller community than the saxophone's or the nadaswaram's.
Choosing one
Two key systems matter: the Boehm system, 17 keys and 6 rings, and the Albert or simple system, which keeps more holes under the fingers for sliding pitch, so ask a Carnatic teacher which they play. Choose a medium-soft to medium reed for bending, and check the barrel and pitch standard.
By the usual account, Johann Christoph Denner of Nuremberg added a register key to the chalumeau around 1700 to create the clarinet. A palace letter of 26 December 1802 records four clarinets at the Thanjavur court of Serfoji II. British military bands spread it in the 19th century, beside bugles, flutes and brass, and it served North Indian folk and light music before any classical use. In the South classically trained musicians played it in temple processions and Tamil film orchestras.
A. K. C. (Azhiyur Kuppusami Chidambara) Natarajan studied Carnatic music formally and built the embouchure technique for its ornaments. He had the Tyagaraja Aradhana lift its ban on the instrument, played the Madras Music Academy from the 1960s and the Chennai Music Season and major festivals for over four decades, and recorded widely; later players learned from those recordings. He has received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and, in 2022, the Padma Shri.
His students carry the tradition on, occasional players keep it visible on the circuit, and some Tamil Nadu institutions teach it; students still learn from his recordings. Some players have adapted the clarinet to Hindustani raga and meend, where no player has yet matched his standing.
Construction & Craftsmanship
Construction Process
A Carnatic clarinet is a standard B-flat clarinet in five sections: mouthpiece, barrel, upper joint, lower joint and bell. The bore is cylindrical for most of its length, departing from a cylinder at the mouthpiece and flaring through the lower joint and bell, which shapes its register behaviour and colour. Professional bodies are African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon, grenadilla), dense, fine-grained and resistant to moisture and humidity swings; Buffet Crampon makes its E13 of it and its student Prodige of ABS plastic; other student bodies use hard rubber. The exterior is smooth, oiled or lacquered.
The Boehm system keywork has 17 keys and 6 rings of silver- or nickel-plated German silver on pivot rods; the Albert, or simple, system keeps more holes under the fingers. The mouthpiece is hard rubber or crystal glass, with a ligature clamping a cane reed (Arundo donax) to its table; reed hardness, tip and cut set pitch flexibility and tone.
No structural change is needed: the adaptation is in the jaw and lip technique. Barrel length sets overall tuning, and some current models are built at A = 442 Hz, so some players carry two barrels for ensemble tuning.
Maintenance & Care
- Soak each reed 30 seconds before playing and rotate two or three, as sustained gamaka tires them. Store them flat with a humidity card, since a warped reed makes bending inconsistent.
- Swab each joint with a silk or microfibre pull-through after playing, as damp softens the wood and can crack the body. Brush the mouthpiece separately.
- Check the pads for leaks every six months: a leak silences or overblows a note and breaks gamaka in that register. We re-seat or replace single pads. Avoid needless key presses, which wear springs and pads.
- Blackwood is stable but benefits from bore oil on a pull-through swab once or twice a year against surface drying; some makers advise none on a new clarinet. Never oil tone holes or tenon corks.
- Grease the tenon corks thinly, as a dry cork tears or sticks and can crack the socket, and replace compressed cork. Store the clarinet disassembled in a padded case and never leave it assembled in damp or cold; temperature swings stress the joints and keys.
Technical Specifications
Detailed specifications for the Clarinet
Physical dimensions
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Total length (assembled) | Approximately 66 cm |
| Bore type | Cylindrical; approximately 14.6 mm throughout body |
| Body sections | 5: mouthpiece, barrel, upper joint, lower joint, bell |
| Weight | Approximately 0.7–1.0 kg (blackwood instrument) |
| Transposition | Bb clarinet; sounds a major second below written pitch |
Body & construction
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Body material | African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon); student instruments in ABS plastic |
| Key material | Silver-plated or nickel-plated German silver; Boehm system |
| Key count | 17 keys and 6 rings (standard Boehm system) |
| Tone holes | 18 tone holes; seven under the fingertips, the rest worked by the 17 keys |
| Tenon joints | Cork-wrapped tenons; greased for assembly |
Reed and mouthpiece
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Reed type | Single cane reed (Arundo donax); medium to medium-soft (2.5–3.0) for Carnatic bending |
| Mouthpiece material | Hard rubber (ebonite) or crystal glass |
| Ligature | Metal or synthetic ligature clamping reed to mouthpiece table |
| Tip opening | Medium (approximately 1.05–1.20 mm for Carnatic bending flexibility) |
| Reed brands | Vandoren, Rico, D'Addario; medium strength |
Playing technique
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Gamaka method | Jaw and lip pressure on the reed, vocal-tract shaping and partial tone-hole cover |
| Register change | Register key (thumb); transitions at the twelfth |
| Pitch range | E3 to C6 (concert pitch); approximately 3.5 octaves across three registers |
| Playing position | Seated; instrument held diagonally at approximately 30 degrees from body |
| Amplification | Microphone at bell or mid-body; standard Carnatic concert PA setup |
Acoustic characteristics
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Tonal character | Hollow, woody tone in the chalumeau register, from its odd harmonics; bright and penetrating in the clarion |
| Overtone profile | Odd harmonics dominant in the low register (cylindrical bore); distinct from the saxophone or nadaswaram |
| Dynamic range | Wide; pp to ff across all registers |
| Sustain | Continuous (breath-sustained); suited to extended alapana phrases |
| Optimal use | Carnatic alapana, kritis, kalpana swaras; solo with mridangam and violin |
Available Instruments
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Embouchure and tone production
Our courses start beginners here, at KalaSudha's Foundation level. Build a stable single-reed embouchure, the lower lip cushioning the reed; its placement and bite change the reed's stiffness and pitch. Develop a centred, even tone in the chalumeau, then the clarion, at soft and loud levels, before any Carnatic technique.
