Klarinet Archive - Posting 000585.txt from 1997/03

From: Jerry Korten <Jrykorten@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Acoustic effects
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997 20:38:11 -0500

Gary Young wrote:

>>... The fan imparted
>>a strange slow vibrato-like effect to the clarinet sound. (I don't
>>understand the acoustics of this.) At first I was irritated, but then I
>>realized this was the sort of thing Cage would have loved, and really got
>>into the sound.
>

If you pivot around quickly while playing (preferably a note with lots of
fingers down like low E or B above middle C) you can get the same effect.
Walking quickly will also produce this effect. I believe it is because the
different overtones in the clarinet sound are being doppler shifted (each
overtone shifted differently according to its frequency) and they go out of
tune with each other. Effectively the tones that make up the clarinet sound
"split up". I love this effect.

Jerry Korten
NYC