Wakker Parnassus on Youtube

[wim wakker]

For anyone who is interested, I just uploaded a video of the Parnassus.

 

I apologize for the crude quality of the clip, my video equipment and skills are very primitive…..

The video is nothing professional, just a ‘one shot’ home made clip.

 

I always was against making a ‘home made’ youtube video because I think you cannot hear any sound nuances in them, but we received so many requests for a sound file/video of the parnasus that I finally had to give in.

 

I play the 1st Hexameron for solo concertina by Giulio Regondi, which is a good example of melody/accompaniment combination on a concertina.

 

Wim Wakker

 

 

Video:

[Geoff Wooff]

Thankyou for that Wim,

and very nice too! Yes it is difficult to really 'hear' the tone qualities on the video but the balance from top to bottom is well demonstrated by the piece you chose.

 

Geoff.

[JimLucas]

...it is difficult to really 'hear' the tone qualities on the video...

While the sound may not be exactly the same as what I'd hear if I were in the same room (and almost certainly depends on the quality of my computer's internal amp and speakers), I believe I can hear a definite difference in tone between that instrument and other concertinas I've heard, which of course also differ from each other. Dare I say that the Parnassus sounds slightly more "lute-like"? I don't think that's just my imagination after reading the Concertina Connection page describing its construction. (Note: I find that the page displays properly only in Internet Explorer. In both Firefox and Safari the photos overlap the text, making it very difficult to read.)

 

I myself enjoy the variety of tone qualities found in the different types of concertinas, and this sounds to me to be a lovely addition to the spectrum. Not everyone wants the Jeffries "honk"... at least not for every piece of music.

 

And I think the piece and the playing nicely demonstrate the qualities of the instrument.

[RatFace]

Super playing and sound. It's very nice indeed.

 

(I sent an email ages ago about the web page error - are you aware that internet explorer (the only browser where it works, and that's because it's broken) is only about 30% of users? Probably a lower percentage of non-work users, since many firms only let people use IE at work).

Edited June 8, 2012 by RatFace

[Reed Bellows]

Bravo, Maestro Wakker.

 

Where might I purchase recordings of this piece and similar/other?

 

My ears beg for more!

 

EDIT: I found this...

 

http://amzn.com/B000LP4OI8

 

For those who eschew physical copies of music, there's this:

 

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD760623142067

Edited June 8, 2012 by Reed Bellows

[SqueezeCat]

Bravo!

[BertramLevy]

WIm

 

I enjoyed your performance greatly. Well played. I listened to it several times. Holding a note while playing arpeggios is very impressive. I also enjoyed watching your hands. They are totally relaxed even when your little finger leaves its supportive position to be used on the buttons. I am curious if at that moment the weight of the instrument is carried by your thumbs or by the strap around the neck?

 

Again congratulations

 

Bertram

[wim wakker]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

 

Jim:

As I mentioned on our site, I developed the Parnassus for myself. One of weak points of a traditional concertina compared to string and wind instruments is its Monophonic Equilibrium. The ME is the uniform tonal color throughout an instruments compass.

Normally musical instruments have a harmonic sweep from low to high, with the lower register sounding warm/round etc. and the high register clear/bright. The tonal color and intensity changes slowly from one extreme to the other.

 

This change of tonal color is important when you for instance play polyphonic repertoire (It allows the higher notes to be heard) or play with other instruments.

I often felt like a ‘bad actor’ when I played in chamber music situations, sounding the same in every register. When strings and wood wind instruments change register, the sound quality and intensity automatically changes. The concertina sounds the same from low to high and really stands out because of it…. I’ve had quite a few remarks and questions from colleagues over the years wondering why I couldn’t change my sound. The Parnassus, because of many technical changes, has a much more dynamic equilibrium.

The lower register has some warm fuzziness to it, like a string instrument. I find it interesting that it reminds you of a lute.

 

 

Thanks for pointing out that our sites don’t work well in other browsers. I remember RatFace mentioning this before. We have explorer on our main office computer so I never noticed the problem... I just checked in Safari and Google Chrome and see what you mean. We’ll fix it asap.

 

 

Reed Bellows: I might add more of the hexameron later, mainly because I think the music deserves to be heard.

 

 

Bertram:

Using the little finger is quite normal in intermediate/advanced repertoire for the english concertina. In fact, you cannot play the more advanced original repertoire with only 3 fingers.