Register navigation and the twelfth
Embouchure bending for gamaka
Carnatic scales, kritis and alapana
Concert performance and raga depth
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a beginner, a child or a returning clarinettist start learning Carnatic music on the clarinet?
You can learn the Carnatic clarinet with KalaSudha online and in workshops, and beginners start at Foundation level. Foundation builds a stable single-reed embouchure and an even tone in the low and middle registers before any Carnatic technique. Children learn with us as well as adults: ask us about a starting age and about an instrument size for a younger learner.
Clarinettists returning after a long break pick up where they left off. Our courses run in levels, so your teacher reviews where you stand first.
How does a clarinet player bend pitch?
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.
Who brought the clarinet into Carnatic music?
The clarinet reached South India through the Thanjavur court of the Maratha ruler Serfoji II, where a palace letter of 1802 records four clarinets. It first accompanied the chinna melam, the ensemble that played for sadir dance, and Mahadeva Nattuvanar is credited as the first to play Carnatic music on it. Acceptance came slowly; A. K. C. Natarajan later built a technique suited to Carnatic music.
How does the clarinet differ from the saxophone?
The clarinet's bore is cylindrical for most of its length, about 14.6 to 14.9 mm across. It overblows at the twelfth, an octave and a fifth, while flutes and saxophones overblow at the octave, which is why it needs extra keys and linking mechanisms. Players name its registers chalumeau, throat, clarion and altissimo.
What is the difference between Boehm and Albert system clarinets?
Buffet Crampon's Boehm-system E13 and Prodige clarinets carry 17 keys and 6 rings, written 17/6 in its specifications. The Albert or simple system, developed by Eugène Albert of Brussels, keeps more tone holes covered by the fingers. Players value its unkeyed holes for slurs, and the finger-covered holes let them slide pitch, as heard in early jazz bends and smears.
What should I check before buying a clarinet?
Before buying a clarinet, check the pitch standard: Buffet Crampon builds its E13 and Prodige clarinets at A = 442 Hz. Buffet supplies some models with 64 or 65 mm barrels, and players adjust tuning with barrel length. Buffet's specifications list silver-plated keywork, leather pads, cork tenons and an adjustable thumb rest, so check those parts on any instrument.
Where can I buy a B-flat clarinet for Carnatic music, delivered worldwide, with service after the sale?
You can buy a clarinet for Carnatic music from KalaSudha, by quote or made to order, and we deliver worldwide. Carnatic players use a standard B-flat clarinet: choose the key system, Boehm or Albert, and a medium-soft to medium reed for bending. We pack each clarinet for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance.
Any clarinet can come to us for service or repair, wherever you bought it and wherever you live. We also supply spare parts. For help after the sale, use the chat on any page or email [email protected]. Gift vouchers, class sets for schools and flight cases for travel are available too; ask us.
Should I oil the bore of a wooden clarinet?
Buffet Crampon says a new clarinet needs no bore oil, and warns against oil, solvents and anti-corrosion products. It advises swabbing often while playing and drying the bore fully before casing the instrument. Never store a wet swab in the case, and replace a soiled one.
How do I protect a wooden clarinet from cracking?
Buffet Crampon advises protecting a wooden clarinet from rapid changes in temperature and humidity: direct sun, winter outdoors, heaters and air-conditioning. It limits a new wooden clarinet to 30 minutes' playing a day for its first month and advises swabbing the bore dry after playing. Buffet Crampon notes that a properly repaired crack does not affect intonation or tone.
How do I book a Carnatic clarinet player for a concert, a private event or a recording session?
You can book a Carnatic clarinet player through KalaSudha for a concert, event or recording. Ask us through our page to book Indian classical musicians. To hear our artists before you decide, try KalaSudha's recordings and concert videos.
Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!
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