- #1
Soundwave24
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First please forgive my general lack of intelligence of this matter. I am a saxophone player looking to help new sax players and need some expertise for a training aid I'd like to create.
On a saxophone, a player blows air through a mouthpiece creating a sound wave. The very tip of the mouthpiece that we blow through has a section called a Baffle which changes the properties of the soundwave to create varying sounds/styles (i.e. jazzy, funky, classical) - as such, there are many mouthpieces available that all sound different based upon their overall shape and the design of the baffle. That said, while the baffle controls the 'style', how much air we can blow through that tip also greatly affects the overall sound quality so finding a way to increase that airflow artificially without affecting its other properties (the style) is the goal.
Essentially I want to build in a mini-propeller fan to the base of the mouthpiece (farthest from the tip) that takes the soundwave/style generated from the tip/baffle section and accelerates that airflow but without CHANGING that wave pattern/style, just strengthening it. As a result, a beginner who cannot blow a lot of air through the horn can still generate a great strong sound.
While it would be relatively easy to put a mini fan/blower in the mouthpiece or neck to artificially increase the airflow, the key is doing it in a way that the air accelerator makes the existing soundwave 'bigger' but not 'different' - so if the player uses a mouthpiece with a special baffle to make a jazzier soundwave in general, that jazzier style still comes through unaffected, just stronger/louder as if they blew it with bigger lungs from the start.
If the airflow accelerator (mini-fan etc) was somehow placed BEFORE the baffle, then it would work easily however the design of the saxophone mouthpiece is opposite where this airflow accelerator would have to be AFTER the baffle and therefore creates this dilemma. Any thoughts from experts would be welcome. Thanks for your time and effort and best regards, Ben
On a saxophone, a player blows air through a mouthpiece creating a sound wave. The very tip of the mouthpiece that we blow through has a section called a Baffle which changes the properties of the soundwave to create varying sounds/styles (i.e. jazzy, funky, classical) - as such, there are many mouthpieces available that all sound different based upon their overall shape and the design of the baffle. That said, while the baffle controls the 'style', how much air we can blow through that tip also greatly affects the overall sound quality so finding a way to increase that airflow artificially without affecting its other properties (the style) is the goal.
Essentially I want to build in a mini-propeller fan to the base of the mouthpiece (farthest from the tip) that takes the soundwave/style generated from the tip/baffle section and accelerates that airflow but without CHANGING that wave pattern/style, just strengthening it. As a result, a beginner who cannot blow a lot of air through the horn can still generate a great strong sound.
While it would be relatively easy to put a mini fan/blower in the mouthpiece or neck to artificially increase the airflow, the key is doing it in a way that the air accelerator makes the existing soundwave 'bigger' but not 'different' - so if the player uses a mouthpiece with a special baffle to make a jazzier soundwave in general, that jazzier style still comes through unaffected, just stronger/louder as if they blew it with bigger lungs from the start.
If the airflow accelerator (mini-fan etc) was somehow placed BEFORE the baffle, then it would work easily however the design of the saxophone mouthpiece is opposite where this airflow accelerator would have to be AFTER the baffle and therefore creates this dilemma. Any thoughts from experts would be welcome. Thanks for your time and effort and best regards, Ben