Author: Ralph Morgan,
Date: 2002-07-22 22:17
To the curious:
During the 30 years I spent at The SELMER Co., retiring as chief woodwind technician and designer, and the 22 years since that time, handcrafting what are termed by many players worldwide as "The finest mouthpieces made", I have observed an ever growing search on the part of clarinetists for a better mouthpiece, and have also observed a rapidly growing group of so-called 'makers' of mouthpieces rushing to fill that void in which the search takes place.
I would like to throw my two cents' worth into the ring, and hopefully bring some basic acoustical design principals to light that I have yet to see anything of a most important technical nature written about. So, with the hope that you will profit, and not be bored by, the
true basics of clarinet, and so, mouthpiece, design, which, if properly applied, tend to produce the type of mouthpiece you all seem to be talking about, looking for, and end up not finding,
I will ask you all to bear with me.
1. In doing clinics on this subject for the last 49 years, I usually ask someone to tell me the meaning of A-440. First answer usually is that it is the tuning note for the symphony orchestra.
Just the raw beginning. Next, is what does the 440 stand for? Usually someone comes up with the number of vibrations per second of that pitch level. But, when I ask what is vibrating, we come to either a lack of or great difference in the perceived meaning. Let's skip a page or two and very quickly point out that this means, "A precisely measured cubic volume of some subatance, which when set in vibratory motion, vibrates at exactly 440 vibrations, or cycles, or hertz, per second, thus producing the pitch level of sound we label A-440.
2. Under normal operation, the manufacturer of some element of the music world, whatever it might be, must design and construct it in such manner that it CAN not only that pitch level, but all the accopanying ones which make up the useable scale of that entitiey. Thus, you quickly see that YOU, THE MUSICIAN, are the one the manufacturer takes their orders from in the manufacturing process! Onward to the designer------
3.In this case we are concentrating on the clarinet, pitched in Bb, and to be fitted with a mechanism to produce the normal musical scale. Now the first operation is to recognize that we need a very finite and precise cubic volume of air confined in the bore of the clarinet to produce each of the desired pitch levels.
4. In the case of the clarinet, let us see how that cubic volume is contrived, and what components make it up. At this point, I hasten to say that what we have in the way of clarinets, and mouthpieces, is a far cry from what they should be if the precepts of correct acoustical design are adhered to. (now I am aware of the first evidence of a hue and cry forming in the little grey cells out there) . It is true that a few writers have put into print a presumed mathmatical equation or 2, or many more, which are thought to be able to produce a proper clarinet, if used. However, in each of the writings I have read, they always refer to this
as merely being theoretical. I whole heartedly agree! But, acoustical design is not theoretical at all, but is an extremely exact science. Exhaustive tests prove that one can perceive a very slight difference in pitch easier and more precisely that any other difference in any other media.
4. But, back on track. since we will be working with a very exact cubic volume of air in the bore of the clarinet, where do we start and end the bore volume needed to produce any particular note??? Well, in the equations used in the designing, we expect to find the well-known constant numerical figure, Pi, or 3.1416, since we are dealing with tubular shapes. However, in the case of the clarinet, as well as other tubular instruments, we find ,not oe, but TWO constants. Since it is not possible to change a constant and come up with the correct answers, let us now find out what the other constant refers to. (PLEASE DON'T START HUNTING, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER FIND IT WRITTEN!) It happens to be the cubic volume of the portion of the bore of the instrument that the aforementioned writers all say is inconsequential, and can be disregarded for all practical purposes! AND JUST WHAT IS THAT PORTION OF THE BORE?
Don't be too shocked when I tell you that it is the cubic volume of the chamber of the mouthpiece !!!! Is it any wonder then, that we presently have a fairyland of mouthpieces to trip through, trying desparately to find"THAT" one.
5. Back in the darker ages, the mouthpieces were very carefully constructed, with exacting handwork on the interior. The side walls of the chamber were not the configuration we see today. Interestingly enough, the problems which we put up with in all modern clarinets seemed
not in evidence then. Today we try various remedies for twelths that stretch, and throat tones that sound from another world, and the middle e's and f's which hang flat, and the ever sharper and thinner altissimo notes, to the point that we shrug and accept them, trying to fix reeds and embouchures for each instrument and mouthpiece.
6.FRANKLY, THE PROBLEMS WHICH WE ATTRIBUTE TO THE CLARINET, HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE INSTRUMENT. IN COMPARING THE CUBIC VOLUME OF THE CHAMBERS OF CLARINET MOUTHPIECES MADE SINCE ABOUT 1935, WITH RARE EXCEPTION, IT IS FOUND THEY ALL HAVE VOLUMES FROM 29% to 31% LESS THAN THAT REPRESENTED BY THE SECOND CONSTANT!!!!
It is no wonder to me that the problems do not come from the clarinet, but from poorly designed and/or manufactured mouthpieces. We must also include a little mention of the fact that the mechanical revolution had its part here, since it really does well only when cutting in straight lines, as we see in the interior of all clarinet mouthpieces.
7. [While the rest of this post was interesting, it constituted an advertisement, and as such cannot be left on the BBoard. I welcome Mr. Morgan in contributing to the BBoard, but must ask him to refrain from promoting his products here.]
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