EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTERISATIONS OF SINGLE CANE REEDS

International audienceSingle cane reeds used for playing clarinets or saxophones are described by makers by their strength and shapes (cutting). For reeds assumed to be identical according to the maker (same strength and shape), strong differences in the perceived quality are expressed by musicians. In this context, the experimental characterization of reeds (from the perceptive and objective sides) is a key issue for reed makers in order to better predict reed musical abilities. This paper presents and discuss different measurement methods. These methods can be divided into two families, measurement of the reed alone through static or dynamic measurements in order to derive stiffness and modal parameters, measurement of the "embouchure" (reed+mouthpiece+lip) alone through static or quasi-static measurements in order to estimate the non linear characteristics, the non linear reed stiffness or other mechanical parameters. Finally it appears that the most efficient characterisation of the "embouchure" is probably a static measurement