Acoustical correlates of the main features of violin timbre perception
Jan Štěpánek, Arts Prague, Zdeněk Otčenášek · 2005
An experimental approach to the study of timbre is described. Series of listening tests were performed separately with recordings of violin tones B3, F#4, C5, G5 and D6, played on various quality violins. Two main approaches to the discovering of acoustical correlates of most important perceptual features are described. The first approach is directly focused on interpretation of perceptual spaces using acoustic characteristics. The second one uses selected verbal attributes used by listeners to the description of timbre differences and tries to found their explanation using acoustic characteristics. Method of immersion of acoustic characteristic into perceptual space revealed the importance of the first harmonic, higher harmonics and spectral centre of gravity in all studied tones. The change of their relations (similarity, contradiction, or independence) with changing pitch is also discussed. Mutual relations of verbal attributes sharp, dark, clear and narrow in sounds of five studied tones are discovered; acoustical correlates of the main attributes sharp and narrow are found, compared and discussed. Moreover acoustical correlates of attribute rustle i n h i g h v i o l i n t o n e s a r e mentioned. Findings of both approaches to the study of timbre are compared and discussed.