The clarinet reed and its relation to the clarinet mouthpiece

Clarinet reeds are made from a natural cane, so that such physical properties as elasticity and density vary considerably not only among individual reeds but also between different portions of the same reed. The “lay” of the clarinet mouthpiece, to which the reed is attached, has a curved portion against which the tip of the reed vibrates when the clarinet is sounded. A variety of mouthpieces are available which vary somewhat in the exact shape of the curved portion of the lay; because of the unpredictability of cane reeds, finding a well‐behaved reed depends on selecting one which fits the lay properly when vibrating, and is a matter of chance. Synthetic reeds have been developed in this laboratory which are constructed of inorganic materials and hence are reproducible in their characteristics. By mounting such a reed on a mouthpiece, putting it under blowing pressure, and observing its shape in relation to the curvature of the mouthpiece lay, it is possible to determine the best fit of the reed to the lay for a “good” clarinet tone. Observable deviations from this best fit produce characteristic deviations from the “good” tone. [Work supported by the NSF.]