Have you ever looked closely at a saxophone, clarinet mouth-piece or shehnai? If so, you probably observed that the mouthpiece contains a thin piece of wood. This part of the instrument is called a reed. When you blow across the reed, you set it vibrating. It’s this back-and-forth movement that produces the sound. As these vibrations travel through the body of the instrument, the sound is “shaped” into a pleasing note.
Things Required:
Blade of grass
Paper
Pair of scissors
Clear plastic wrapping
Directions:
Hold out your hands. Place your thumbs side-by-side together. You should observe a slender gap between them. This opening begins at the middle joint and stretches downward to the base of the thumbs.
Now position a blade of grass in this passageway. The top of the blade should be held in place between the two middle joints. The bottom of the blade should be secure between the two thumb bases.
Blow through the passageway. What do you hear? If no sound is produced, make sure the blade lies in the middle of the gap. Try replacing the grass blade with a blade-sized scrap of paper (you may have to wet the paper).
Practise with various materials and observe the difference in the quality of the sounds.
This Is What Happens:
As air rushed through the slender opening, it caused the blade to vibrate. This vibration shaped the passing air into sound waves.
