Klarinet Archive - Posting 000278.txt from 1994/04

From: David Ressler <daveres@-----.COM>
Subj: Reed physics: help!
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 17:05:28 -0400

I'm getting frustrated about the business of adjusting reeds.

I'm an engineer by training and temperament (don't ask how I got to be a
serious amateur music-maker). When I carve up a reed to make it better, I
want to know what I'm doing and why. I've read everything I could get my
hands on, but it's mostly of the "do this and you'll get that" approach,
and without a master peering over my shoulder shouting "No, no! That's
too much!" or whatever, all I'm getting is 1) sawdust all over my rug, 2)
nowhere, and 3) frustrated.

My library includes the following:

* Pino: Clarinet & Clarinet Playing
* Opperman: Handbook for Making and Adjusting
Single Reeds
* Armato: Perfect a Reed (I have an early model
of his machine)
* Stein: The Art of Clarinet Playing
* Brymer: Clarinet
* Larsen: "The Reed Connection" The Clarinet
Vol. 18, No. 4 and Vol. 19, No. 1

These references say what to do to get what. But what's missing is a
physical, acoustical basis for the instructions given...and it's
definitely needed, because some of the instructions exactly contradict
others.

Can anybody direct me to any work done on the physics of the
instrument-reed-oral cavity air-column acoustic system that can shed
light on such questions as:

* How may different modes of vibration of the reed are there,
and what are they?

* Why is it important to have the reed "balanced" and what
are the critical factors in balancing a reed?

* Why is the "heart" of the reed sacred?

* What is the effect of pressure of the lower lip on the reed,
including location on the reed and asymmetry from uneven
teeth?

* What is the real physical effect of warping?

Not only would answers to these questions help the more analytic-minded
of us (especially those of us without a personal reed guru), but they
might help someone understand how to approach making a "perfect"
synthetic reed...or even a decent adjustment machine.

Anyone out there?