How to play Pitch Bending on Clarinet

Pitch bending is an expressive technique in which the performer slides from one pitch to another through a controlled alteration of embouchure, air pressure, and oral cavity shape, producing a characteristic vocal inflection that is difficult to notate precisely in conventional Western notation. While the technique is most closely associated with jazz and klezmer traditions — where it serves as a primary means of expressive nuance and stylistic identity — it has also been widely adopted by contemporary classical composers seeking to expand the timbral and expressive vocabulary of the instrument.

On the clarinet, pitch bending is produced primarily through downward embouchure relaxation combined with a lowering of the tongue position within the oral cavity, which lowers the resonant frequency and causes the pitch to descend in a smooth, continuous manner. The technique requires careful control to achieve a musically convincing result without compromising tone quality.

In the video below, Dr. Chaipruck Mekara demonstrates pitch bending on the Bb clarinet in three steps, using an excerpt from István Kohán’s Konzertstück à la Feidman as a practical example.