Normally you constantly ‘step in and out’ of the finger rest. For this you use a triangle technique: thumb, wrist and little finger. You always use 2 out of these 3 contact points in the following combinations: thumb + wrist = free little finger, or thumb + little finger = free wrist.

Congratulations with your new CD. I enjoyed the samples you send me.

[Rod]

For anyone who is interested, I just uploaded a video of the Parnassus.

 

I apologize for the crude quality of the clip, my video equipment and skills are very primitive…..

The video is nothing professional, just a ‘one shot’ home made clip.

 

I always was against making a ‘home made’ youtube video because I think you cannot hear any sound nuances in them, but we received so many requests for a sound file/video of the parnasus that I finally had to give in.

 

I play the 1st Hexameron for solo concertina by Giulio Regondi, which is a good example of melody/accompaniment combination on a concertina.

 

Wim Wakker

 

 

Video:

 

Excellent Wim. A real treat and such a welcome break from all those crude performances which are sadly all too often associated with the Concertina. Encore !

[ttonon]

I often felt like a ‘bad actor’ when I played in chamber music situations, sounding the same in every register. When strings and wood wind instruments change register, the sound quality and intensity automatically changes. The concertina sounds the same from low to high and really stands out because of it…

 

Hi Wim, thanks for the video of your very accomplished performance in, what seems to me, a difficult musical genre.

 

I believe the tonal spectrum of the free reed, throughout its musical range, is due to the presence of a relatively very large number of overtones (often, dozens), which are perfect harmonics, and I agree that this feature is unique among musical instruments. Fundamentally, it arises because the tone is generated as a result of periodically chopped air pulses, which, according to the laws of Physics, must result in such a sound spectrum, and reed design cannot alter this fact. However, perhaps as you describe, it can be minimized in some way.

 

Another key feature of the free reed is its relatively slow and gentle start transient, during build up to the steady, periodic tone. Such a gentle start transient can be contrasted with what we have, for instance, in percussively-started instruments, such as the piano, and in plucked instruments such as the guitar. The start transient is also fundamental to the tone generator and not very amenable to alteration.

 

Within a free reed musical performance, it’s my view that both these features make it much more difficult for individual tones to be distinguished from others, if we are to compare the outcome with that from most all other musical instruments. Perhaps the closest approach to a similar result is achieved with the bowed string instruments.

 

Thus, individual notes of the free reed within a chord, or new notes that appear during the sounding of others, do not stand out, as much as with other instruments. These other instruments not only enjoy an advantage in the very nature of their spectrum, but also, as you describe, in the fact that this spectrum changes within the musical range of the instrument. To better understand the issue here with the perfect harmonic, overtone-laden spectrum of the free reed, in the simplest case, consider two notes an octave apart. The overtones of one note (save for the fundamental of the lower note) are completely and exactly contained in the spectrum of the other. With the piano, whose tone is a transient and not a sustained periodic wave form, the “stretched harmonics,” due to rigidity in the strings, cause upper overtones to differ slightly from perfect harmonics, changing the spectral characteristics of each note, and thus, our ears can more easily perceive a difference in their tones. You might say that the “noise” inherent in the tone of the piano benefits the musical outcome, and in some sense, the piano is something like a well-tuned bell. There are other interesting features of the piano tone that would contribute to my efforts here, but these would carry us far astray. With the brass instruments, and to some extent, the blown reed instruments (woodwinds), both of which have far fewer overtones (sometimes only a couple), different notes octaves apart do not comprise the same spectrum, and upper register notes can much more easily be distinguished from lower notes. Especially, as you describe, when these upper notes have characteristically different spectrums (reasons for which we cannot delve into here). Furthermore, the nonlinear interaction between the (beating) reeds of these instruments and the inherent, resonating air column also add complexities to the sound that help us distinguish among different, simultaneously-played notes. As far as I know, there are no nonlinear effects with the free reeds than can be exploited in order to likewise shake up its sound spectrum.

 

The subtle start transient of the free reeds seems to allow new notes to appear among other played notes almost secretly, perhaps sometimes even without our awareness. With the piano and other stringed instruments that are plucked, however, our ears take advantage of their sudden, louder start transient, which prominently announces the start of each new tone. An interesting example here is the Hammond electric organ, which was purposely designed to have a prominent, percussive-like, start transient, and which has given the instrument a decided advantage over the free reeds in the jazz genre of music.

