Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-08-29 17:29
OK, 2 simple questions, complex answers anticipated ... your insights please, and thanks in advance :-)
American scrape design
1. What playing characteristics or effects are there in the finished reed when the apex is designed steeper or flatter depending on where one starts the side measurements?
2. Do you deliberately cut your apex a bit more or a bit less to get specific characteristics out of your reeds? What?
For sake of discusssion, let's assume the following are consistent measurements
tie-on length 73/74 (let's average that at 73.5)
fold clipped length 72mm
measurement for finished reed length 70mm
(however, this is just the 'standard measurement', not necessarily the tuned reed's final length, which could be anywhere from 69-71.5)
side measurement for sides of apex is taken up to 70mm each time when making the crossbuck with pencil marks or diagonal knife blade cutting position
OK, terms in quotes are 'relative comparison'
if one starts the sides of the apex at 64 & measures diagonally to 70, this gives a 'steep' apex with 'long' sloping sides and a 'sharp peak'
and, if the sides are started at 66 to 70, this gives a 'low' apex with 'short' sloping sides and 'flat' peak
in the middle between these, measuring 65 to 70, moderate apex
At the moment i'm favoring the 65mm measurement, because after doing the blend there's just a bit more distance of thinned wood between top of apex and feathered tip edge, measuring this along the mid-line -- this makes the tip flexible enough for me
the 64 measurement took the peak too close to the tip edge, giving a midline distance from apex to tip edge that's too woody/resistant as a result, have to blow harder to get the tip to respond, can't do pp with it
Q. does the shape of the apex (as described above) significantly alter
-- mix of upper/lower partials?
-- tonal focus or spread?
-- relative stability in upper register?
-- resonance / richness of tones in upper / lower registers?
-- ease of response at ppp to pp, yet reed's still able to hold sturdy ff?
-- and / or ... ?
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