What about the Alto Clarinet?
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
by Erika Reed. July 24, 2026
The alto clarinet might be considered the red-headed stepchild of the clarinet world. Most people these days have never seen one, nor heard one being played, as it has gone out of common use in concert bands. It is still commonly used in clarinet choirs, however, and it has an important role there.
The alto clarinet is pitched in Eb, which means that if you play a C on the instrument, it sounds (or tunes) as an Eb, specifically the one below middle C. Its range lies between the soprano clarinet and the Bb bass clarinet with overlapping notes. It has a gentle, more mellow timbre, similar to its earlier cousin, the basset horn (pitched in F). The low register of the Eb alto is especially lovely, and the upper register can have much personality!
The Eb alto clarinet was more widely used in the early 20th century in school bands as a harmony instrument, but the alto clarinet was slowly but surely pushed out of the school ensembles for various reasons, with some saying that they could not hear the difference if it were being played or not. By the middle of the 20th century, composers often chose the alto saxophone and (French) horn to cover the parts of the alto clarinet. Few modern pieces have parts for the Eb alto clarinet, and the poor instrument was practically abandoned decades ago, with few or no efforts to improve upon its design.
The instrument is still in production, but has become rather expensive, with some new models costing around $15,000.
If you heard it at its best, perhaps you could make a case for keeping the Eb alto clarinet around. Many clarinetists happen to love it.
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