Klarinet Archive - Posting 000456.txt from 1999/04

From: "Steven J Goldman, MD" <sjgoldman@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] science & materials when decoupled
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 01:45:24 -0400

I think we are close to complete agreement. The use of feedback for the
improvement of a particular type of instrument or mouthpiece is perfectly
acceptable, necessary actually, since, as you have pointed out, hard
acoustical data leaves much to be desired and we have no reliable model as
of yet. This method, if unscientific, has a long and venerable history. The
problem comes when comparing different types of instruments to each other,
where individuals have already formed an opinion (even if at a subconscious
level), i.e. plastic (viewed as second class, cheap) vs. wood (viewed as the
gold standard). It is in this type of situation where an individual's bias
will cause the evaluation to be unreliable and a blind study, with all other
variables standardized, is necessary.

While the playing of an instrument is active process, one can eliminate the
variable of technique by using mechanical, reproducible wind production.
Then comparing different materials does not depend on musicians, who will
even vary on the same instrument, and the complexity is greatly reduced.
Hall acoustics may be "passive", but there is no way to reduce the number of
variables to an more manageable level.

Steve

Steven Goldman
624 Huber Lane
Glenview, IL 60025

sjgoldman@-----.com

-----Original Message-----
From: James Pyne [mailto:jpyne@-----.edu]
Subject: RE: [kl] science & materials when decoupled

Methodologies that attempt to improve instrument (and mouthpiece) building
would, for the most part, not qualify as "scientific inquiry". What I do as
a mouthpiece maker is quite different from what I do in timbre and
perception research at the university, though there is some overlap.....

........an instrument (plus
performer) has to generate the sound, while the concert hall is passive,
and the generative processes are in themselves quite complex. As to
possible variables, how would one guess?

---Jim Pyne

James Pyne
Clarinet Studio/Research Group
School of Music
The Ohio State University
1866 College Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210
pyne.1@-----.edu
Tel: 614 292 8969
Fax: 614 292 1102
http://www.arts.ohio-state.edu/Music/Clarfest

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