 

I thus commend you on focusing on such an important aspect of concertina tone, and for making efforts to improve on it. The builder doesn’t have much room to maneuver here, being confined to the secondary tonal effects of the cavity and other acoustic structures near the tone generator. I’m curious if you’ve made acoustic measurements on the instrument throughout its range and whether you’ve studied its quantified frequency spectrum. If so, could you describe what changes you believe your design has produced in this spectrum, and whether these changes proceed in any consistent way throughout the range of the instrument? Even further, if you’re inclined, can you talk a little about the actual changes in design that you’ve made? I understand completely any reluctance to do so, seeing such information as possibly proprietary. In any event, I wish you well with your efforts, as designer, builder and performer extraordinaire.

 

Best regards,

Tom

www.bluesbox.biz

[wim wakker]

Hi Tom

 

...according to the laws of Physics, must result in such a sound spectrum, and reed design cannot alter this fact.

 

This is not true. At a basic level, anyone can tell you that a brass reed sound different than steel reed of the same length producing the same pitch. Besides differences in tongue materials, which affect the flexibility of the tongue, factors like length and resistance of the tongue also affect the way a reed moves through the slot, which determines the spectrum it produces.

Example: 2 reeds (=tongues), both producing A4 (440Hz). Reed 1 has length X, reed 2 is X + 1/2 longer. Because of the extra length, reed 2 will have a different airflow resistance and longer active length of the tongue. The lower resistance will yield a better Bernouilli value (faster) and the longer active length a higher flexibility which produces more inner reed movement which results in a higher, stronger harmonics count. ‘Voicing reeds’ is a procedure which changes the reed’s inner movement in order to change the harmonics. You can increase inner movement by weakening a reed in a certain spot without changing its pitch. The more flexible the tongue, the more complex its movement through the slot, the more/stronger the spectrum.

There are many different reed designs that favor a particular aspect of a reed. E.g. melophone reeds and fishtail reeds produce a much stronger fundamental than concertina and accordion reeds.

 

 

...The start transient is also fundamental to the tone generator and not very amenable to alteration.

 

 

Although a reed needs time to develop a full swing cycle, this is only a small percentage of the attack value of a reed. Most of the measurable attack time is in the start of the swing cycle, not the first 4 phases. Every free reed player knows that Lower reeds need more time to speak, and that brass reeds are (often) much slower than steel reeds, and a bayan bass or melophone reed is much faster than a concertina reed. Also, every concertina player knows that you can change the attack time of a reed by adjusting the reed gap. In general, the larger the gap, the slower the reed (affects the Bernouilli effect).

There are several aspects that affect the attack time (speed) of a reed, and there are several ways to deal with this problem. E.g. bayan designs focus on airflow values only, melophone design on the maximum energy yield from a given airflow. Concertina and accordion designs do not have any ‘special’ features dealing with attack values, but can still be improved upon. First of all, the Bernouilli principle can be improved by the fit of the reed in the slot and the reed gap. Everyone knows that better fitting reeds are faster (e.g. high quality concertina versus a low end model). The fit of the reed also affects the energy consumption: the better the fit, the more effective (faster, louder, less air consumption) the reed.

Attack values in concertinas can be improved by reed design (e.g. better adjusted tongue resistance value and optimum fit = better Bernouilli value), airflow (e.g. higher airflow, less chamber turbulence ), frame slot design (e.g. adjusted slot angles at the tip of the frame). Other variables that affect attack values are keytravel/pad travel (affects airflow), bellows resistance and size (affects airflow).

 

 

 

 

Within a free reed musical performance, it’s my view that both these features make it much more difficult for individual tones to be distinguished from others, if we are to compare the outcome with that from most all other musical instruments. Perhaps the closest approach to a similar result is achieved with the bowed string instruments.

 

There are other factors that determine the equilibrium of an instrument.

Example 1: volume balance (between low and high register).

On traditional concertinas, especially Wheatstones/lachenals with long scaled reeds (Aeolas/Edeophones), the lower notes often overpower the higher ones. For instance, when you play a chord in the lower register, and add a note in the highest register, it will either not sound at all, or will be very weak. The reasons are partly what you described (identical harmonics), but also the available airflow. Basically, the higher reeds do not get enough air to ‘get up to speed’. The chamber and vent design of these instruments favor the lower reeds. They basically get ‘extra air’ to make sure they are reasonably fast. This results in an imbalance of the airflow household in these instruments. Much of the available airflow in the instrument is consumed by the lower reeds. Even the airflow consumed by coasting low reeds can often prevent reeds in the higher register to successfully start their swing cycle. Once they get up to speed, they usually can maintain their cycle.

