Well, the biggest reason is the clarinet over-blows a 12th instead of an octave… what does that mean… most other woodwinds over-blow and octave.. that means when you finger a G in one register it is a G in the next…. NOT THE CLARINET… Again, It over-blows a 12th meaning you never use the same fingering for any note… If you finger a low C then open the register key it sounds a G.. or the low G becomes a middle D…
When every note is played on any instrument… all the overtones (Described Below) are mixed in the sound… That is what makes a trumpet sound different than a flute. Most woodwinds and brass instruments have even overtones above the primary pitch.. Again, NOT THE CLARINET is has the odd partials in the tone… making the overtones clash with other instruments and adding to the difficulty of playing the clarinet and matching it with other instruments….. but… they can be fun!
*Overtone, in acoustics, tone sounding above the fundamental tone when a string or air column vibrates as a whole, producing the fundamental, or first harmonic. If it vibrates in sections, it produces overtones, or harmonics. The listener normally hears the fundamental pitch clearly; with concentration, overtones may be heard.
Harmonics are a series of overtones resulting when the frequencies are exact multiples of the fundamental frequency. The frequencies of the upper harmonics form simple ratios with the frequency of the first harmonic (e.g., 2:1, 3:1, 4:1). In the case of ideal stretched strings and air columns, higher harmonics result when the full length of the vibrating medium is divided into more and more equal parts.
Some musical instrument – among them those whose sounds result from the vibration of metal, wood, or stone bars (e.g., marimbas or xylophones); of cylinders (e.g., orchestral chimes); of plates (e.g., cymbals); or of membranes (e.g., drums)—produce non-harmonic overtones—that is, the frequencies of the overtones are not multiples of the fundamental frequency.
Musical timbre, or tone colour, is affected by the particular overtones favored by a given instrument. The “woody” sound of the clarinet comes from its emphasis on low-frequency odd harmonics, whereas the more nasal sound of the oboe comes from the presence of all harmonics and a greater emphasis on the higher frequencies.
This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch
Tone or Tone Colour (in American Tone Color), in acoustics, sound that can be recognized by its regularity of vibration. A simple tone has only one frequency, although its intensity may vary. A complex tone consists of two or more simple tones, called overtones. The tone of lowest frequency is called the fundamental: the others, overtones. The frequencies of the overtones may be whole multiples (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc., of the fundamental frequency, in which case they are called the second, third, fourth, etc., harmonics of the fundamental tone, itself known as the first harmonic). A combination of harmonic tones is pleasant to hear and is therefore called a musical tone.
This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch