Klarinet Archive - Posting 000451.txt from 1997/11

From: Martin Pergler <pergler@-----.edu>
Subj: Clarinet wave shape, was Re: Recording the clarinet
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 00:27:16 -0500

On Tue, 11 Nov 1997, Dee Hays wrote:

> No instrument is mathematically "pure". NOR DID I SAY THAT IT WAS. The
> uneven molar shape that you refer to puts it in the rough class of a square wave as
> opposed to sine, sawtooth, or triangular. The clarinet wave shape certainly can not
> be classifed as one of the latter three types.

Sure. Didn't mean to imply that I thought you thought is was "pure" :)
But I have seen or heard the argument that "odd harmonics -> square"
and "all harmonics -> sawtooth", which is definitely oversimplification.
The resultant shape of a synthetic addition of pure harmonics depends as
much on their phase difference as on the relative amplitudes. Conversely,
if we have a complex waveform it may not be easy to say if it is more
"square-" or "saw-" or "triangle-"like.

> My question was: Is it the wave form that causes the recording problems? One
> respondent stated that it was the rise time. Therefore is the wave square enough to
> actually support this statment? Or to put it another way, what are the respective
> rise times of the various instruments?

OK. I understand your question better now. I don't know. We've now brought
up two possibilities: the waveform or some feature of it (ie. some
feature of the tone itself) or flutter/wow, or something else
with this sort of much longer time period. THis second problem might be
worsened by clarinetists' tendency to use little vibrato. (just
speculation)

Martin

-------------------------------------------------------
Martin Pergler pergler@-----.edu
Grad student, Mathematics http://www.math.uchicago.edu/~pergler
Univ. of Chicago

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org