Victorian concertinas are much better with this. They have a almost ‘flat equilibrium’ (less difference in air consumption and volume between the extreme registers). You can, by changing the chamber design and adjust the airflow to the reeds, change this phenomenon and increase the relative volume of the higher notes. In my video you can hear even the highest notes on the instrument in combination with the lowest ones. On many wind instruments (e.g. flute, trumpet, etc.) higher notes naturally sound louder than the lower ones. In free reed instruments we have to design this.

 

Example 2: the ‘color pallet’. The problem I described of lower notes overpowering higher ones is quite common on instruments with a monophonic equilibrium. To stay with your piano example, early keyboard instruments suffered from the same problem. An early square piano (pre 1840) has a uniform stringing/soundboard which makes it very hard to hear high notes when playing lower ones. On the other hand, early grand pianos (as early as 1800), have a much brighter upper treble register. The volume of the higher notes is slightly lower than the bass and register, but they solved the problem by creating a brighter sound for the high notes. Early grands have brass strings for the bass/tenor and iron strings for the treble. Other examples of instruments that use the color pallet principle to overcome this problem are harpsichord (lute register), bandoneon (left hand cassotto), early bayans (no reflection on RH 8’). Etc.. Modern concert accordions use the same technique as I do in our duet concertinas: increase the airflow to the higher register (volume balance).

 

In the Parnassus I used both techniques. The higher register gets more air (louder) and, starting around g2, the sound reflection is reduced, producing more direct/ bright tone. The result is that the higher notes can easily be heard when played in combination with a low chord (see video).

 

 

 

I’m curious if you’ve made acoustic measurements on the instrument throughout its range and whether you’ve studied its quantified frequency spectrum. If so, could you describe what changes you believe your design has produced in this spectrum, and whether these changes proceed in any consistent way throughout the range of the instrument? Even further, if you’re inclined, can you talk a little about the actual changes in design that you’ve made? I understand completely any reluctance to do so, seeing such information as possibly proprietary. In any event, I wish you well with your efforts, as designer, builder and performer extraordinaire.

B

 

 

We cannot change the principle of the free reed, but there are many ways we can, and have for over 160 years, affect the performance of free reeds. Besides the acoustics of chambers and reflection, the different schools of free reed design all dealt with the limitations in a different way. The goal of most instrument makers is to control every aspect of the instrument you design. I of course measure the performance of our own reed and instrument design. With all respect, this information is not available.

As far as reeds are concerned, I developed 5 different reed scalings which are used in our different models, all with their own characteristics. Variables between them are: tongue scaling,- resistance,- flexibility,- thickness, - shape, -tip resistance, -bombata shaping, Bernouilli value, slot shape,-angle, frame thickness, clamp surface , airflow , - acceleration ,- chamber turbulence, vent length/size. Etc. and of course the differences in chamber and general instrument design.

 

Wim Wakker

Concertina Connection Inc.

Wakker Concertinas

[Wolf Molkentin]

If there was any doubt about the choice of the EC as "my" concertina, it's gone right now - removed by this impressive use of it!

 

Listened again and again...

Thank you for sharing!

[ttonon]

Hi Wim,

 

I may not have been clear enough in my first post, and a picture should help. If you look at the attached doc file, you will see the sound spectrum of the following: an accordion reed, your Parnassus, a trumpet, a clarinet, and a bawu. The spectra clearly illustrate that the number of dominant overtones present in the sound spectra of Western free reed instruments is considerably larger than that for other reed instruments. This is the fact that I referred to as unalterable – the relatively high number of overtones. I didn’t mean to imply that the relative amplitudes of these overtones cannot be altered, to some extent, by design.

 

The inherent reason for such a plethora of overtones is the fact that the reed tongue vibrates at its fundamental frequency, which is periodic, creating periodic air pulses, and with such a violent process, the pressure pulses contain large derivatives (changes) in time. (There can be contributions from the tongue’s second mode of vibration, but these have been measured to be very small, even at above normal air pressures.) My reason for stating that “the relatively high number of overtones are unavoidable” follows from mathematics, the language of Physics, as expressed by the Fourier Theorem, which states that any (continuous) periodic function can be represented (over a finite range) by an infinite number of functions, each periodic in time. Our ears, in their remarkable way, are able to interpret such a result. The other instruments I refer to, however, are not bound by this kind of Physics. Their tone generators operate on different principles, and their spectrums reflect that fact.

