Klarinet Archive - Posting 000261.txt from 2000/12

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: [kl] Noodlng about buzz
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2000 12:11:20 -0500

<><> Walter wrote:
the tone of the Legere reed went from acceptable but slightly stuffy, to
extremely BUZZY. A little more work, and some balancing of the facing,
and the reed smoothed out and sounded fine.
I'm trying to isolate out all the variables of mouthpiece design that
make the Legere reeds work extremely well (or vice versa). I have not
got there yet, unfortunately, as it seems to be one of many projects I
set myself to. Maybe someday soon I can come out with a little article
about precisely what works best.

I'm just doodling (noodling?), but I was listening this morning to
Feidman on his "Concert for the Klezmer" CD, which is a classical
version of klezmer and IMO every clarinetist should hear it.
Beautiful!
When you listen to Feidman's bass tone, you can definitely hear a
buzzing. After all, they are low notes. But mixed in with the buzz
is.... [metaphor alert!] something that is crystal clear fluid and
ringing and 'golden' and 'chime-like'. So obviously there is good buzz
and bad buzz.
Anyway, the three mechanical explanations that have occurred to me
are: (1) bad buzz is chaotic vibration, (2) good buzz is when there are
plenty of higher partials that fill the 'empty moments' of the
fundamental tone, and (3) bad buzz is a vibration that approaches a
square wave shape wherein the reed stays fully closed for too much of
each cycle and then pops up too rapidly for a moment and then closes
again for too much of the note's cycle.

....oh well, that's enough noodling for one morning, but I am
curious if anyone has anything to say about the good buzz vs. bad buzz
-- since good buzz is part of a low note by definition. (On a Bb
clarinet, my instructor has good buzz for low E and F, and I don't.)

Thanks,
Bill

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