Klarinet Archive - Posting 000169.txt from 2011/06

From: Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mouthpiece Facings and Breath Span
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:45:16 -0400

On 06/19/2011 12:15 AM, hns692@-----.com wrote:
> As to your #3 comment, unless someone has detailed records of mouthpieces
> and their measurements, how could one really tell. It seems to me that the
> variations are infinite due to the various combinations of mouthpieces,
> barrels and bells used on any one instrument, and the instrument itself, etc.,
> etc. And, has anyone documented the "equipment" used in the various
> recordings that would serve as comparison points?

"Seems" is a dangerous assumption ... actually, you don't know until you
try the experiment. :-)

I think it would be readily possible to create a setup with a device
using an artificial embouchure and steady flow of pumped air at constant
pressure (I think Ed Pillinger has such a beast, tho' I never saw it
personally) and look at how the different facings affect the volume of
air going through, or the air pressure required to sustain a given
dynamic level.

The physical fitness idea is less easy to test (well, it's less easy to
prove the hypothesis that modern musicians are physically fitter) but
it's surely possible to do a comparison of aerobic fitness (plenty of
measurement techniques for that from sports science) and ability to
sustain long playing periods without breathing.

There's also probably a good amount of public health data available
regarding general physical fitness levels, though it's difficult to
generalize from that -- the _average_ physical fitness can be very
different from that of people who take care of themselves ...
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