 

Your explanation was occupied with, in effect, the relative amplitudes among this vast number of overtones, and that they have been altered by design, and I have no objection to that. I can understand that you, as a concertina maker, would be very concerned with such detail, but my comments were from the much larger perspective of all instruments. In other words, no matter how successful you may be in altering the sound of the (Western) free reed, you cannot avoid the fact that its sound will be comprised of quite a large number of overtones, in comparison to most other instruments. There are other instruments that share this feature, but of course, such instruments also have different key features.

 

Similarly with the start transient: I understand that designers/builders/repairers have some control over such a feature, but again, no matter how many tricks you use to alter such a feature, the musical effect of the start transient will never compare to that of, for instance, the piano, guitar, or xylophone.

 

Perhaps what I’m saying here is that none of the design detail you describe can make a concertina sound different from a concertina.

 

But the Asian free reeds do accomplish such a feat. As the spectrum in the attached file shows, these instruments behave quite differently from the Western free reed instruments. The reason for this is that the tone generator is not solely the free reed, but rather the reed operating in unison with a resonator. Here, we have a fundamental change that goes far beyond any changes you can effect by concertina design.

 

Your comments concerning “volume balance” were well taken, and I read them with interest. I had omitted such an issue, not considering it really basic to the free reed. However, if builders can indeed render such an issue negligible, then I suppose we should consider such and issue not to be fundamentally inherent to the free reed, in which case, we might relegate it to good design practice. Still in all, I wish you had included more detail on what design features you think are important here, but I understand that such information may be proprietary.

 

Your comments on “voicing reeds” also seemed interesting, and I can imagine some theoretical basis for it. I hope you understand, however, that without a presentation of data, I’m left with very little concerning how importantly I should regard such comments. Though again, I completely understand why you would not want to do that.

 

On the other hand, the results I hear on the Youtube video appear very good, and I must take note of that. I do detect a rather good separation of sound between the lower and higher registers. I think, however, that distinction between notes in the same register reflect very well the nature of the free reed tone generator.

 

We cannot change the principle of the free reed, but there are many ways we can, and have for over 160 years, affect the performance of free reeds.

Yes, here, we are in complete agreement, and perhaps my long-winded reply here is not really necessary.

I of course measure the performance of our own reed and instrument design. With all respect, this information is not available.

This, I find odd, and a bit surprising. Usually, when manufacturers claim to have made an improvement in something, they are very eager to show proof of it. I understand your reluctance to share design secrets, but not to share data. After all, a video on Youtube is, in a sense, sharing results, no more than sharing data would be. If you showed convincing data, I would be more impressed than I am from the video, and without the data, there remain questions. But to be fair to you, there will always be questions.

 

Wim, I don’t understand why you use so many undefined terms and jargon in your technical explanations. I’m probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from you, in this regard. Sometimes, I have no idea what you're talking about and think that you must realize that. It’s not that I’m incapable of understanding any of the technical aspects of this subject matter, and you do seem willing to spend considerable time in your explanations. It’s thus a shame that your efforts cannot go very far, at least with me, a person who genuinely wants to understand what you have to say. Some of the terms you use appear scientific, such as “Bernoulli,” “reflection,” “acceleration,” etc., but there’s no science in your use of these terms. Maybe you don’t think I would be interested in all the detail. I am.

 

Best regards,

Tom

Compare Free Reed Spectrum.doc

Edited June 12, 2012 by ttonon

[Geoff Wooff]

Whilst these technical discussions are very interesting I would like to make some practical comments from both the perspective of a player and a maker of instruments.

 

The player may desire particular charateristics from an instrument. For many years I thought that the Aeola instruments that I had owned were too civilised for the type of music I was playing and I looked for the somewhat unbalanced instrument that had a very strong sound in the lower octave. The reason for this was my perception that the low notes did not carry so well when playing in a group (or session) situation. This works well for playing single note lines as in Irish/Scottish dance music or any Violin type music. My other use of the EC is in playing melody and accompaniment together or melody with counter melody .The problem was in the finding of instruments that would fullfill these charateristics within the range of vintage concertinas that one might be able to aquire.

 

After many years of searching I have settled on two concertinas that each satisfy these two desires. The problem was the somewhat 'hit and miss' qualities found in the older instruments. Often the Aeolas were either too well balanced to the point of boredom yet still the lower notes appeared to be dominant for wide spread chordal playing and often lacked the dynamic capabilities I desired. The cruder sounding, loud and less well balanced instruments would be too piercing of tone in the upper ranges and yet dull at the bottom notes.

