A free reed aerophone is a musical instrument where sound is produced as air flows past a vibrating reed in a frame. Air pressure is typically generated by breath or with a bellows.
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The following illustrations depict the type of reed typical of harmonicas, pitch pipes, accordions and reed organs as it goes through a cycle of vibration. One side of the reed frame is omitted from the images for clarity; in reality, the frame completely encloses the reed. Airflow over one side of the reed creates an area of low pressure on that side (see the Bernoulli's principle article for details), causing the reed to flex towards the low-pressure side. The reed frame is constructed so that the flexing of the reed obstructs the airflow, which reduces or eliminates the low pressure area and allows the reed to flex back.[1]
| A reed is fixed by one end in a close-fitting frame. The loose end has a slight rising bend. | |
| Air depression is applied under the reed; the reed prevents air flow, except for a small, high-velocity flow at the tip. | |
| The reed is sucked through the opening, allowing the air to pass. | |
| The elasticity of the reed forces it back through the frame. |
Each time the reed passes through the frame, it interrupts air flow. These rapid, periodic interruptions of the air flow create the audible vibrations perceived by the listener.
In a free-reed instrument, it is the physical characteristics of the reed itself, such as mass, length, cross-sectional area, and stiffness, which primarily determine the pitch (frequency) of the musical note produced. Of secondary importance to the pitch are the physical dimensions of the chamber in which the reed is fitted, and of the air flow.
Various free reed instruments appear to have been invented since antiquity, but were unknown in the West until comparatively recently. Among the ancient instruments, the khene of Laos, the shēng of China and the shō of Japan have survived to modern times. It has been claimed that the shēng was brought to Saint Petersburg, Russia, and other towns of Europe near the end of the 18th century, inspiring a series of inventions in the early 19th century that were the foundation of the development of the modern free reeds. At Copenhagen one of these instruments with brass pipes and free reeds in-caved into the sides of this pips inspired the organ builder Mr. Kirsnick to fit similar reeds into portable organs. See Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung. 5. März. 1823. Nr. 10"[2]1880 Kirsnick moved to Saint Petersburg improved this new organ pipes to adjustable pitch with a hook. Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein built also his speaking machine in Copenhagen and he was in contact with Mr. Kirsnick. Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein did get an award for this machine in Petersburg but he never moved to Petersburg. His Machine or a copy of this Machine came to Paris very shortly after 1880. A very prominent person in Europe Georg Joseph Vogler did put all his effort to get this new type of organ pipes in use in church organs so he started with changing organs in Rotterdam (1790), London(1790)[notes 1], Frankfurt (1791), Stockholm (1791), Paris (1796), Berlin (1800), Prag (1802), Wien (1804), Salzburg München (1805), ... up to 30 documented rebuilds of organs with new free reed type organ pipes. He also held lessons on University's and did all to promote this new type of reeds, not only in German speaking regions of Europe. The actual work was done by different Organ builders, and very many People ware involved in this, so it is nearly impossible that any organ builder in Europe did not know about free reeds after 1800. In the two years from 1802 to 1804 in Vienna, he spent time with Johann Nepomuk Mälzel and Mälzel did change the type of reeds used in his Panharmonicon to free reed pipes. Vogler, Maelzel and Friedrich Kaufmann were then at the same time in Paris in the Year of 1807. From there Mälzel did go to Regensburg and Vienna where he constructed an new Panharmonicon and the mechaischer Trompeter, after that he did go on tour again to Paris, London and other places, maybe he went for the first time to Boston and New York as well, but up to now we don't know of any notice in a newspaper about it. Friedrich Kaufmann a clock maker went back home to Dresden and copped Mälzel's machines. The 'mechaischer Trompeter' still can be seen in a museum in Munich.
In USA Organ builder William M. Goodrich is often claimed to have invented the free reed. This is not surprising, as he tells that he worked in the years of 1810 to 1812 with Johann Nepomuk Mälzel's Pan Harmonicon that was sent to Boston and then exhibited in several towns. Märzel had a very good relationship to Vogler while in Europe so his Pan Harmonicon used free reeds. It is not know with certainty whether Mälzel was personally in America around 1811. What is clear is that he arrived New York on February 7th, 1826, which might have been either his first or his second visit to the New World. He also visited Boston around this time.
"In June 1811 a cuious instrument called a Pan Harmonicon was brought to Boston. It was invented by Maelzel, whose name is usually linked with the Metronome. William Goodrich was employed to set up and exhibit the Pan Harmonnicon in New York and other cities. He [...] traveled with the instrument from September 1811 until June 1812."[3]
1823 Pan Harmonicun copped.
In March, 1823, Mr. Goodrich undertook to complete, with the assistance of others, a Pan Harmonicon, in imitation of that of Maelzel. Mr. Savage, the proprietor of a Museum in Boylston Hall, had kept the latter for some time on exhibition in his Museum, and had made considerable progress in constructing one like it. After his death, it was determined to complete it. Mr. Goodrich was employed, and it was finished in May, 1824. From November, 1824, till sometime in 1825, he was chiefly employed in the exhibition of this instrument;[4]
There is a Story that in the Year of 1821 James H. Bazin did repair a free reed Pipe and used this type of reeds for constructing, in 1836, the "lap organ".
In an article in " The Musical World and Times " [...] the invention of this class of instruments is claimed for Mr. James H. Bazin, an ingenious musician and mechanic, of Canton, Mass. [...] However,[...] as will be observed [...] Mr. Bazin was not the man. The account referred to contains the following :— " Late in the year of 1821, some young men from a neighboring town, brought a small, round, brass pipe, with the letter A marked on it, and a piece of thin brass screwed on one side; which brass appeared to have been made to vibrate through an opening about one-half the length of the pipe, but which had been broken off near the screw. They had borrowed this pipe from a singing-master in Boston, and wished to have Mr. Bazin repair it, [...] We have a legend, in which it is asserted that the free reed was the invention of a German shoemaker [Maelzel], who, captivated with the sweet sounds produced by it,[...],[5],[6]
From 1833 Prescott did build similar Instruments.
In 1831 Prescott [...]. On a buisniss trip to Boston he saw an "elbow oragan" or lap organ ("rocking melodeon") built by Jams Bazin. Seeing the potental of this small REED ORGAN, he commeneed manufacturing them in 1836 or 1837 - both the button (melodeon) and the convetional keyboard type;[7][8] Video of "rocking melodeon" [9]
By 1840 there were 40 melodeon builders in America.
"Melodeons were inexpensive, easy to move, and required a minimum of upkeep. These features were so attractive that by 1840 there were forty melodeon builders in the United States, with an annual product of $646,975, but reports listed only twenty pipe organ builders, with an annual product of $324,750 [13,p.132]"[10]
Cyrill Demian's (see below) patent of 1829 [11] however states that the reeds in his instrument "were known for more than 200 years as Regale, Zungen, Schnarrwerk, in organs." Of course he compares the reeds used by him with beating reeds.
Some notable free reed instruments:
In the related woodwind instruments, a vibrating reed is used to set a column of air in vibration within the instrument. In such instruments, the pitch is primarily determined by the effective length of that column of air. Although the Chinese sheng, Japanese sho and Laotian khene have pipes, the pipes do not determine the pitch. In these instruments, the pipes serve as resonating chambers.