Klarinet Archive - Posting 000534.txt from 1997/09

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Clarinet material
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 16:40:24 -0400

>I suggest that Jonathan contact the makers of Bach and Yamaha and tell
>them that the thickness of the wall has nothing to do with the air column
>vibrations which are caused by the lips vibrating.

Contacting Yamaha, Bach or Monty Python doesn't change the laws of physics.

> Their research shows
>that the materials have everything to do with it.

Would love to see even one page of such "research". It has never made it
into any physics or acoustics textbook that I know of. And it certainly
would revolutionize the field if all of the major physicists and
acousticians who have studied this field are now wrong (based on what I
would assume is nothing more than marketing propaganda from a commercial
venture).

> Professional brass
>players remove laquer from their horns all the time....that is considered
>a material. The concept that the material has nothing to do with the way
>vibrations occur is absurd!

You need to study more physics and acoustics before making such sweeping
declarations.

> Beyond that, if you want to get technical, if
>the wall itself is not vibrating, the material still contributes to the
>way the air column is excited.

Not unless the surface is rough. The shape of the bore is what matters.

> This is precisely why Bach and Yamaha
>manufacture horn with varying thicknesses of bell and leadpipe....note..I
>did not say bore size, I refer to thickness of the material itself.

That may be the reason that they state. But marketing hype and reality are
very different things.

-----------------------
Jonathan Cohler
cohler@-----.net