Acoustics of the clarinet

Bb clarinet

multiphonic
G#4, C5, A#5 & E6

Music Acoustics UNSW

index
E3 F3 F#3 G3 G#3 A3 A#3 B3
C4 C#4 D4 D#4 E4 F4 F#4 G4 G#4 A4 A#4 B4
C5 C#5 D5 D#5 E5 F5 F#5 G5 G#5 A5 A#5 B5
C6 C#6 D6 D#6 E6 F6 F#6 G6 G#6 A6 A#6 B6
C7 C#7

multiphonics    
C4 & A#5 D#4 & C#6 F#4, G#5, D6 & G6
D4 & B5 E4 & C5 G#4, C5, A#5 & E6
D#4, D#5 & B5 F4 & G#5  
D#4, F5, C#6 & E#6 F4 & A5  

Impedance

Fingering
a key depressed
a key not depressed
a hole covered
a hole uncovered
a part of the mechanism that is not normally touched
Details in fingering legend.

Acoustic schematic
a closed tone hole
an open tone hole

Non-specialist introduction to acoustic impedance
Non-specialist introduction to clarinet acoustics

Notes are the written pitch.
Frequencies are the sounding frequency, for Bb clarinet.
Unless otherwise stated, the impedance spectrum is for a Bb clarinet.


Impedance spectrum of a Bb clarinet measured using fingering for the multiphonic G#4, C5, A#5 and E6.

Here, the first open hole is the (small) trill key. With the considerable cross fingering, this could be regarded as a tone hole that produces the note G#4. The C5, on the other hand, may be considered as produced by the second resonance of a modified version of the fingering for F3, with various register holes. The A# might be regarded as the second resonance of the bore terminated by the open D hole, again with a register hole, and some cross fingering. As for E6, which is above the cut-off frequency, the entire bore is involved and one could say that any open tone holes operate not only as register holes, but as minor adjustments to the frequency of the desired resonance.

Sound


Sound spectrum of a Bb clarinet played using fingering for the multiphonic G#4, C5, A#5 and E6.
For more explanation, see Introduction to clarinet acoustics

Sound Clip

You can hear the multiphonic G#4, C5, A#5 and E6 played.


Fingering legend
How were these results obtained?

Contact: Joe Wolfe / J.Wolfe@unsw.edu.au
phone 61-2-9385-4954 (UT +10, +11 Oct-Mar)
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