Klarinet Archive - Posting 001034.txt from 1999/05

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Materials, yet again
Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 15:05:46 -0400

Spiegelthal.Dave@-----.COM wrote:
>
> Kevin Fay wrote about one of our favorite threads, namely, materials. I'd like
> to muddy the waters further with my own mix of mouthpiece and instrument
> materials: I play a plastic bass clarinet with a crystal mouthpiece and a metal
> ligature on a cane reed. I play a wooden B-flat clarinet with either a wood or
> crystal or hard rubber mouthpiece, with either a cane reed or a synthetic
> (Legere) reed, and either a metal or a fabric ligature. Although I can't really
> say for sure, it's my belief that I can sound equally good (or bad?) on any of
> these combinations, and that you, the listener, would not be able to guess what
> materials I was playing on. How's that for confusion? By the way, I've got
> some formal engineering training and work experience in the fields of acoustics
> and materials science, and it's my humble (and certainly arguable) opinion that
> the material choice ALONE for the clarinet and/or the mouthpiece has essentially
> no effect on the tone, essentially because the low acoustic power of the
> vibrating air column inside a clarinet is insufficient to excite the high-mass
> and moderately damped walls of the clarinet, mouthpiece, and barrel, and
> re-radiation is insignificant (and probably unmeasurable even very close). My
> belief is that the bore size and shape, mouthpiece facing shape and internal
> shape, and tone hole placements and shape are really the ONLY equipment factors
> (other than having a good reed!) that determine tone. The player himself is, as
> has been pointed out by Tony Pay and others, probably the biggest factor. Other
> than the effects of dimensional stability (with time and changes in temperature
> and humidity), ability to machine sharp edges (see Benade's paper), and
> resistance to physical or chemical damage, I honestly belief that a skilled
> maker could produce a wonderful (or poor, or average) instrument out of any
> material, ranging from firm Jello to plaster of Paris or whatever, as long as
> all the dimensions can be machined properly and held that way. Those of us who
> believe in magic materials for musical success are, IMHO, akin to people who are
> convinced that Slick 50 will make their car engines last forever, or that
> Splitfire spark plugs will give them more power or better gas mileage.
> Self-delusion is, unfortunately, a common affliction in the US (and elsewhere?).
> Flames, please?
> Dave Spiegelthal
> Calverton, VA
>

Sometimes I play with steel toed shoes on. At other times, I ware
Birkenstalks. I have also experimented and played naked. That didn't work out
because everyone else in the orchestra left in disgust (I don't have a nude
beach body). From all of my experiments, I agree, materials don't seem to make
any difference in sound. :-)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org