Klarinet Archive - Posting 000327.txt from 1998/01

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Reed Tip Closing
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 23:48:35 -0500

Bill Hausmann wrote:

>At 08:43 AM 1/6/98 -0500, Jonathan Cohler wrote:

SNIP

>>
>>So to summarize two key points over which there seemed to be substantial
>>confusion:
>>
>> 1. The reed does indeed hit the mouthpiece at "mf" and above dynamics.
>>
>> 2. The reed does NOT hit the mouthpiece at soft dynamics.
>>
>Now I am thoroughly confused! It does not seen possible for the very
>method of tone production (from reed flapping in the breeze to functioning
>as an air valve) to change that dramatically without a subsequent
>***DRAMATIC*** change in the tonal quality.

That is precisely correct. And that is part of why the clarinet tone gets
dramatically "brighter" as one gets louder and louder. Without getting
into the physics of it that cause this, suffice it to say that as one blows
harder and harder on the clarinet the higher the partial is, the stronger
it gets relative to the fundamental. Coupled with the fact that the reed
vibration pattern of hitting the mouthpiece has more high frequency
components in it and you have indeed a brighter sound as you crescendo.

In fact, if you listen carefully while you make a slow crescendo on a note,
you can quite easily discern the point at which the reed begins to hit.

If you don't believe that the clarinet sound is getting brigther as you get
louder, you can verify it for yourself with the following simple experiment.

1. Record a softly played note.
2. Record the same note played quite loudly (but in focus etc...)
3. Listen to the two notes played back, but when you play them
back adjust the level so that the loudness of the two notes
matches.

You will clearly hear the difference in color with the loudness levels matched.

> I'll bet that with a
>sufficiently open mouthpiece and a sufficiently stiff reed that will NOT
>close the mouthpiece, it will be IMPOSSIBLE to obtain a tone at all! Let
>the experiments begin!

Also true.

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