Klarinet Archive - Posting 000145.txt from 2004/01

From: ormondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] Cracks, cracks
Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2004 21:52:05 -0500

Michael Ginesi wrote:

> the vibration of the reed excites the air

I wrote:

> the above words suggest that the reed is
> mostly an 'air beater' rather than mostly an
> 'air valve'.

Tony Pay wrote:

> Please explain what you mean by this
> distinction.

I was attempting to distinguish between the reed acting as a paddle or
oar that pushes air into the mouthpiece by direct contact vs. the reed
opening and closing a passageway (hence the word "valve") and thereby
dividing the musician's air flow into puffs of air.

The point is that (according to Benade) the reed does not deliver
sufficient energy to air molecules by direct contact, or by 'direct
battering', to produce the pressure cycles that are required to play the
instrument. Rather, the musician's lungs & diaphragm provide the
energy and air flow, while the reed (mostly) divides the flow into
pulses or puffs by means of its valve action.

I included the word "mostly" because Benade and others agree that the
moving reed acts to a some extent as a paddle or oar or air beater, but
the valve effect is the primary mechanism.

From a metaphorical point of view, the valve image reinforces the
concept that continuous breath support and "playing through" the
instrument (Keith Stein's metaphor) are most important and useful ---
rather than a metaphor of using the reed to push against air molecules
in the same manner as a canoe paddle is used to push against water.

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