A comparative study of stringed instruments
Gordon P. Ramsey · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2014
Many studies for stringed instruments exist. Most analyses have been made on violins, guitars, and pianos, but comparative studies on these and less popular instruments have not been done. Our research consists of an in depth analysis of a variety of stringed instruments. The experiments included spectrum analysis, body resonances using Chladni patterns, and high-speed videos to visually observe the string oscillation modes. A combination of these methods was performed on 13 different stringed instruments. The spectral analysis was done on all instruments with the strings plucked or picked at different locations. Corresponding high-speed video was taken on many to observe how the waves propagate along the string. The violin and viola were recorded when bowed to compare the images of the stings when plucked. String resonances were compared to the body resonances to see the synthesis between the two. Comparisons of the spectrum, body resonances, and string oscillations have been made between these instruments to gain a better understanding of how they operate and why each emits the unique sounds that it does. [This paper is complementary to the poster of Katarzyna Pomian at this conference.]