Klarinet Archive - Posting 000008.txt from 2007/08

From: X-BakerBotts-MailScanner-tom.henson@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Clarinet Manufacture - Differences between French and German - Wood is a "Living" Material
Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2007 13:40:18 -0400

Catherine,

Yes, I think you are on the right track here. The clarinet being a
hollow tube, the air inside is what transfers the energy of the
vibrating reed into an audible sound that we can hear. And based upon
that, the material that the body is made out of is of lesser importance
than the design of the bore itself.

However, I do believe that the wood does have an ability to vibrate
sympathetically in the way that it reacts to the standing wave, and I
agree with you on that. I also can feel the vibration transmitted
through the wood in the way that you describe. The metal keywork can
also vibrate sympathetically as well and I believe that the keywork has
an often overlooked effect on the perceived sound produced by a
clarinet. While this is a subjective statement, I did find some
information on the web related to this subject based upon scientific
research.

I think the more important issue in regards to sound production and
resonance lies in the damping effect that the material exerts on that
vibrating air column. Obviously, the wood is inanimate until you set in
motion that standing wave and the resulting vibrations produced by that
wave. That would be why, I would think, that bore design is probably the
more important thing in relation to how that wave reacts internally and
the sound produced. But how does the damping effect of the material
effect the harmonic frequencies produced.

Take a look at this article:

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6664456-description.html

If one approached designing a clarinet in a purely scientific way, then
theoretically, the material that exerted the least damping effect and
produced the highest efficiency of wave transmission would be the best
design. However, we do not see clarinets made of steel or other very
hard and dense molecular structures. Nor do we see any made of very soft
and porous materials. Steel would be impractical anyway from the
standpoint of weight, but what about making a clarinet of leaded glass
(crystal). Louie Lott made flutes out of this material and they are very
interesting indeed and quite valuable for their rarity. There is also a
Japanese company that has produced a ceramic clarinet from what I hear.

However, the question here is does the material that the body is made of
react in a meaningful way with that vibration to make any difference in
the perceived sound and I still believe that it does, even if it is very
small. I think it is the way that Grenadilla reacts to the standing wave
that makes it an ideal material for a woodwind instrument, and not just
from an atheistic point of view. Some of the articles that I found
discussed the damping effect that the material has on the harmonic
frequencies and how the ear translates this vibration into the sound
that we hear.

Below is an excerpt from an article on synthesizing sounds of musical
instruments. It states that the typical musical instrument has 3 parts
as shown below. I have included the link to the full article for a
reference.

http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/acoustics_info/sound_synthesis/

"Excitation Source - this gives the system energy, for instance a violin
bow, plectrum, hammer or player's breath.=20

Wave-guide - this is the main part of the instrument that oscillates
(for instance the string of a guitar or the air column in a flute). When
the system oscillates in a steady periodic fashion it produces a complex
waveform that can be expressed in terms of a fundamental frequency and
harmonics.=20

Resonator - this primarily takes energy away from the wave-guide to
produce sound. The resonator is typically the sound box, bell or body of
the instrument. The resonator will oscillate in it's own way in sympathy
with the wave-guide so emphasizing or damping oscillations from the
wave-guide, hence modifying the timbre. The sympathetic oscillating
properties of the resonator are often referred to as formants. These
formants have an important bearing on the quality of the sound produced.
"

Now, Forest asked how this all has to do with the sound that comes out
of a clarinet. Reading the article above, it is understood that material
does effect the oscillation in following way: "The resonator will
oscillate in it's own way in sympathy with the wave-guide so emphasizing
or damping oscillations from the wave-guide, hence modifying the timbre.
The sympathetic oscillating properties of the resonator are often
referred to as formants. These formants have an important bearing on the
quality of the sound produced. "

Now, getting back on the original topic of what Wurlitzer does that
effects "the sound coming out of a clarinet" and based upon the
acoustical information shown above, they do two things. First, the
biggest difference between their bore design and that of a French
clarinet is they design the bore such that each oscillation node (note)
vents (tunes) through 2 tones holes and not just 1 as in a French bore
design. This effects the harmonic frequencies by adding a sub-tone to
the partials. Thus, the tuning on their clarinet takes this 2 tone hole
venting method into account. Some refer to this design as nodal locking.
Each oscillation node is locked (tuned) into place in such a way that
playing a scale on a German bore clarinet would be akin to playing a
scale on a piano. Assuming that you played the scale the exact same way,
the sound pitch produced would always be exactly repeated. This is the
very thing that leads some people to say that a German bore clarinet
lacks "flexibility" of sound and lacks the ability to produce a wider
color palette. The Wurlitzer Reform-Boehm clarinet that I play is of a
new design that attempts to blend the flexibility of the French bore
design with the best sound & tuning qualities of the German bore.

The second thing that they do is use Rosewood for their bells. Again,
based upon the article shown above, the bell is part of the resonator of
the instrument, but more importantly, directly effects the reverse
reflection of the wave back up the standing air column. They have chosen
Rosewood for it's ability to react sympathetically to the standing wave
and the resultant harmonic dampening. This is exactly the reason why
Morrie Backun uses these types of woods for his barrels and bells,
internal design not withstanding.

Tom Henson

<< Catherine Bickley said: I do wonder if we claim no wall vibration to
quickly. Holding my clarinet by the barrel and blowing an open G I can
feel some vibration. Perhaps the tap test has the effect of identifying
those pieces of wood which have properties such that more of the energy
input into the system is transferred into the vibration of the air
column and thus into the sound the listener hears and less into the
vibration of the wood that doesn't add to the sound. >>

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