• 11 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Clarinet

A clarinet assembled, and pulled apart into its five pieces.

Parts of a Clarinet

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Reed
  2. Ligature
  3. Tone holes
  4. Ring keys
  5. Keys
  6. Register key
  7. Mouthpiece
  8. Barrel
  9. Upper joint
  10. Lower joint
  11. Bell

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the mouthpiece, close up

All 11 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 8 main parts 8

  1. Reed A thin cane strip that vibrates against the mouthpiece, making the sound.
  2. Ligature The band that clamps the reed to the mouthpiece.
  3. Keys Metal levers and pads that close holes the fingers cannot reach.
  4. Mouthpiece The piece you blow into; the reed is clamped to it.
  5. Barrel The short piece between the mouthpiece and upper joint. Pulling it out slightly tunes the clarinet.
  6. Upper joint The upper body section, played with the left hand.
  7. Lower joint The lower body section, played with the right hand.
  8. Bell The flared end of the clarinet.

Assembled 3

  1. Tone holes Covered by fingers or pads to change the note. Holes along the body.
  2. Ring keys Metal rings round some tone holes. They close other keys when a finger covers the hole.
  3. Register key Pressed 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

These are the parts of a clarinet: the whole instrument, then pulled apart into the five pieces you put together before playing. Start with the 8 main parts.

Read the full guide

The five pieces

From the top: the mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper joint for the left hand, the lower joint for the right hand, and the bell. They push together on corked tenons.

Making the sound

The ligature clamps the reed to the mouthpiece; blowing makes the reed vibrate. Fingers and keys cover the tone holes to change the note, ring keys close other holes at the same time, and the register key lifts the notes to the upper register.

  • Pulling the barrel a little away from the upper joint lowers the pitch slightly. Pushed fully home, the clarinet is as sharp as it can go.

Questions and answers

What are the five parts of a clarinet?

The mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper joint, the lower joint and the bell. They come apart to fit in the case and are put together before playing.

What does the ligature do on a clarinet?

It is the band round the mouthpiece that holds the reed in place, pressed against the mouthpiece so it can vibrate.

What is the register key?

A key on the back of the upper joint, pressed with the thumb. It lifts the note by an octave plus a fifth, into the clarinet's upper register.

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