Author: Clarence Beale
Date: 2018-09-14 20:58
Tony,
Thank you for taking the time to write your lengthy response to my question. Now I understand the rationale for your Bernoulli comment.
Like you I am baffled by the comment: “Along that idea, then, and applying Bernoulli’s principle, the pressure differential is created before the oral cavity?” He may have been referring to a concept of air flow above the tongue which Joe Allard called “coning”. I have never understood how this can work (change anything) since according to the Bernoulli principle an increase in the speed of air flow results in a corresponding decrease in air pressure. As you suggest, it would be helpful if Tobin would explain in scientific terms exactly what he means.
You wrote:
“I would be interested to know what you now think your problem was, before learning about Bernoulli…What did your realization release you from?”
My new understanding of how air flow causes the reed to vibrate via the Bernoulli Principle released me from IGNORANCE. Before I had no useful mental image of how air flow causes the reed to vibrate.
At my first clarinet lesson, after being told how to form a version of the single lip embouchure, after being told how to hold the clarinet and place it in my mouth, and after being told to close my lips so air wouldn’t escape, I was then told to blow with enough air pressure inside my mouth so the reed vibrates thus creating the clarinet sound. That was it! The reed vibrates because of “magic”. That became my mental image of how to produce the clarinet sound. I think it was assumed that if I had “talent” I would discover on my own how to create a pleasant clarinet sound.
Strangely, none of my clarinet teachers said much more about how to use air to create the clarinet sound. My teachers were more interested in teaching me how to play music. That is easier than saying something intelligent about how to use air flow efficiently to create the best reed vibrations possible which requires, in my opinion, some precise scientific knowledge.
Actually, I was rather successful learning how to play the clarinet using my highly deficient air flow mental image. After years of lessons, reading about what others wrote about how they played the clarinet and actually playing the instrument, I came to the conclusion that, at least for me, everything ultimately depends upon the efficient use of air flow to create the best clarinet sound possible. This was especially important with regard to articulation. That’s when I decided to try to learn on my own how moving air causes the clarinet reed to vibrate. I discovered that the Bernoulli Principle was the key to the explanation.
Now I have what I think is a realistic mental image of how fast flowing air causes the clarinet reed to vibrate, and I try to use it every time I play the clarinet in order to produce the best kind of sound I want to create using the least amount of effort possible.
Clarence
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
