Klarinet Archive - Posting 000041.txt from 1994/01

From: Cary Karp <nrm-karp@-----.SE>
Subj: Re: The Sound of Plastic
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 16:04:34 -0500

The material of which a clarinet is made does influence the quality of
the sound that the instrument produces. I could bore the members of this
list silly rattling off the mechanisms for this. Given two geometrically
identical instruments, one made out of cork will probably sound clearly
different than one made out of platinum. On the basis of my own
experience, I wouldn't expect anyone to be able reliably to hear the
differences between plastic and grenadilla, and doubt that metal
instruments (which in theory should differ more clearly) could be spotted,
either.

The vibrations in the body of a clarinet make ***MUCH*** smaller
contributions to its output sound than does the vibrating air column.
Any material which presents a bore surface to the air column which
resembles that of the surface of grenadilla -- smooth, non-porous, and
(sorry folks) with the same acoustic impedance -- that material will
sound pretty darn like grenadilla.

My contacts with gilded-ear audiophiliacs have convinced me that there
are keener ears out there than mine, so I dunno how easily the possessers
of such would be able to discriminate in a behind-the-screen clarinet
test. Wouldn't bet on their chances, though.