21 6 Air-Pressures used in Playing Reed Instruments. 



It may be remarked that when using the bassoon reed the 

 lower notes were fairly readily produced and were o£ fairly 

 good quality, very similar in fact to those obtained with the 

 proper single reed and mouthpiece. The quality of the 

 upper notes became bad however, and I was unable to obtain 

 notes of proper intonation after the last B13. The figure 23, 

 indicating the pressure for this note, must also be taken as 

 only approximately correct since the note was very unsteady. 

 It is quite conceivable that a bassoon player who would be 

 better used to the control of a double reed could have 

 obtained one or two higher notes. 



Conclusions. 



The results of the above experiments are I think suffi- 

 ciently consistent to support the figures for the clarinet in 

 Dr. Stone's table, and to show that with a single reed or 

 clarinet type of mouthpiece it is not necessary to increase 

 the wind-pressure for the high notes of the instrument. I 

 put forward the following suggestions in explanation of this 

 seemingly curious result. 



There are two important factors governing the pitch of a 

 note produced by the aid of a reed upon a w r ind instrument, 

 viz. : — Alteration of the vibrating length and alteration of 

 the air-pressure. The first of these methods is most readily 

 done by the performer's lips in the case of the single reed on 

 a mouthpiece of the clarinet type, since the upper end of the 

 reed, which rests on the lower lip when playing, is very 

 delicate and vibrates to and from the bevelled face of the 

 rigid mouthpiece. The bevelling is such that a wedge- 

 shaped opening is provided between the thin portion of the 

 reed and the face of the mouthpiece, and hence the slightest 

 alteration in the position of the reed on the lip, and in the- 

 pressure exerted on the reed, will result in an alteration in 

 the length of the portion of the reed which is free to vibrate. 

 As the player ascends to the higher notes he must increase 

 the lip pressure. 



It may also be remarked that the production of the higher 

 notes is aided by the player imagining that he is singing a 

 high note, from which fact it must be assumed that the form 

 of the cavity of the mouth and throat exert an influence on 

 the production of the desired notes. 



In the case of the double reed the lip pressure is also 

 increased for the higher notes, but the change in lip pressure 

 cannot, I submit, have such a marked effect upon the 

 vibrating length of the reed as it had in the case of the 



