Fatigue characterization of cane and synthetic reeds for alto saxophone

Reeds for woodwind instruments are known to be extremely variable and change significantly with time. This makes it difficult for musicians to find and maintain a reed that performs at a level suitable for their personal preference. In this project, the magnitude of these changing properties will be characterized in both natural cane reeds and synthetic alternatives, thus examining the cost-benefit of supposedly more durable synthetic reeds. The impact that these changing properties have on the resulting sound quality (important to the musician) will also be compared between cane and synthetic reeds. The results will aid the partner organization in the design of future synthetic reed products, testing methods and provide baseline data on current products to help musicians select equivalent synthetic reeds exhibiting the desired performance of more variable cane reeds.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gary Scavone

Student:

Scott Connor Kemp

Partner:

Légère Reeds

Discipline:

Music

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

McGill University