Abstract
The invention relates to a precision reed (100) for single-reed instruments such as the clarinet or saxophone, made of wood or an Arundo donax section, having a vibrating section (120) formed for sound generating by means of an air flow in the single-reed instrument, having a clamping section (110) formed for clamping the reed (100) to the mouthpiece (200) with a reed holder, the clamping section (110) having a support wall (104) for supporting the reed (100) on the mouthpiece (200) and a reed back (111) facing away from of the mouthpiece (200). In this case, the reed back (111) is formed for a fully flat contact with the reed holder.
Claims
1. A reed (100) for reed instruments such as the clarinet or saxophone, made of wood or an Arundo donax section, having (a) a vibrating section (120), formed for sound generating by means of an air flow in the reed instrument; (b) a clamping section (110) formed for engaging a reed holder for clamping the reed (100) to a mouthpiece (200) by the reed holder, the clamping section (110) having (i) a support wall (104) for supporting the reed (100) on the mouthpiece (200); and (ii) a reed back (111) opposite or facing away from the support wall (104); characterized in that (c) the clamping section (110) includes a portion having a cross sectional configuration that is symmetrical to an axis of symmetry (116) which is perpendicular to the support wall (104) and extends along a longitudinal, central axis of symmetry (103); and (d) the reed back is configured to make uniform contact with the reed holder so that a uniform surface pressure is applied by the reed holder between the support wall (104) of the reed (100) and a support surface (201) of the mouthpiece.
2. The reed (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reed back (111) is, in the longitudinal direction (103), parallel to the support wall (104).
3. The reed (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reed back (111) is a wall of the clamping section (110) and has a convex curvature (114).
4. The reed (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reed (100) is Arundo donax.
5. The reed (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that reed bark (113) is completely removed from the back of the precision reed (100).
6. A method for producing a reed (100) for reed instruments, the method comprising: (a) providing a reed blank (105) made of wood or an Arundo donax section; (b) forming a support wall (104) for supporting the reed (100) on the mouthpiece (200); (c) generating a vibrating section (120) by forming a cutout (121) or a taper; (d) generating a clamping section (110) by machining a reed back (111) to form a portion of the clamping section (110) with a cross section configuration that is symmetrical about an axis of symmetry (116) which is perpendicular to the support wall (104) and forming the reed back (111) for uniform contact between the reed back (111) and a reed holder.
7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, the reed back (111) is formed, in a longitudinal direction (103), parallel to the support wall (104) by machining the reed back (111).
8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the reed back (111) is formed by machining the back (111) to a uniform or smooth surface.
9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that reed bark (113) is completely or partially removed when forming the reed back (111).
10. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the reed (100) is produced by (a) providing a reed blank (105) made of wood or an Arundo donax section, the reed blank (105) having at least one unmachined or natural surface with a reed bark (113), (b) forming the reed back (111) of the precision reed (100) by at least partially removing reed bark (113).
11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the reed (100) is obtained by forming the reed back (111) by completely removing reed bark (113).
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1a shows a reed blank or a reed from the prior art in a perspective illustration,
(2) FIG. 1b shows a reed in an exemplary embodiment of the invention in a perspective illustration,
(3) FIG. 2 shows a reed in an exemplary embodiment of the invention in a sectional illustration,
(4) FIG. 3a shows a schematic diagram of a reed blank or a reed from the prior art on a mouthpiece 200,
(5) FIG. 3b is a schematic diagram of a reed in an exemplary embodiment of the invention on a mouthpiece 200,
(6) FIG. 4a shows a schematic diagram of a reed blank or a reed from the prior art with reed bark in a dry environment,
(7) FIG. 4b shows a schematic diagram of a reed/reed blank after the swelling process with reed bark in a moist environment, and
(8) FIGS. 5a-5c show a schematic diagram (side view) of a reed in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
(9) The figures are merely exemplary in nature and are only used to promote understanding the invention. Same elements are provided with the same reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(10) FIG. 1a shows a reed blank 105, in which the reed leading edge 101, the side walls 102, the support wall 104 and the cutout 121 are very precisely cut depending on the desired type, while the clamping section 110 of the reed blank 105, in particular the reed back 111, is left natural. It is well known that in nature there is neither a right angle nor exactly flat surfaces or even symmetrical radii. As a result of the reed bark 113, unevenness 112 is present on the unmachined reed back 111, both in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction. Originally, the reeds 105 were tied to the mouthpiece 200 (see FIG. 3a) using a fine cord. Traditionalists “wrap” to this day. This type of attachment levels most effectively any unevenness 112 of the reed back 111. That is why the machining of the reed back 111 was considered not to be necessary at the time.
(11) FIG. 1b enables as a precision reed 100 through the machining of the reed back 111, that is to say, a complete machining of the reed, its fully flat contact with pressure plates, receiving shoes or other clamping devices of reed holders. The slight re-machining or thin-walled removal of the reed back 111 prevents undesired interventions in the heart 123 (cf. FIG. 1a) or the backbone. The convex bulge of the reed back 111 is also retained for the precision reed 100.
(12) FIG. 2 shows a section along line A-A in FIG. 1b in the clamping section 110. The cross section is delimited by the support wall 104, the side walls 102 and the reed back 111 with a convex curvature 114, so that a convex cross section is formed. The reed back 111 is machined in such a way that both in the longitudinal direction (see also FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b axis of symmetry 103) an exact parallel to the support wall 104 is formed, as well as in the cross section of the clamping section 110 (see FIG. 3b) an exact symmetry in relation to an axis of symmetry 116 which is perpendicular to the support wall 104 is formed.
