Klarinet Archive - Posting 000412.txt from 1998/02

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: the RE that used to Say IT'S A FACT (II)
Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 08:29:03 -0500

My apologies for not deleting the original title that said..."IT'S A FACT"
As most people know, there is no absolute proof regarding reed dimensions
compared to mouthpiece dimensions and resulting vibrating frequencies. We
can, however, make many deductions based on our's and other's experiences
(I hope Bill did not "reed" that last sentence....he always gets me
back!).

An analogy might be helpful here. There are many books about woodworking.
Specifically, a table saw and a router are essential items to being able
to produce beautiful furniture. Now, one of the most elementary cuts on a
table saw is to be able to switch blades and produce what is called a
"dado"..... a rectangular groove which acts as a support for a shelf or
other supportive piece of wood. With the proper bit, a different
woodworker might say, "The router is the best tool to use for making
dados, and I can prove it!" So, the woodworker gets out his trusty router
and makes a perfect dado...... The first woodworker, not to be outdone,
also claims, "but so can I, and I will prove it!" So he changes blades to
the dado set and PRESTO, he also makes a perfect dado. Can we prove whose
method works best? While "fact" may be a difficult thing to prove,
experience that works well can be viewed as a fact of some kind I suppose.

Let's go back to my comment below and Neil's reply:

> > Roger Garrett wrote:
> > The reed tip should be the same shape and width as the mouthpiece tip.

> Neil Leupold wrote:
> This response is not a fact, it's a prescriptive statement.
> Why "should" the reed tip be the same shape and width as the
> mouthpiece tip?

Neil asked about the facts surrounding the reed vibration, what would
happen if the edges of a reed were left square and sticking out. Now I
KNEW he was baiting me (or someone)....when I first read the question, and
he did a very nice job of setting the trap up! However, unless someone
has some specific facts that discuss the mudane aspects of specific reed
vibration relative the frequency of the harmonic blah blah blah, suffice
to say that this reedmaker/reedworker learned from other
reedmakers/woodworkers that, what works best for them (and me) is to match
the shape and tip of the reed to the mouthpiece tip.....or get as close as
possible. Some other reedmakers/reedworkers might disagree and have their
style - whatever works best! I don't know much about the frequency or
vibration of the reed, I do know that it plays better this way.

Personally, I have never been able to decide about the table saw router
thing.....I have the hassle of changing the blade on the table saw.....but
then I have the hassle of changing the bit, depth, etc. on the router as
well as setting up a fence for a handheld router or using a the router in
the table and figuring everything that way. It all ends up the same in
the end.

Roger Garrett
IWU