The influence of the vocal tract on the attack transients in clarinet playing

When playing single-reed woodwind instruments, players can modulate the spectral content of the airflow in their vocal tract, upstream of the vibrating reed. In an empirical study with professional clarinettists ( $$ ), blowing pressure and mouthpiece pressure were measured during the performance of Clarinet Concerto excerpts. By comparing mouth pressure and mouthpiece pressure signals in the time domain, a method to detect instances of vocal tract adjustments was established. Results showed that players tuned their vocal tract in both clarion and altissimo registers. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that vocal tract adjustments support shorter attack transients and help to avoid lower bore resonances.