(13) FIG. 3a shows a reed blank 105 having a reed back 111, which as a natural product has unevenness 112. The compressive force 202, which the reed holder (not shown) generates for pressing the reed 105, can act only unevenly on the reed back 111 due to the uneven shape of the reed back 111. The surface pressure between support wall 104 and the table 201 of the mouthpiece 200 is therefore not uniform and very low in some areas. As a result, the reed 105 can partially co-vibrate when the vibrating section 120 vibrates. In order not to distort the sound characteristics of the cutout 121, the part of the reed 105 clamped to the table 201 of the mouthpiece 200—that is to say the clamping section 110, however, must not co-vibrate, not even partially. The reed holder can only clamp a reed 100, 105 with a uniform surface pressure to a mouthpiece 200 if the clamping section 110 of the reed 105 allows this uniform surface pressure at all. This requirement is not met in natural reed backs 111. According to the prior art, the compressive force 202 is different from reed blank 105 to reed blank 105, i.e. distributed non-uniformly over the support surface 104.
(14) FIG. 3b shows a precision reed 100, in which the natural reed back 111 with unevenness 112, is re-machined, preferably slightly, such that there are exactly the same dimensional conditions for clamping the precision reed 100 to a mouthpiece 200. The re-machining of the precision reed 100 in the clamping section 110 ensures that the characteristics of the various types of reed are not affected because the sound characteristics of a reed 100, 105 is to be determined solely by the cutout 121. Re-machining is therefore only carried out in the clamping section 110.
(15) FIG. 4a shows a sectional view through a reed blank 105, the porosity of the reed being indicated by dots in the sectional illustration, while the reed bark is shown as a bold line 113. Each time the reed 105 is used, it absorbs condensation or saliva. The capillary action also transports the moisture along the fiber orientation into the rear clamping section 110. The reed bark 113 is formed to be water-repellent on the outside, so that the moisture cannot escape the reed bark 113 as a result of the swelling process.
(16) FIG. 4b shows the swelling of the reed 105 by the moisture. The hard reed bark 113 acts like a clamp on the reed back 112 and does not give in to the swelling process, so that the volume expansion can only be seen on the machined side walls 102 and the support wall 104. In all reed blanks 105 with reed bark 113 on the reed back 111 the swelling of the reed causes a visible and measurable bulge of the support wall 104. The contact to the table 201 is no longer full and full-surface. Thus, the clamping section can partially co-vibrate again (as described above). As the playing time increases, the sound quality deteriorates. By machining the reed back 111, a more uniform swelling of the reed 105 can be realized. A single dehumidification groove 115 formed as a longitudinal groove cancels the clamping effect of the reed bark 113 and causes a uniform swelling in all directions. Therefore, a plurality of dehumidifying grooves 115 can be arranged distributed along the reed back 111 as longitudinal or transverse grooves, with the result that the reed bark 113 is partially removed and a more uniform swelling of the reed 105 is achieved. A uniform clamping force distribution during further use cannot be achieved by dehumidifying grooves 115 alone. Only through the complete machining of the clamping section 110 of the reed 100 according to the invention can a uniform clamping force distribution be achieved and thus an unrestricted permanent use of the reed 100 ensured.
(17) FIGS. 5a-c show a schematic diagram with a side view of reeds 100 according to the invention. In FIG. 5a, the reed back 111 is formed in the area of the clamping section 110 along the longitudinal direction 103 of the reed 100 in parallel or even exactly in parallel to the support wall 104 of the reed 100. In FIG. 5b, the reed back 111 is formed in the area of the clamping section 110 along the longitudinal direction 103 of the reed 100 at an angle α with respect to the support wall 104 of the reed 100, so that the clamping section 110 becomes thinner starting from the vibrating section 120 towards the rear edge 106. In FIG. 5c, the reed back 111 is formed in the area of the clamping section 110 along the longitudinal direction 103 of the reed 100 at an angle α with respect to the support wall 104 of the reed 100, so that the clamping section 110 becomes thicker starting from the vibrating section 120 towards rear edge 106. Deviating profiles of the reed back 111 along the longitudinal direction 103 with projections or depressions (not shown) are also encompassed in the inventive idea. It is essential that each or substantially each cross section of the clamping section along the longitudinal axis 103 is formed with symmetry in relation to an axis of symmetry 116 which is perpendicular to the support wall 104.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
(18) 100 reed, especially precision reed
(19) 101 leading edge
(20) 102 side walls
(21) 103 longitudinal axis, central axis, axis of symmetry
(22) 104 support wall
(23) 105 reed from the prior art, reed blank
(24) 106 rear edge
(25) 110 clamping section
(26) 111 reed back
(27) 112 unevenness
(28) 113 bark, especially reed bark
(29) 114 convex curvature
(30) 115 dehumidifying groove
(31) 116 axis of symmetry of the cross section
(32) 120 vibrating section
(33) 121 taper, especially cutout
(34) 122 flank
(35) 123 heart
(36) 124 reed tip
(37) 200 mouthpiece
(38) 201 support surface, in particular the table of the mouthpiece
(39) 202 compressive force, contact pressure
(40) A-A section line
(41) α angle
