Characteristics of shakuhachi signals
Linda A. Seltzer · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1986
Selected portions of a recorded performance of shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) music have been analyzed using spectrograms, and waveforms have been plotted by computer. The study has revealed interesting and unusual features of the signal during special performance practices. These effects add variety to the timbre, as well as subtlety in the conception of pitch in the music. The effects include: nonharmonic partials which are anticipations of harmonics of the subsequent note; harmonics which linger and become nonharmonic partials of the subsequent note; 90-deg phase shifts when a lateral opening is repeatedly hit with a finger; subharmonics during transitions between notes; gradual, smooth micro-tonal variations of pitch in the course of long notes; and abrupt changes in timbre.