dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaHow do clarinet players adjust the resonances of their vocal tracts for different playing effects
| Authors | Claudia Fritz, Joe Wolfe |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0505195 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0505195 |
| DOI | 10.1121/1.2041287 |
Abstract
In a simple model, the reed of the clarinet is mechanically loaded by the series combination of the acoustical impedances of the instrument itself and of the player's vocal tract. Here we measure the complex impedance spectrum of players' tracts using an impedance head adapted to fit inside a clarinet mouthpiece. A direct current shunt with high acoustical resistance allows players to blow normally, so the players can simulate the tract condition under playing conditions. The reproducibility of the results suggest that the players' "muscle memory" is reliable for this task. Most players use a single, highly stable vocal tract configuration over most of the playing range, except for the altissimo register. However, this 'normal' configuration varies substantially among musicians. All musicians change the configuration, often drastically for "special effects'' such as glissandi and slurs: the tongue is lowered and the impedance magnitude reduced when the player intends to lower the pitch or to slur downwards, and vice versa.
{
"annotation_id": "69796b8c-26b8-4d8b-8fb3-413ab67ff90a",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:00.580000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:00.580000Z",
"file_hash": "5b93e1ae320dcf6df916889731d34730fc423786dc88031bf4b0aeb99368a37d",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "In a simple model, the reed of the clarinet is mechanically loaded by the\nseries combination of the acoustical impedances of the instrument itself and of\nthe player\u0027s vocal tract. Here we measure the complex impedance spectrum of\nplayers\u0027 tracts using an impedance head adapted to fit inside a clarinet\nmouthpiece. A direct current shunt with high acoustical resistance allows\nplayers to blow normally, so the players can simulate the tract condition under\nplaying conditions. The reproducibility of the results suggest that the\nplayers\u0027 \"muscle memory\" is reliable for this task. Most players use a single,\nhighly stable vocal tract configuration over most of the playing range, except\nfor the altissimo register. However, this \u0027normal\u0027 configuration varies\nsubstantially among musicians. All musicians change the configuration, often\ndrastically for \"special effects\u0027\u0027 such as glissandi and slurs: the tongue is\nlowered and the impedance magnitude reduced when the player intends to lower\nthe pitch or to slur downwards, and vice versa.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0505195",
"authors": [
"Claudia Fritz",
"Joe Wolfe"
],
"categories": [
"physics.class-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1121/1.2041287",
"title": "How do clarinet players adjust the resonances of their vocal tracts for different playing effects",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0505195"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "6f9555c8-f528-450a-9175-02b2fb5f8d00",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}