E-flat clarinet

The E-flat (E) clarinet is a member of the clarinet family, smaller than the more common B clarinet and pitched a perfect fourth higher. It is typically considered the sopranino or piccolo member of the clarinet family and is a transposing instrument in E with a sounding pitch a minor third higher than written. In Italian it is sometimes referred to as a terzino and is generally listed in B-based scores (including many European band scores) as terzino in Mi♭. The E-flat clarinet has a total length of about 49 cm.

E clarinet
E clarinet with Boehm System keywork.
Woodwind instrument
Classification
  • Woodwind
  • Wind
  • Reed aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification422.211.2
(Single reed instruments – with fingerholes)
Playing range
Written range:
Related instruments

The E clarinet is used in orchestras, concert bands, and marching bands, and plays a central role in clarinet choirs, carrying melodies that would be uncomfortably high for the B clarinet. Solo repertoire is limited, but composers from Berlioz to Mahler have used it extensively as a solo instrument in orchestral contexts.

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