Klarinet Archive - Posting 001053.txt from 1998/11

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Reed strength
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1998 11:48:20 -0500

On Wed, 25 Nov 1998, George Kidder wrote:

> has been worrying me for some time now, since I find it counter-intuitive:
>
> "Another truth about reeds is that all reeds for a given instrument are
> cut exactly the same, on the same machine, at the same setting. Got
> that? A number 2 reed and a number 5 are cut to exactly the same shape
> and thickness. The difference in strength is not in the cutting, but
> solely dependant on the different natural physical properties in the
> fiber of each piece of cane! Bet you didn't know that! ..."
>
> What do others think about this statement?

I think that you are quite correct about the statement being
counter-intuitive, but I also think the statement is true. Intuitively,
we all naturally assume that the difference between a soft reed and a hard
one is in the thickness or other physical dimensions of the reed. Many
people are now coming around to the understanding that the primary
difference in reeds of differing playing characteristics is in the
qualities of the cane itself. There are several things about cane, other
than thickness or dimensions, which can be measured, including density,
mechanical hardness, resiliency, the structure of the fibres of the cane,
and the mineral and particulate content of the pores.

Logically, there would be no way accurately to compare the response
characteristics of reeds cut in different ways unless you could be sure
that the characteristics of the cane from which the reeds are made were
comparable.

Especially in the double reed world, quite a few people are now delving
into the matter of the characteristics of the cane itself as a predictor
of response of the reeds which will be made from it. Some of the
manufacturers of single reeds know about this, and a few have known it for
a long time, but aren't saying much about it. Some suppliers of reeds
and/or cane are testing hardness, some are testing density, and some are
beginning to try to control other factors. For the most part each
manufacturer or supplier seems to regard their procedures as proprietary
secrets. I think we may on the verge of developing some new
understandings of the way cane and reeds work, which eventually may enable
us better to control some of the variable qualities of these little
oscillators, which have been a thorn in the side of every woodwind player
for centuries.

Ed Lacy
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Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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