Scraping technique for clarinet reeds derived from a static bending

Abstract

Reed scraping is an art mastered only by a few clarinettists. The published empirical methods do not agree on how to determine where to scrape. In order to understand the problematic more clearly, a purely mechanical and simplified approach is attempted. The reed is modelled by finite elements and a simulation of free static bending shows that the longitudinal flexural stress dominates the problem. By targeting a stress field on different areas of the reed, it is observed that the strain is mainly longitudinal and only slightly lateral, due to the strong anisotropy of the cane (Arundo donax). Thus, a bending moment imposed on the axis of the reed causes almost no translation of the edges of the reed. A local decrease in thickness causes a localized increase in curvature, when the stress field remains constant. With this result, a series of ClaripatchTM was developed to impose a localized decrease in curvature on the mouthpiece’s lay. Using these patches and assuming some hypotheses based on observations, simulations and on the viscoelastic properties of the reed, one can deduce how to scrape it, according to the musical preferences of the clarinettist.