 

My current Baritone /Treble Aeola appears to be designed to add lower chording notes to a Treble melody with out low note dominance... its lower octave has shorter reeds and smaller chambers than a Maccann duet that I have which was made one month after the B/T. The Duet has far greater sonority and its low notes have to be used with care so as not to drown the right hand melody.

 

My 'unbalanced' EC has quite significant tone changes throughout its range... starting with a Saxaphone-like tone at the low end coming into a powerfull and clear mid range the volume drops off significantly over the top half octave.

 

So, the Aeola can be played with wide range chording and the unbalanced concertina whilst being much more powerfull is better played single note or with chord/harmony notes close to the melody.I do not suppose either of these instruments could be called 'balanced' from a technical standpoint, although it might be interesting to measure their sound outputs with a refined loudness meter, they are, however, doing their respective jobs.

 

Perhaps a Parnassus type instrument could be all these things in one ?

 

My main point is the problem of finding your desired charateristics in a vintage instrument.

 

 

Looking at Wim's explaination of his design concept in relation to my own 'hit and miss' experiences in searching for the 'right' instrument I can imagine that he wishes to cut down the natural variations which occur from instrument to instrument during production. In other words each instrument, from a batch even, will have slight variations in performance especially if the maker is trying to get them all to a fine point . By experiment and knowledge one can design-in the desired characteristics which it would appear have worked well in this case.

 

One last point; the better a person can play their instrument the better they can make one.Well.. at least they might know how they want it to play

Edited June 12, 2012 by Geoff Wooff

[wim wakker]

Hi Tom,

 

I think we’re talking about different aspects of the same subject. You’re talking about the general aspects of (western) free reeds in comparison to other instruments, and I am referring to the many variables within one group (the concertina).

 

The way you look at a sound spectrum you’ll be hard pressed to show the difference between a $4000 Kawai piano and a $200.000 Boesendorfer Imperial. They basically have the same general spectrum. The difference between instruments of the same sort is in the quality of the sound and playability. In free reed instrument the quality of sound is not measured in the quantity of harmonics, but the relative volume of mostly the fundamental, octave and fifth and their consistency throughout the compass.

 

As a maker, I manipulate the spectrum in order to create a uniform sounding compass, with consistent playing characteristics. My goal is not to change the characteristics of the concertina in general. If I wanted a different type of sound, I would have started with a different type of free reed construction (e.g. accordion or bandonion construction).

Because I build concertinas, my basic sound materials are the concertina type reeds and concertina construction. My goal as a maker is to solve/reduce certain negative aspects of the instrument and enhance the positive aspects. These goals vary for different type of concertinas.

 

I am of course familiar with the principle of the free reed, but I don’t know if you’re familiar with the variables of reed inner movement which affects the harmonic spectrum. There are multiple publications on this subject of which Richter’s is probably the best know. There used to be a slow motion video on the internet showing the inner movement of an accordion reed, but I can’t find it anymore.

 

Let me give an example of the some of the variables involved in developing a reed scaling to illustrate what I mean. Given: maximum airflow value and maximum chamber length. The airflow value and type of concertina (anglo, english/duet) will determine the reed resistance. If the reed is too stiff (= high reed resistance) for the available airflow, it won’t start. This is what reed makers call the Bernouilli value (measured in grams at the tip of the reed). If the reed resistance is too low, the reed will start right away, but will not be able to handle the maximum airflow and will result in pitch drop when playing loud. Other aspects that affect the reed resistance are the size of the air hole, pad travel, reed pan vent, the thickness of the action board and position of the hole over the reed.

 

After having determined the reed resistance (base thickness of the active length), you need to determine the relation between the harmonics (1,8,5). The goal is a strong fifth. You can manipulate the way the reed swings through the slot by adjusting the frame slot angle and the flexibility of the reed. In general, a reed with little inner movement and a wide angled slot will produce fewer audible harmonics (brass and german silver reeds). On the other end, a parallel slot and a thin reed tip will produce strong harmonics. The slot angle also has some measurable effect on maximum reed amplitude. The objective is to get all the reeds to produce the same spectrum.

Most (vintage) concertinas have one frame size for up to 4-5 notes (3rd interval).The difference in reed shape between note 1 and 4/5 is considerable due to the difference in pitch. In certain registers the higher notes of the same reed size often produce stronger harmonics due to the shape of the reed (more inner reed movement, higher reed tip amplitude) and have a lower Bernouilli value (thinner tip reacts at lower airflow). Another variable is the length and pitch of the reed. If you want to keep the reed resistance constant, the length and maximum amplitude (volume) of the lower notes will increase considerably (long scale reeds= fast but loud lower register). On the other hand, if you limit the length increase, you need to adjust the reed curve and resistance (short scale reeds= flat equilibrium but slow speaking lower notes).

