Analysis of reed vibration inside player's mouth to evaluate playability of the clarinet reeds

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the playability of clarinet reeds by using a stroboscope to observe the inside of the mouth. We investigate the relationship between reed vibration and the playability of reeds while a clarinetist is playing. The experimental results indicate that the tips of reeds with high playability oscillated in a manner close to a sinusoidal wave, whereas reeds with low playability exhibited very slight vibrations at the point where they separated from the mouthpiece.