Abstract
Saxophonists have different expectations from the saxophone mouthpiece, as it significantly affects the playability and the sound of the instrument. A mass personalization paradigm provides unique products to cater to their needs, using the flexibility of additive manufacturing. The lack of quantitative knowledge on mouthpiece design hinders the personalization attempts. This study aims to lay out how design parameters affect mouthpiece characteristics. Twenty-seven 3D-printed mouthpieces with varying design parameters are used in conjunction with an artificial blowing machine, to determine the acoustical relevance of the various mouthpiece designs on four selected mouthpiece features. The influence of the design parameters is evaluated statistically and via a case study with five saxophonists. The analysis shows that seven out of nine parameters tested affect the mouthpiece characteristics by relatively different amounts. A user study demonstrates that saxophonists confirm the results in 7 of 10 cases, and they prefer personalized mouthpieces in 4 of 5 cases. The results present a key contribution to the understanding of mouthpiece design. The findings provide valuable insights for new mouthpiece design and mouthpiece personalization.
Highlights
The possibility to characterize musical instruments, or parts thereof, prior to manufacture, is an invaluable asset for instrument makers
The saxophone sound is produced by the oscillation of a single reed as the air flows through the internal cavity of the mouthpiece [1]
To achieve the relevant mouthpiece information for this process, the present study aims to quantify the effect of mouthpiece design parameters on the playability and the sound of the instrument
Summary
The possibility to characterize musical instruments, or parts thereof, prior to manufacture, is an invaluable asset for instrument makers. After manufacture, it is beneficial to be able to assess some properties of an instrument in the absence of the player. The former approach is based on virtual designs of the instrument, whereas the latter requires an objective characterization, while exciting the instrument by artificial means. The saxophone sound is produced by the oscillation of a single reed as the air flows through the internal cavity of the mouthpiece [1]. The volume and the internal geometry of the mouthpiece have been shown to affect the input impedance of the instrument and the resulting sound [2, 3]. Wider tip openings result in higher thresholds of oscillation [6, 7], requiring higher blowing pressure to start a tone
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