Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: [Phys-l] harmonics



Hi;

Take a look at these cool chladni resonances of a square plate on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkox6niJ1Wc

A non comprehensive, random list of odd web resources generated by students in my sound class this semester (including the New South Wales link mentioned below): http://physics.ius.edu/~kyle/P105/References.html

The harmonics and overtones (some of which are not harmonic) for real instruments are incredibly complicated. Even strings and tubes are more complicated than you might think (e.g. tubes like brass and woodwind instruments may be conical or cylindrical along their length, not including the bell, and have finger holes placed for the convenience of the performer rather than optimal harmonics; stringed instruments generally depend on body resonances of the instrument which aren't exactly the same as the strings). Bars (marimba etc.) and drums generally have non-harmonic overtones.

Overtones of two dimensional surfaces are also very complicated as can be seen in the above YouTube; more so for odd shapes like piano sound boards, guitar and violin bodies. Often the quality of the instrument depends on the particular overtones present (e.g. wolf tones in violins) and each individual instrument is different.

Cheers

kyle


http://physics.ius.edu/
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:14:55 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jack Uretsky <jlu@hep.anl.gov>
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] harmonics (fwd)
To: Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0804181413110.16353@theory.hep.anl.gov>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

Hi all-
The following, courtesy of my musician office mate.
Regards,
Jack

--
"Trust me. I have a lot of experience at this."
General Custer's unremembered message to his men,
just before leading them into the Little Big Horn Valley




---------- Forwarded message ----------


Hi Jack,

Harmonics in instruments depend upon many factors, even within
each instrument. A general reference for some of the timbres is
Rossing's book on "Science of Sound", 3rd Ed. He gives some general
figures for some instruments to give you an idea of their "signature".

As for the Web, the University of New South Wales in Australia has
a research institute for the physics of music and they have a wealth
of information on most instruments.

I hope that this helps.
Gordon

On 4/16/2008, "Jack Uretsky" <jlu@hep.anl.gov> wrote:

Hi Gordon-
Thought you might know the answer to this.
Regards,
Jack

--
"Trust me. I have a lot of experience at this."
General Custer's unremembered message to his men,
just before leading them into the Little Big Horn Valley




---------- Forwarded message ----------

In teaching about sound, I am looking for a list of instruments and all
the harmonics they produce. I know the harmonics determine the quality of
sound from a musical instrument. Does anyone have or know of a good
website/reference/table/book that shows all the instruments, which
harmonics are present, and their relative magnitude?

_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l


------------------------------

_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l


End of Phys-l Digest, Vol 39, Issue 24
**************************************

--
------------------------------------------
'Violence is the last refuge of the
incompetent.'
Issac Asimov

kyle forinash 812-941-2039
kforinas@ius.edu
http://Physics.ius.edu/
-----------------------------------------