Craft · 6 pages · 12 min

How reeds make a vibration

A reed flaps in the breath, opening and closing a gap so steady air becomes pulses that drive the air column.

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From the opening

A reed is a thin blade, usually of cane, placed so that breath can move it. It vibrates by swinging across its opening, chopping a steady airstream into pulses that set the air column of the instrument oscillating. The opening covers the blade opens and closes a gap, pulses replace a steady breath, and the bore locks the pitch.

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Inside

The blade opens and closes a gap
Pulses replace a steady breath
The bore locks the pitch
A stuck tip stops the cycle
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Reed valve oscillation
Air-column coupling in woodwinds

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How reeds make a vibration

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk