A joint research group from Tokyo University of Science and Tokyo University of the Arts has developed a guide for air-reed instruments that reproduces the positional relationship between the lips and the instrument of a skilled performer.
In air-reed instruments such as the shakuhachi and flute, the relationship between the lips and the instrument, the shape of the mouth (embouchure), and even the angle at which air is blown all affect how easily a sound is produced and the tone color. However, it is not easy for beginners to understand and reproduce these things based solely on the words of experienced players, and in traditional instrument instruction, players had to acquire these skills through experience and intuition.
Meanwhile, in prosthodontics, technology is developing to acquire the positional relationships of teeth, lips, and face as digital data and utilize it in the design and fabrication of devices. Therefore, in this study, we applied this digital technology from prosthodontics to develop a method for recording the three-dimensional positional relationship between the lips and the instrument during air reed instrument playing as digital data and reproducing it as a physical guide.
In this study, the facial features, teeth, and lip positional relationship of skilled shakuhachi players were acquired as 3D digital data using facial and intraoral scanners. Based on this data, a physical guide was fabricated to reproduce the positional relationship between the lips and the shakuhachi using CAD design and 3D printing.
This guide allows even beginners to practice while using the three-dimensional positional relationship between their lips and the instrument as a reference point. It may allow them to visually and tactilely confirm the distance, angle, and contact point between their lips and the instrument, which previously could only be understood intuitively.
This research, which involves recording and reproducing the positional relationship between the lips, face, and external devices using digital data, is expected to have applications not only in music education but also in medical and welfare devices used in oral rehabilitation and speech and swallowing training.
Paper information: [Journal of Prosthodontic Research] Extension of prosthodontic digital guide workflow to reproduce lip–object spatial relationships: Application to an air-reed instrument
