ReedA thin cane strip that vibrates against the mouthpiece, making the sound.
LigatureThe band that clamps the reed to the mouthpiece.
KeysMetal levers and pads that close holes the fingers cannot reach.
MouthpieceThe piece you blow into; the reed is clamped to it.
BarrelThe short piece between the mouthpiece and upper joint. Pulling it out slightly tunes the clarinet.
Upper jointThe upper body section, played with the left hand.
Lower jointThe lower body section, played with the right hand.
BellThe flared end of the clarinet.
Assembled 2
Ring keysMetal rings round some tone holes. They close other keys when a finger covers the hole.
Register keyPressed with the thumb to lift the note into the upper register. The lift is an octave and a fifth.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) The Instrument Place, Parts of the clarinet, https://www.theinstrumentplace.com/parts-of-the-clarinet : the five pieces (mouthpiece, barrel, upper joint, lower joint, bell); reed and ligature; tenons with cork; barrel and bell rings; keys, ring keys, bridge key, register key; tone holes. (2) Wikipedia, Clarinet, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarinet : mouthpiece, reed, ligature, barrel, upper and lower joints, bell, tone holes, rings, keys, register key, thumb rest. (3) Yamaha, The structure of the clarinet, https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/clarinet/mechanism/ (the names of each part of a B-flat clarinet). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
Labeling the parts of a clarinet takes two drawings. On the upper one the clarinet is assembled, and five numbers mark its small parts. On the lower one it is pulled apart, with a number on each piece.
Read the full guide
Clarinet word bank
From A to Z, for the board: barrel, bell, keys, ligature, lower joint, mouthpiece, reed, register key, ring keys, upper joint.
Where the lines end
At the mouth end, 1 is the thin strip underneath (reed) and 2 the band that holds it on (ligature); the mouthpiece itself is 6, on the lower drawing. 3 ends on a metal ring round a hole (ring keys). 4 is on the long levers along the top (keys), 5 on the single key underneath (register key). Of the two long pieces, 8 is next to the barrel (upper joint) and 9 next to the bell (lower joint).
For a first lesson, ask for numbers 6 to 10 only: the five pieces, in the order they go together.
The round holes along the body are tone holes. They are drawn and have no number on this sheet; the labeled clarinet numbers them.
Questions and answers
How many keys does a clarinet have?
In the most common key system, the Boehm system, 17 keys and 6 rings. Seven tone holes are covered by the fingertips and the keys work the rest. The drawing is simplified and shows fewer.
Is a clarinet a woodwind instrument?
Yes. The clarinet is a single-reed woodwind whose bore is nearly cylindrical and whose bell flares. The single reed is number 1 on this sheet.
What is a clarinet made of?
Most wooden clarinets are made of African blackwood, also called grenadilla, and student models are often plastic. The mouthpiece is generally hard rubber, and the reed is cut from cane.