• What Are Professional Clarinets Made From

There are 3 varieties of clarinets based on their function and built, which include student clarinets, intermediate forms and professional clarinets. Student clarinets are made out of cheaper stuff such as from plastic resin or an ABS resin, which has longer durability and crack resistance capacity. However, intermediate and professional clarinets are made from good quality wood such as ebony, rosewood and granadilla. A lot of care goes into the production of professional clarinets.

Professional clarinets were originally made from African hardwood, such as granadilla. Other woods such as Honduran rosewood may also be used. In the past, boxwood was commonly used for making clarinets. However, wooden clarinets are affected by humidity and develop cracks over a period of time owing to the impact of rough weather. Some manufacturers make professional clarinets using a complex mixture of plastic resin and wood chips. Such clarinets are not prone to developing cracks and are resistant to impact of humidity. The only drawback of such clarinets, prepared using plastic resin and wood chips, is that they are comparatively much heavier than their wooden counterparts. Metal soprano professional clarinets were also in vogue for quite sometime before the advent of plastic resin made clarinets. 

Clarinets use a single reed, which is usually made from synthetic materials these days. However, originally, the reeds were made out of the cane of arundo donax (which is a type of grass). The reed is fixed firmly to the mouthpiece and when air is blown through the mouthpiece, the reed vibrates and produces the instrument's sound. This plain sound, coupled with the use of the keys and holes, produces the melodious sound of the clarinet. The mouthpiece is usually made out of ebonite. However, these days, low-cost mouthpieces made out of plastic resin material are readily available in the market.

When planning to buy a clarinet, the most important aspect to consider is to know what material the clarinet is made from. People who prefer warmer tones must always opt for wooden clarinets made out of woods like ebony, rosewood or granadilla, because they are known to impart a very warm tone when the instrument is played. Maintenance of the instrument, irrespective of the material, it is made up of is yet another important but usually ignored aspect. It is advisable to use a dry cloth to wipe away any moisture and finger marks from the keys and the instrument after each use.