Klarinet Archive - Posting 000019.txt from 1994/05

From: Bradley Lawson <blawson@-----.EDU>
Subj: effect of materials
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 15:24:05 -0400

I have been doing research on the effect construction materials
have on the timbre and tone of the clarinet. I have used two books as a
guide. The first is *The Art of Clarinetistry* by William H. Stubbins,
published 1965 by Ann Arbor Publishers. The second is *The Clarinet* by
F. Geoffrey Rendall, published 1954 by Philosophical LIbrary.

According to Stubbins, the materials of construction have a
secondary effect on the tone and timbre. He does not go any farther, so
I must use Rendall to continue.

Rendall states that vibrations are set up in the walls of the
instrument, and the vibrations are either enhanced or depressed by the
materials in the walls. The size of the walls and the density of the
wood combine to affect the tone.

Rendall puts forth a theory that varying molecular structures
influence some partials over others. He uses the materials used in organ
pipes as an example: lead for lower partials, and zinc for brilliance
from higher partials. He then compares the sounds of boxwood and African
blackwood.

As a percussion minor, it has been my experience that marimba
bars made from rosewood sound better than those made from other
materials. From this observation, I feel that the materials of an
instrument do affect its tone and timbre. I'm not saying that the
materials alone affect the sound, but that they do influence it in subtle
and sometimes not so subtle ways.

Brad Lawson-Univ. of Arkansas