beating reed

A beating reed is a component in certain musical instruments, specifically wind instruments. It's a thin blade, often made of cane or metal, that vibrates against an opening when air passes through it. This vibration creates sound waves.

Beating reeds are found in instruments like the clarinet and regal pipes of an organ. In a clarinet, the reed vibrates against the mouthpiece. In an organ's regal pipe, the reed itself determines the pitch, with the pipe acting as a resonator to shape the tone. This contrasts with free reeds, which vibrate freely within a frame, and double reeds, where two reeds vibrate against each other.1