Detection of string vibrations using home equipment

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on measuring the vibrations of guitar strings during an experiment investigating the decay time of oscillations. The participant notes that using an acoustic method with a microphone is insufficient, as it only captures sound for approximately 6 seconds, while the string vibrations last around 20 seconds. A suggested solution includes utilizing a video camera in conjunction with a strobe light set to a known frequency to effectively detect and analyze the vibrations over a longer duration.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of guitar string physics and oscillation principles
  • Familiarity with acoustic measurement techniques
  • Knowledge of video recording equipment and strobe lighting
  • Basic skills in data analysis for interpreting vibration measurements
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the use of strobe lights for visualizing oscillations in string instruments
  • Explore video analysis software for measuring vibration frequency and decay
  • Investigate alternative acoustic measurement tools for longer duration capture
  • Learn about the physics of sound decay in vibrating strings
USEFUL FOR

Musicians, acoustics researchers, and experimental physicists interested in string instrument dynamics and vibration analysis.

DudasPL
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Hi

I have a problem in detecting whether string is vibrating or not. I'm going to conduct experiment which will investigate impact of different factors on time of decaying of guitar's string oscillations but I have no idea how to measure when oscillations stopped. Acoustic method doesn't work well, I can detect sound using microphone only for ~6 sec, while string is vibrating ~20sec. Any other ideas?
 
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Perhaps you can try using a video camera and a strobe light (of known frequency) to detect the vibrations.
 

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