Physical aspects of live clarinet performances

Abstract

The clarinet is arguably the wind instrument that has been most extensively studied and described from the point of view of its physics. It has a relatively simple geometry, its embouchure can be fairly well approximated by a set of two control variables, and the air column can be accessed relatively easily, allowing for the measurement of control variables and acoustic variables close to the mouthpiece. As a result, extensive datasets have been collected, allowing understanding of how the sound produced by the instrument changes as a function of its control parameters. In this presentation, we explore a new dataset of control variables (mean reed displacement, blowing pressure, bite position, and others) and acoustic variables (sound level, pitch, spectral centroid, and others) recorded in performances on the clarinet by expert players. These data are compared with measurements and modeling of the instrument blown in mechanical conditions.