Quasistatic nonlinear characteristics of double-reed instruments

Abstract

This article proposes a characterization of the double reed in quasistatic regimes. The nonlinear relation between the pressure drop, deltap, in the double reed and the volume flow crossing it, q, is measured for slow variations of these variables. The volume flow is determined from the pressure drop in a diaphragm replacing the instrument's bore. Measurements are compared to other experimental results on reed instrument exciters and to physical models, revealing that clarinet, oboe, and bassoon quasistatic behavior relies on similar working principles. Differences in the experimental results are interpreted in terms of pressure recovery due to the conical diffuser role of the downstream part of double-reed mouthpieces (the staple).