Measurement of attack transients in a clarinet driven by a ramp-like varying pressure

International audienceWe investigate the influence of a time-varying blowing pressure on the oscillation threshold and attack transient of a clarinet. In this experimental study, a clarinet is blown through an artificial mouth, which allows the time profile of the blowing pressure to be controlled during the experiment. The chosen profile is a slowly increasing linear ramp, until a given steady value is reached. Different experiments have been carried out and analyzed. Depending on the slope of the ramp and on the steady value, but also on the opening of the reed channel at rest, the steady state (oscillating or not), the oscillation threshold and the attack transient are determined. Does the fact that the blowing pressure varies in time have a similar influence on a real clarinet as on a simplified model ? To answer this question, the experimental results are compared to the conclusions presented in a companion paper where a mixed numerical/analytical approach has been developed on a simplified clarinet model. Characteristics such as bifurcation delay and dynamic bifurcation are addressed