Klarinet Archive - Posting 000576.txt from 1997/11

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Playdough and the clarinet's materials
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 18:46:22 -0500

On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu wrote:

> I was wondering if you had 5 clarinets, one wood, one bamboo, one
> glass, one plastic, and one metal. And you did this experiment
> on all 5 and you then heard differences of a similar nature
> no matter which clarinet was playdoughed.
> It seems to me that it would establish exactly the opposite of
> what you have said, namely that no matter what the medium of
> the instrument, putting playdough on the bell affects all the
> instruments in the same way. Therefore, the medium can have
> no influence on the sound.

Or, if the difference is similar on each instrument, that is, the sound
changes by the same ratio, then there is a difference. By saying that the
difference is the same, are you saying the same as the wood clarinet or
the same changes with varying degrees of change? I am not trying to be
difficult, I am just trying to understand exactly what you meant. It
would seem more correct that, if the changes happened to each instrument
on the bell but not on the body of the instrument, that it does in fact
prove that vibrations are occurring with the bell and that, by altering
the material (adding playdough alters the material as well as the
thickness, density...), the sound changes.

Um.....is that correctly stated? Others?

RG