Klarinet Archive - Posting 000073.txt from 2001/04

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] RE: vibrato
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 05:30:20 -0400

One can always count on Ed for a thorough and generally excellent reply,
as is the case here. The only quibble I have is that, as a person not
making his living in the world of painting, how one sees Turner vs.
Picasso is a very personal thing that doesn't require an explanation.
As a professional musician, one does not have that luxury in being
casual about what we do when executing our craft.

Nice note Ed.

"Lacy, Edwin" wrote:
>
> From: Daniel Leeson
>
> > I'm sorry that you feel the way you do, not so much against the
> > practice, but because you don't have any reason for your statement.
>
> Dan (and others):
>
> It happens that I like the paintings of William Turner better than those of
> Picasso, but other than in a general way, it would be difficult to state a
> well-defined line of reasoning that has led me to that stance, even though I
> think I know a little about the technical aspects of the painting of each,
> the aesthetic stance of each artist, etc.
>
> In the standard clarinet repertoire, I usually prefer to hear the instument
> played without vibrato, and I think my reasoning would be that I simply like
> the sound of the clarinet better without vibrato. No doubt that is to a
> large degree a matter of conditioning - that's the way the clarinet usually
> sounded when I first heard the instrument played.
>
> However, I think there is a physical phenomenon involved here. No matter
> what type of vibrato the clarinetist might use, and no matter how it is
> produced, whatever the player does to produce the vibrato causes some
> changes in the overtone content or harmonic structure of the tone. This is
> true in the case of all woodwind instruments, but the effect is more
> profound in some of them than others. (At this point, without quite a bit
> of research, I can't point you to any experimental studies that would
> confirm that fact. However, I think this is referred to somewhere in the
> writings of Arthur Benade. Also, my ears tell me that it is true, but this
> is far from a reliable indicator of a scientific phenomenon.)
>
> If the player chooses to use "intensity alteration" vibrato, there will be
> periodic changes in the degree of intensity of the air supply to the
> instrument. During those phases of the cycle when the pressure is
> increased, there will be a greater number of overtones present in the sound,
> and the higher overtones will be relatively more intense. The converse is
> also true. Such changes in the harmonic structure are necessarily reflected
> in the tone quality produced - in fact, that is the physical definition of
> "tone quality."
>
> If on the other hand the player uses "pitch alteration" vibrato, there will
> be changes in the embouchure to periodically raise and/or lower the pitch.
> As the pitch varies further and further from the natural resonance frequency
> or cut-off frequency of the instrument for the particular pitch being
> played, the number and intensity of overtones is attenuated.
>
> As I mentioned, this is also true of the saxophone, oboe, flute and bassoon.
> However, perhaps again due to conditioning, our ears are more likely to
> accept the tone quality of the other instruments during the various phases
> of the production of vibrato.
>
> So, I am suggesting that there may be a physical reason why some might
> prefer the tone of the clarinet without vibrato, even if the listener may
> not be aware of all the physical attributes of the sound.
>
> Ed Lacy
> **************************************************************
> Dr. Edwin Lacy, Professor of Music
> University of Evansville
> 1800 Lincoln Avenue
> Evansville, IN 47722
> telephone (812)479-2252; e-mail: EL2@-----.edu
> **************************************************************
>
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--
***************************
** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
***************************

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