Date of Award

Spring 2019

Thesis Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Department

Physics

Sponsor

Dr. Whitney Coyle

Committee Member

Dr. Ashley Cannaday

Committee Member

Jamey Ray

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to characterize clarinet playing techniques through measurements of the pressure in the clarinet mouthpiece while a musician plays and to investigate the methods by which clarinet players transition from note to note, termed articulations. The results provide information about the clarinet-player system that can be incorporated in future models of the clarinet. The work reported here involves the use of a recent technological development, the sensor-equipped mouthpiece. Using the sensor-equipped mouthpiece, researchers are able to record pressure in the musician's mouth and the clarinet mouthpiece. Six clarinet players of varying experience levels were asked to play two types of articulations, and a computational method developed by Coyle and Gabriel of Rollins College was adapted to determine the duration of an articulation. A survey about playing practices and preferences was also completed by fifteen clarinet players. Physical phenomena previously unmentioned in the literature, such as an increase in pressure during a single note as well as a brief increase in pressure at the beginning of a note are also investigated in this thesis. Through analysis of clarinet playing samples provided by clarinet players, this work will serve as a foundation for establishing quality markers for clarinet playing and possible pedagogical tools.

Rights Holder

Camille Adkison

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