 

The primary goal of every reed scaling is uniform performance and sound. The problems you’ll run into are: optimum reed length in the lower register will produce notes that are too loud, and optimum reed length in the higher register will produce slow speaking notes (high reed resistance).

Frame sizes in vintage concertinas are limited, some instruments only have 7 different sizes. This is due to the high tool cost of the production method (die stamping) which is still used by most free reed makers. We developed a different way to produce our frames and reeds, which allows us to have one size frame for 1-2 notes. It also allows us unlimited slot angle adjustments.

 

The process of designing an instrument and developing a reed scaling is something I prefer not to make public. Musical instruments are tools to perform music with. As a player you should only be concerned with the sound and playing characteristics, you don’t need to know every detail of its design.

You will find that most makers of musical instruments do not reveal any technical information. Reed makers like Binci, Salpa will not give you any details of their reed scaling. Makers like Pigini, Victoria, Hohner spend lots of money to protect their designs. Unfortunately, we are also forced to protect my designs.

 

The jargon I use makes perfect sense among free reed designers and people with a back ground in free reeds. I do realize that some terminology is job specific. However, I find that describing processes without using the standard terms requires endless descriptions. I hope that most terms are self explanatory, especially if you have a basic knowledge of free reeds.

 

Wim

[ttonon]

Hi Wim,

 

Thanks for your comprehensive and lucid explanation of the many features and considerations behind the design of the tone generators in a well thought out free reed instrument. I wish you continued success in your endeavors.

 

Best regards,

Tom

[Anglo-Irishman]

Perhaps what I’m saying here is that none of the design detail you describe can make a concertina sound different from a concertina.

 

But the Asian free reeds do accomplish such a feat. As the spectrum in the attached file shows, these instruments behave quite differently from the Western free reed instruments. The reason for this is that the tone generator is not solely the free reed, but rather the reed operating in unison with a resonator. Here, we have a fundamental change that goes far beyond any changes you can effect by concertina design.

 

Tom,

 

I haven't a clue about spectra and the like, but I do have a musician's ear. So here's a little anecdote from real life:

 

I once attended a concert of Chinese music - a delightful experience! The two-stringed fiddle sounded lovely, but quite different from the violin, though played with just as much finesse and virtuosity. Then a sheng player took the stage, solo. The moment he started to play, I thought, "English concertina!" The similarity in timbre was really striking.

I emphasise that this was a live concert without electric amplification. Not on YouTube or CD. It was just that sheng and my ears.

 

I suppose one could have listened more analytically, and tried to decide whether it sounded more like a Wheatstone, Lachenal, Jones or Jeffries. I didn't, because I was enjoying the music so much. But from recollection I'd say it sounded more like a traditional-reeded concertina than an accordion-reeded hybrid. The timbre had that "cutting edge" to it.

 

As I say, just an anecdotal experience.

 

By the way, is it really true to say that a concertina reed (or Western free reeds in general) do not operate "in unison with a resonator?" Why is the reedpan or action-board of Western instruments made of softwood if it hasn't got a function as a resonator?

Remember, European stringed instruments (guitars, violins, mandolins ...) are made of a mix of hard- and softwoods, the softwood (usually spruce, or in America often cedar) being used for the belly, which is directly coupled to the strings and serves as the actual resonator

 

Cheers,

John

[ttonon]

Hi John,

 

Like you, I’ve had many interesting experiences with Asian instruments, and hearing them has opened my mind on how I think about musical instruments, their functions, and in fact, my whole concept of what music is.

 

I have no doubt that you can detect the sound of a concertina reed in the sound of the Sheng. You see, all kinds of musical instruments have their complexity, and no simplified view can ever include all there is. There are many Asian free reed instruments, and all have defining characteristics, some with very varied tones. The Sheng (China), Sho (Japan), and Khaen (Thailand and Laos) are similar in that they contain one free reed per tube resonator, with each single instrument having many resonators. Thus, each reed plays only one note, but the entire instrument can play more than one simultaneously. Other instruments, such as the Chinese Bawu, have one reed mounted in a tube resonator that has finger holes, just like those in a flute, and a single reed plays many notes (eight in the case of the Bawu), but only one at a time.

