Reed (instrument)

Reeds are used in many wind instruments to produce the sound. They form the oscillating part of the instrument mouthpiece. They usually consist of stake or cane, but also from other natural or synthetic materials.

The sounds produced by a tube sheet is the feature of reed instruments, which together form the flutes (air sheet instruments), the genus of the woodwinds.

Reeds are among the sound-producing tongues. The simple reed ( single-reed, "leaf" ) is a beating tongue, the double -reed ( double reed, " tube " ) is a counter-strike tongue.

As a resounding tongues, as the accordion instruments, reeds are not used.

Forms and types of tone generation

For the simplest ( and oldest) form of the single reed, a plant pipe above the natural node ( internode ) is reduced and the wall of the underlying portion of a fin cut ( see Figure launeddas ). The result is a ideoglottes reed. This means that the vibrating reed and the opening on which it strikes are made ​​of the same piece of pipe. Ideoglotte reeds found in many traditional single-reed instruments ( and in many bagpipes ).

Modern single-reed instruments usually have a heteroglottes reed, that is, a flat sheet, which is mounted on a mouthpiece, and can be separated again from the latter. It is mounted on an opening that makes it easy projects beyond its boundary and it closes up a gap.

The original form of double tube sheet is at the upper end flattened blade and a flattened tube. By lateral sections, the two tube halves are separated from each other at the upper end to form two opposed blades. This integrated form can be found today in some traditional double-reed instruments.

At most double reed instruments, the tube sheet is formed by the material is removed symmetrically increasingly towards the center of a longer tube strips. Through an incision in the middle of the two halves are separated and the thicker ends opposite each tied to a pipe or pinched in a sheath.

The upper, thin expiring and slightly outwardly curved ends is in idle state, a narrow gap free. Through this gap flows on blowing the air into the tube. The negative pressure of the flow leaves the tongues beat against each other, thus closing the gap. The spring effect of the tongues will open the gap again. Through the change of opening and closing the air unit in the body of the instrument to vibrate and the sound is heard.

At the blowing of the single tube sheet of the air stream flows through the opening. By the negative pressure generated by the flow, the gap is closed, the air flow is interrupted. This swings the tongue back into the starting position, the air can press through the opening again. Through this change, the air column in the instrument is vibrated and sound is produced. Double reeds and Easy Reeds are much more complex than simple tongues in their vibrational behavior. Preferably they are excited to a higher vibration modes ( resonance frequencies ), that is, depending on the given conditions for the oscillation of the reed is excited to oscillations different. To put it simply swings the blade length or width according to one or more nodes, similar to the vibrational behavior of a violin top or a tympanic membrane.

In the traditional single - and double-reed instruments, the lips enclose the sheet below the free-swinging leaf tongues. Thus, the oral cavity is an air reservoir from which the air flows evenly into the instrument. Similarly, the wind capsules form a chamber in which the blade swings freely. Larger wind capsules, for example, from pumpkin gourds as in pungi, approaching in the functioning of the bagpipes.

In the traditional way of playing the instruments are not overblown. In the Middle East and in Asia they are often played in circular breathing.

The instruments are, however, " lippendirigiert " stoked. The vibrating parts of the reeds are touched by the lips. By changing the pressure and position of the lips, the sound can be modulated and overblown.

Material

The single or double reeds of orchestral instruments and the saxophone ( and historical instruments from Europe ) are made from giant reed that grows in the south of France, Spain and Argentina.

Simple reeds (single tube sheets), there are commercially available in different thickness, which is mainly indicated for clarinets and saxophones in a scale of one to five, and from different countries and reeds growing areas, each wind has its own preferences. However, the thickness values ​​vary from one manufacturer to another, so that a reed from a manufacturer necessarily just is not thick and not even the same game properties as that of another manufacturer with the same thickness value.

The double reed is often produced at higher demands on the quality of either the musician or obtained as a raw material, and even edited. This allows the double-reed optimally adapted to the existing instrument.

Crucial for sound and playability of reeds are the material density and the shape of the thickness over the length and the width of the tube sheet. Thinner, by musicians as " soft " or " easy " designated reeds are more convenient to play and can easily produce soft sounds, but sometimes have a poorer sound quality and overblown easier (and often unintentionally). In ensemble playing a simpler intonation is often possible with thinner reeds, and the instruments merge rather to an overall sound. Thicker, by musicians as " hard" designated reeds are sometimes difficult to intone, but allow for a greater volume and especially the solo game a more expressive playing. Especially in the ensemble require thicker tube sheets of the individual musicians a high level of tone control. The material reacts to moisture, it is based on double reeds usually necessary to water the reed just before the games. It usually only the area at the open end of the tongue is dipped in water. For single reeds, however, often requires only a short wetting the blade tip.

The function of the reeds changed through use. Also, humidity, barometric pressure and temperature play a role. First, it is important to record a new sheet or tube, so it adjusted by use of the desired oscillation behavior so that it works well. As the material ages and can break, tube sheets can not be used indefinitely. The average shelf life can vary from a few weeks to several months depending on the frequency and type of gambling. When used in instruments with wind capsule ( bagpipe, Rauschpfeife, Krummhorn ) reeds, several years work reliably.

For the reeds of traditional instruments are based on locally available materials are used: in addition to reeds and bamboo and reeds, palm leaves, wood chips, straw and quills. Today even plastic is used (eg polystyrene made ​​from yogurt cups ). For oboe and bassoon it is also durable double tube sheets made ​​of fiberglass.

Reed instruments

Simply tube sheets are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets and saxophones. There are also many traditional cultures single-reed instruments with ideoglotten or heteroglotten leaves. One of the oldest instruments with single-reed include launeddas still used today from Sardinia and the Sipsi from the Near East.

Double reeds oboe and bassoon in the orchestra instruments used, but also with many traditional instruments, such as Suona, zurna, Chanai Pi, Pi Or and in the chanter bagpipes of many forms

The history of the reed instruments can be traced to ancient times. The ancient aulos was played with both single and double reed.