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Re: Resonance

Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-11-17 15:36

Acoustically a clarinet is a standing-wave generator. What we musicians call "resonance" is a measure of the efficiency with which our "power input" (wind volume and pressure) is converted to the production of a musical tone with a narrow bandwidth ("focused"/"compact" tone) and adequate volume output. The combination of a narrow-bandwidth tone at the desired frequency (pitch), with an acoustically pleasing set of overtones (enough to give color to the tone but without robbing the fundamental of too much energy) and volume, is what we'd consider good resonance.

You can look at the "transmission line" of player, mouthpiece, reed, barrel/neck, instrument body and bell as a series of acoustical impedances which need to all be well-matched, at every desired pitch, to create the sound and volume we're looking for. There are many factors involved, so it's unrealistic to expect any one parameter or characteristic (e.g. body material, barrel taper, register tube location/size, etc.) to provide the entire solution or even a major part.

My personal experience (noted many times over many years of messing with all sorts of clarinets) is that body material by itself has little or no audible effect on the playing qualities of the overall instrument. This is a controversial topic and it's not my intention to stir it up again.

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Resonance new

BobD

2013-11-16 16:07