 

But there are differences within these groups. In the Sheng, the reed is tuned so that it’s (first mode) natural frequency is close to that of the tube, whereas with the Khaen, the tube frequency dominates, pulling up the reed vibration two, three, maybe more, times its own frequency. And of course with the Bawu, the tube frequency dominates, because that is the means of producing different tones. The shape of the reed tongue of the Bawu also differs. With the single note variety, the tongue is more or less rectangular (in plan view), whereas with the Bawu, the tongue is triangular, which probably explains a great deal about why it's so willing to yield to the tube on how fast to vibrate.

 

I say all this only to give an idea about the many parameters the Asian builders have discovered in order, like their Western counterparts, to tweak out the sound they want, and different cultures have found different sounds. In fact, taken as groups, the Asian free reeds allow for a much wider spectrum of tonal variation than do the Western free reed instruments. This is not surprising, since the Asians have two major components to work with – the reed and the resonator – whereas the Westerners have only one. In my previous post, I presented the spectrum of the Bawu as an existence proof, illustrating that, when coupled to a tube resonator, the free reed can sound much differently from the Western version (and from some other Asian versions), perhaps sounding more like the tube resonator than the reed itself. The Asian free reed, in fact, has very little sound without a resonator, if any. (It operates as a “blown open” reed, whereas the Western version acts as a “blown closed” reed.) Thus, it’s not surprising that the sound of the resonator can have a dominant effect. One complication worth mentioning with the example you chose – the Sheng – is that musicians often play it with one or two reeds sounding continuously, as a drone, and perhaps such operation might make it easier to identify the Western free reed in the sound, because then, the spectrum becomes richer.

 

The following links might help you get an idea of how the Bawu sounds:

 

 

By the way, is it really true to say that a concertina reed (or Western free reeds in general) do not operate "in unison with a resonator?" Why is the reedpan or action-board of Western instruments made of softwood if it hasn't got a function as a resonator?

Remember, European stringed instruments (guitars, violins, mandolins ...) are made of a mix of hard- and softwoods, the softwood (usually spruce, or in America often cedar) being used for the belly, which is directly coupled to the strings and serves as the actual resonator.

Yes, I think it’s true that Western free reeds do not operate “in unison with a resonator,” as acknowledged in the scientific literature. Perhaps a key term here is “in unison.” The Asian free reeds do operate thusly, containing an acoustically coupled system, with the result that the air column and the reed tongue vibrate at the same frequency, which is generally a little higher than the first mode (and sometimes second mode) frequency of the tube resonator, and which can be very much above that of the reed itself. It’s interesting that the Western beating reed wind instruments – also coupled systems – operate at frequencies far below the natural frequencies of the reeds.

 

But “not operating in unison” does not mean that the sound of the Western free reed is not altered by the cavity and associated structures near the reed. Compared to the overall excitation of the vibrating tongue, however, these effects are too small to define a coupled system. For example, the difference in frequency between the unmounted Western reed tongue frequency and the mounted frequency is typically, I believe, a dozen or so cents, and I’m willing to be corrected on that. This, however, is not an example of operating “in unison.” I'm also under the impression that Western builders do not want vibration in the wood mounting parts holding the reed. I see physical reasoning for this: so that energy is not sapped from the reed itself. Thus, Western instruments are designed to avoid acoustic coupling with the body of the instrument.

 

The string instruments are somewhere between the free reeds and the Asian reeds, though I don’t think it’s correct to view the string as “directly coupled” to the wood. The function of the wood is more or less only in one direction. It taps off energy from the vibrating string, but it does little to influence the string vibration. It provides a mechanism by which the string can be made to work hard at getting sound energy into the air, without which, the string vibration would be essentially inaudible. A measure of these statements is the fact that the strings vibrate at very near their own, independent natural frequency, which is often way below the natural frequencies of the wood. One complication is with the violin and similar instruments with a hole in a body that contains an air volume. With these, there’s a Helmholtz vibration of the air within the body of the instrument, and this also serves an important function. But again, this is not coupled vibration. The string dominates, dictating the frequency at which the wood and air vibrate, with very little backward influence. If a natural frequency of any part of the body is excited, the result can be good, as with the increase in volume of those frequencies close to the Helmholtz frequency, or bad, as in the case of the generation of the “Wolf Tone” in violins, cellos, and similar instruments. The Wolf Tone is what happens when the string gets anywhere near vibrating “in unison” with the body of the instrument. You don’t want Wolf Tones, and so, you don't want operation with significant feedback, or, "in unison."

 

 

Best regards,

Tom