Introduction
Until this research, the model of clarinet sound generation was based on the idea that a clarinet produced only odd harmonics until the highest notes were played. So steadfast a rule it is thought that it is hardly mentioned in modern papers. Though we agree this is true outside of the clarinet bore, inside we've noticed something very different. When testing the airflow inside of a clarinet, it was seen that not only were there even harmonics inside of the bore, but that at some points the even harmonics were greater in amplitude than the odd. This discovery blows a large hole in the current understanding of a clarinet, if not refuting it completely. Over the next few pages we'll discuss our procedures and our findings.
Sound waves are periodic fluctuations in air pressure. Each of these periods has a distinct length, which is known as the wavelength. The pitch of a sound is the frequency that a wave repeats itself over a given amount of time. Most musical sounds are made up of many different sound waves at different amplitudes called harmonics. A harmonic is a multiple integer of the fundamental pitch, or the root note. So if you were to play a piano and strike the A4 key, which has a fundamental frequency of 440 Hz, its harmonics would be 880 Hz, 1320 Hz, 1760 Hz and so on.