Klarinet Archive - Posting 000089.txt from 1997/06

From: Jrykorten@-----.com
Subj: Re: Mouthpiece Table Concavity and Ligatures
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 04:20:09 -0400

Regarding Karl's doubts about the amount of flexing a reed body can do on a
mouthpiece table:

The only item I can come up with that is so thin is cigarette paper measuring
.0015" on my micrometer. This, when cut into a 1mm wide "cat whisker" can be
used as a tension probe. I use this on my mouthpieces under the reed to feel
the effect of pressing either: the ends, or the middle of the butt of the
reed. This is a totally unexact science, because there is the possibility of
experimentor error by changing how hard the reed is pressed to the table. But
the effect of concavity is definitely felt by me (at least I can convince
myself). Pressing in the center of the butt area of the reed (over the middle
of the mouthpiece table) produces a markedly different tension when pulling
out the "cat whisker" from underneath the reed.

In addition, David Hite, in an interesting response to my previous post
(which I am asking him for permission to post to the KLARINET as it is full
of informative goodies) says that he manufactures a ligature to apply
pressure at only the ends of the table this design is meant to not deforming
the reed and to allow freedom of vibration in that area. He confirms, that in
his opinion, that people are using the extreme of this table design feature
to adjust their moutpiece tip opening.

I too lack the equipment to measure this stuff to my satisfaction. I have
necessary gauges and stuff, but it looks like you would have to jig each
measurement with something that would take too long for me to make. I imagine
an experiment with cut down (narrow) pipe clamp technology at the each end of
the table and at the center. Tightening each with a torque measuring
screwdriver. and measuring the change in tip opening when tightening one down
in the center of the table to the same as its neighbor's. I don't even know
how to measure the tip opening as it changes from the center of the
mouthpiece to each side (nobody on the list who knew answered when I asked
which should be used in a previous posting). A relative change is all thats
needed. Anybody do this kind of work (machine shop - ing)?

(Measuring the tip opening without optical measurement techniques would be
difficult.)

Jerry Korten
NYC

In a message dated 97-06-06 21:04:42 EDT, Karl Krelove writes:

<<
SNIP
...Most of the
ligature force, it seems to my imagination, must be exerted where the reed
contacts the mouthpiece, i.e. at the top and bottom of the concave area,
especially if the force is being supplied mainly by screws that are at the
top and bottom of the ligature. Has anyone actually been able to quantify
the reed's deflection from a straight line?

Karl
>>