1880 the Italian clarinet maker Alessandro Maldura built a contra alto clarinet in E of grenadilla wood with 14 keys, 1.93 m long, which he called Clarone grande, exhibited at the 1881 Italian National Exhibition in Milan. 20th century built two models of a contra-alto clarinet in E-flat, Model 350 and 352, from metal. Model 350 was in a curved shape (known as a paperclip) and went to written low C. These models also have three trill keys on the right side of the upper joint. The curved shape makes the instrument much easier to transport than the traditional straight, non-dismantled model. Model 352 was straight in a bass clarinet-shape to written low E♭. Other makers of contra-alto clarinets have developed mainly stretched models. These include: Henri Selmer Paris Model 26/40 in rosewood to written E, E♭, or D Buffet Crampon Metal model patented in 1891 for Evette and Schaeffer (patent FR218373/5) Model Prestige 1553 made of grenadilla, 19 keys. Conn-Selmer USA (1980 onwards), Bundy (from 1970 to 1980), Buescher ( 1968–1969): model 1440 made of ebonite, to written E♭ (written), with 18 keys and 7 plateau keys. Leblanc USA / Vito: Model L7181 in Reso-Tone material to E flat (written). Ripamonti, Italian manufacturer: model 322 in rosewood, to d (written). Martin Frères Company EE-3488 model in ABS EE-3434 model in ebonite Today's contra-alto clarinets are mainly based on the Boehm system, although models with the German system also existed in the past. Description and technique The range of most contra-alto clarinets extends downwards to its low E♭ (concert G♭1). Some models go down to D (concert F1) or C (concert E♭1). For this the instrument must be longer and have additional keys which the player operates with the right thumb and/or little fingers (as with the basset horn). In the altissimo range, the fingerings on the contra-alto clarinet are sometimes different from those on the higher clarinets. Modern contra-alto clarinets have a double (or even triple) automatic stop key. The contra-alto clarinet has a curved bell, mainly made of metal, which is necessary for sound projection. It is located in the lowest part of the instrument. On the curved clarinets ("paper clip") the bell is in the upper part of the instrument. The instrument can be played sitting down or standing up with the help of a peg or a strap. In orchestration, the contra-alto clarinet's playing is as