Even the contrabass clarinet — already a rare and enormous instrument — isn't the bottom of the family. Beyond it sit three more instruments most working clarinettists will never see, let alone play: the contra-alto, the subcontrabass, and the octocontrabass clarinet. Each is lower, bigger and scarcer than the last, built in numbers you could probably count on your fingers, and kept alive almost entirely by dedicated clarinet-choir enthusiasts, collectors and a handful of specialist manufacturers.
None of them is common enough to justify a page of its own, so this one covers all three together — what each is, how they compare, and why they're so rare in the first place.
All three are built in a folded "paperclip" shape, since a straight tube long enough to reach their pitch would be unplayable.
Specialist clarinet choirs, university wind ensembles and private collections — almost never a standard orchestra or band.
Range at a Glance
The octocontrabass's lowest note sits close to the bottom of a full-size piano and among the lowest pitches any acoustic wind instrument can produce — well below a standard bassoon or tuba's floor.
| Type | Pitch | Register vs. contrabass | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contra-alto clarinet | Eb | Sits above it — an octave below the alto | Rare |
| Subcontrabass clarinet | Eb / BBb | Below it | Extremely rare |
| Octocontrabass clarinet | BBb | Lowest of all | Rarest — a handful worldwide |
Figures are approximate. Because so few of these instruments exist, exact pitch centres and surviving numbers vary between sources and individual instruments.
The contra-alto clarinet is pitched in Eb, an octave below the standard alto clarinet, which puts it a step above the contrabass in register but still firmly in "you'll only see this in a clarinet choir" territory. Like the contrabass, it's built in a folded, paperclip-style shape to keep the keywork within reach, and it plays a very similar structural role — providing depth beneath the standard clarinets in a large ensemble, particularly in dedicated clarinet-choir repertoire written specifically to showcase the full family. Of the three instruments on this page, it's the one you're most likely to actually encounter, though "most likely" still means rarely.
Go a register lower than the contrabass clarinet and you reach the subcontrabass — an instrument built in such small numbers historically that most professional clarinettists will never encounter one outside a museum, a specialist collection, or a dedicated clarinet-choir festival. It exists almost purely as a curiosity and a foundation voice: there's essentially no standard solo repertoire for it, and its role, when it's used at all, is to sit at the very bottom of a large ensemble's texture.
The octocontrabass clarinet is the largest and lowest-pitched clarinet in existence — a genuinely enormous instrument, taller than most players, that rests on the floor to be played. Only a handful have ever been built, making it easily the rarest instrument on this page and one of the rarest wind instruments of any kind. It exists almost entirely as a novelty and a talking point at specialist clarinet-choir concerts, where its sheer scale draws attention the moment it's wheeled out — genuinely one of the strangest sights in the wind instrument world.
Curious how these giants compare to the rest of the clarinet family? Head back to the full types of clarinets guide, or read about the more common — but still enormous — contrabass clarinet. And if the standard clarinet has caught your interest instead, I teach clarinet lessons in person in South East London and online. Book a lesson and let's get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
The octocontrabass clarinet is the rarest and lowest-pitched clarinet ever built. Only a handful exist anywhere in the world, and most people who play clarinet professionally will never see one in person.
The contra-alto clarinet is pitched in Eb, an octave below the alto clarinet, making it one step up in size from the contrabass clarinet's register. Like its larger relatives, it's built in a folded shape and used almost exclusively in clarinet choirs.
The subcontrabass clarinet sits below the contrabass clarinet in pitch and is dramatically rarer, with only a small number ever built. It exists mainly as a specialist instrument for dedicated clarinet-choir ensembles and collectors.
There's very little demand for them outside specialist clarinet-choir ensembles, they're expensive and difficult to manufacture at that size, and there's almost no standard repertoire written for them. Manufacturers have only ever built them in small numbers, often as one-off or limited-run projects. Get in touch to book a lesson on a more everyday member of the family.
SaxTeacher UK is a woodwind and piano teacher based in South East London, with 17 years' experience teaching saxophone, clarinet, flute and piano — plus jazz on any instrument. Get in touch for in-person or online lessons.
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