How reeds work? A Zoom webinar with James Cottingham and Lorenzo Antonelli presented by Accordion Artisans.

[lordzedd]

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Accordion Artisans - How reeds work?. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

Online webinar series James Cottingham - Acoustical research on the accordion reed: What can we learn and what we would like to know? Lorenzo Antonelli - New paradigms of acoustic quality for reeds

zoom.us

Topic
Accordion Artisans - How reeds work?
Description
Online webinar series

James Cottingham - Acoustical research on the accordion reed:
What can we learn and what we would like to know?

Lorenzo Antonelli - New paradigms of acoustic quality for reeds
Time
Mar 22, 2022 03:00 PM in Universal Time UTC

 

[lordzedd]

This is in the morning! A physicist and a reed-maker - I'm looking forward to it.

 

[NickC]

I am at work today, so I won't be able to tune in. I wonder if it will be available on Youtube? I'd really like to listen.

 

[lordzedd]

I had to join late, but the presentation is being recorded. Maybe it will be posted?

 

[Mr Mark]

Chiming in as one unable to attend, please post a recorded version!!

 

[godgi]

i got the first say 20 minutes and had to leave. fairly interesting i thought i missed the man for amoroci voci input.
godgie

 

[Mr Mark]

Saw this link so am sharing

 

[David A]

Thanks for the link, Mark. I enjoyed the presentations, particularly the first one.

 

[debra]

Thanks for the link, Mark. I enjoyed the presentations, particularly the first one.

I also liked the first presentation. It still felt rather incomplete, especially in the part where we got no explanation as to why the frequency of a reed can drop by quite a bit with increasing volume... illustrating that the physics are just not yet sufficiently understood.

 

[Mr Mark]

How reeds work? Maybe the question mark is a good indicator. Enjoyed the presentation and learned some things, but am surprised at what seems to be how little is known and/or the seemingly limited ability to utilize computing technology as a function in understanding. Or perhaps the knowledge better exists elsewhere. Hopefully there is more to come!

 

[Walker]

How reeds work? Maybe the question mark is a good indicator. Enjoyed the presentation and learned some things, but am surprised at what seems to be how little is known and/or the seemingly limited ability to utilize computing technology as a function in understanding. Or perhaps the knowledge better exists elsewhere. Hopefully there is more to come!

Very good point. Knowing the science better would be useful. However, for me it is also important that reed makers express the art of what they are doing. I particularly enjoyed hearing Mr. Antonelli's thoughts about reeds. I found it refreshing that he dismissed the common indicator of reed construction as being a strict indicator of quality. The blue edge thing really needs a rethink, it's far too simplistic. Perceived quality comes from the tone, performance and durability of the reed, not the colour of the edge. I couldn't agree more. Importantly, he expressed the point that we need improved reed blocks that suit the reeds better to create superior sounding accordions. I think he is right.

 

[David A]

Thank you, Walker. To be honest I had missed the point that Mr Antonelli was making but you've articulated it well. As has been said by many on this forum, the use of CNC machine tools etc. means that reeds and reed plates can be made more accurately by machine today than by hand. But that in itself doesn't make them "better" than traditional "a mano" reeds. And all reeds need hand-finishing to some extent. So a new definition of a "quality reed" is clearly needed, and as Mr Antonelli suggests, this should be based on the quality of the sound, rather than on the quality of the materials and construction.

 

[debra]

Very good point. Knowing the science better would be useful. However, for me it is also important that reed makers express the art of what they are doing. I particularly enjoyed hearing Mr. Antonelli's thoughts about reeds. I found it refreshing that he dismissed the common indicator of reed construction as being a strict indicator of quality. The blue edge thing really needs a rethink, it's far too simplistic. Perceived quality comes from the tone, performance and durability of the reed, not the colour of the edge. I couldn't agree more. Importantly, he expressed the point that we need improved reed blocks that suit the reeds better to create superior sounding accordions. I think he is right.

The talk by Antonelli was interesting because it illustrated even better how little science is used in reed construction, considering it as art (in combination with the art of making reed blocks and accordion cases). But the two are linked: the blue edge comes from using a long ribbon of steel, and it is indicative of the direction in which that steel has been stretched (during construction) and is strongest. The edge is not important but is just an indicator that the a mano reed is cut from a narrow ribbon of steel. A tipo a mano reed is stamped out of a sheet of steel (not a ribbon) That "sheet" is of course also just a much wider "ribbon" of steel, but what is important is that tipo a mano reeds are cut/stamped out of the sheet in the direction perpendicular to the length of the sheet/wide-ribbon. So in the lengthwise direction the tipo a mano reed is not using the strength of the steel coming from being stretched (as the sheet is being produced as a very wide ribbon).
For the "improved reed blocks" science is even more important. Different accordion makers not only use different woods but also different shapes for the reed blocks, some being more rectangular and others more trapezoidal. Having the resonance chambers being deeper or less deep where the reed tip vibrates clearly influences the sound coming out of the accordion. But it is all created as "art", not by means of calculations of resonance frequencies. The first talk at least tried to go into that science, but sadly also showed how little we know to date of what determines which aspects of the sound of an accordion...