Physical Aspects of Piano Tone
Otto Ortmann · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1931
A brief exposition of the principles of tone-production on stringed keyboard instruments, represented by the modern piano-forte, including descriptions of the nature of piano tone and possibilities of its variation; of the relations of pitch, intensity, and duration to the quality of the tone; of the effect of the noise elements upon the sound complex; and of percussiveness as the primary element of the characteristic piano tone-quality. So far as possible, these topics will be illustrated with oscillograms, showing the effect of variations in instrumental structure and key manipulation upon the tone.