How much do the acoustics of the vocal tract influence performance on single-reed instruments (clarinets and saxophones)? To summarize a 25-year debate, we note that scientists' opinions have ranged from "negligible" to "vocal tract resonant frequencies must match the frequency of the required notes" . Musicians' opinions are also diverse. The longevity of the debate is due to the difficulty of making nonperturbing, precise acoustical measurements inside the mouth during playing , that is, in a variable, humid environment with very loud sounds.
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