Non-linear saxophone reed vibrations measured by stroboscopic digital image correlation

摘要

The reed mouthpiece system of the saxophone is the acoustic power source of the instrument. Among musicians, it is well known that the reed has a substantial influence on the sound of the saxophone, but little is known about its displacements as a function of time during the vibration cycle. This paper presents vibrations measurements on alto saxophone reeds by means of stroboscopic digital image correlation, on when the reed was forced to oscillate at the frequencies of 27 musical notes. Displacements as a function of time show strong non-linear behaviour. Differences between reeds with the same nominal strength could be discerned. The movement of the reed consisted of multiple harmonics which had different magnitudes depending on which frequency was excited.