Musical instruments Definition and 29 Threads

My clarinet teacher once showed me a trick: you can play any note and then sing a fifth above that note and it will create the illusion of sounding an octave deeper. On a different sub, I asked about this technique: It turns out that this is called saxophone growling. And it's no coincidence...

Western musical instruments Western musical instruments images Trumpet and Saxophone. Is it possible to design and construct western musical instruments as a fusion of two or more functions and features? I mean to say Guitar, Violin, Trumpet, Saxophone, Piano etc integrated into a single...

Similar to Flight and Power plant training simulation softwares, is it possible to design and develop musical instruments training software simulators? Examples : Guitar,Piano,Violin,Trumpet, Drums,Saxophone etc. If Not, What are the challenges for designing and developing Musical instruments...

Variables: Dependent: Vibrational frequency of violin string (Measured using mobile tuning app) Independent: Temperature in which string is plucked (Measured using infrared thermometer) Controlled: Violin String, Tension of violin string, Length of violin string, Method of plucking...

In this post, I will describe, as best I have been able to determine, how a Western free reed works. As it is unlikely I will run into a physicist here who specializes in reeds, I will just ask people to speculate on the behavior of a reed given what you know about fluid dynamics or the...

Does anybody happen to know the formula for resonant frequency of a Helmholtz resonator having N necks? Physics is not my field and I'm a bit over my head. I need the formula for a computer program related to musical instruments--this is the only thing holding me up. It seems like it would...

Homework Statement A flute player hears four beats per second when she compares her note to a 587 Hz tuning fork (the note D). She can match the frequency of the tuning fork by pulling out the "tuning joint" to lengthen her flute slightly. What was her initial frequency? Homework Equations Not...

I listen to rock music and usually in the musical mix, the drum is placed at the center/back of the soundstage, the vocal is at the center/front, and other instruments like guitar, piano are either are the left or right and slightly up front. So this gives a nice weight to the soundstage with...

Horsehair is a string of tiny bead-shaped growths -- from what I have read. Even that slides over strings until rosin allows the "beads" to grab temporarily. But if one bead pulls and releases the string, wouldn't the other strings in the horsehair "hank" dampen that sound? It obviously doesn't...

Hi I have been curious about the relationship between the geometry of a musical instrument and the sound it produces. What should I read and learn to understand this? I know I will probably need to learn fluid mechanics, but what else? Surely fluid mechanics cannot be enough. I already have a...

I lightly placed my finger a quarter of the length down the E-string of a violin and drew the bow, forcing the third harmonic. I used an oscilloscope app to look at the waveform. I got this unusually regular pure pattern...

hello, I'm a first year science undergrad, currently learning about mechanics and waves and so on there's this vine that's been going around, which shows someone playing a harp - here is the video in question; I personally find it quite beautiful and fascinating. Apparently the phenomena is...

When it comes to waves, spherical harmonics are, like, da bomb. I'm no expert - probably obvious from the question - but it seem to me that an instrument which maximises the utilisation of harmonics/resonances would be spherical. And yet, I can think of no spherical instruments - the most...

harmonics... got it.. but for instruments, whether they have a sound cavity (brass instrument or woodwind) or a string, to be resonating at say, 400 Hz, they should both have the same resonant frequencies no? if a string instrument resonates at 400 Hz, it should also resonate at factors of this...

Hi everyone. I'm looking to take up electronics as a hobby. I also play the electric bass guitar and I've been seriously contemplating building my own in my spare time. The ominous woodworking aside, I was wondering if anybody had any experience with building instrument electronics from...

Can anyone give me a description of the beats phenomenon associated with musical instruments (or in general, any waves with which beats are associated). I have looked at numerous textbooks however I feel I don't completely understand the concept still. Thanks

imo, ranks of musical instruments: 1st ney or nay ( reed flute or Turkish flute) : it is not side-blown or transverse 2nd classical kemence ( a grandson of byzantion lyra): a bowed instrument and should not be confused with ancient greek lyre 3rd tanbur ( a kind of long necked...

I'd like to learn more about acoustic analysis of musical instruments, but I have no idea where to even start. I've taken some acoustics courses and some fluid dynamics courses as well as structural vibrations. What I'd like to do is model an instrument and then have a numerically predicted...

Hi, Would it be possible to simulate the sound of a musical instrument such as a clarinet by finding the Fourier series of the waveform and then hitting a bunch of tuning forks with the corresponding frequencies and amplitudes?

Is the sound of one note generated by a musical instrument an example of a single sound wave or a group of in-phase (coherent) sound waves?

Why does a longer, or thicker string produce a lower note when plucked? What is it about the larger spring that causes a lesser energy output? My common intuition says that a larger spring is harder to move and therefore will vibrate with lesser frequency, but I am not satisfied with that reason.

Homework Statement Why do different instruments produce different relative amplitudes and number of overtones? Homework Equations N/A The Attempt at a Solution I know that formants affect the relative amplitude of some of the harmonics, but besides that, I do not know. Any guidance or...

i was pondering why no fish have ever become famous musicians :confused: when it occurred to me … are there any musical instruments designed to be played underwater?

My question is regarding musical instruments. Their are waves produced in wind instruments and in stringed instruments. If a wind instrument (lets say a tuba) is played directly next to a stringed instrument (lets say a guitar) will the sounds waves (in air) produced by the wind instrument...

would it be more accurate to say that Resonance is Essential for musical instruments or Desirable.

Does anyone know where I might find a rough guide of how difficult it is to learn different musical intruments? I guess I'm specifically interested in the fiddle. I know music theory, I can read music (at least, if given indefinite time) and even mangled a trumpet in high school, but have...

does anyone know of any websites or books relating to the physics of musical instruments (particularly brass instruments)? i have a book by moravcsik called musical sound, but it is pretty elementary and non-mathematical. if anyone is aware of any threads already posted here on this topic...

I am looking for a method of actuating a valve on a musical instrument. This particular valve needs to rotate 90 degrees, but on some instruments, 120 degrees. I will like to actuate via wire control i.e. with a embedded computer. For example, close a switch, the valve rotates 90 degrees and...

January of 2002 I started taking lessons. I play using the new Casio WK 3000. Really a professional board, fabulous sounds. I read music quite well. Just do it as a hobby from 1 to 3 hours per day. What about you all? Oh yes, I play all types of music. I especially like Elton John "I...