Some Aspects of the Transient and Steady State Tones of Organ Pipes and of Vibrating Strings
A. W. Nolle, C. P. Boner · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1942
An oscillographic study of the initial transients of a large number of organ pipes reveals characteristics of these transients peculiar to each organ tone family. The duration of these transients is measured and is found to vary with tone family and with pitch. The effects of certain factors upon the initial transients are studied. Inharmonic partials are observed in some of the transients. The relationships between the partials in the steady state tones of normally blown organ pipes are investigated by highly accurate methods of frequency comparison. The partials in this case are found to be harmonic to a high degree of accuracy. An oscilloscopic method of comparison between the frequencies of the partials of a vibrating string shows that the partials of the vibrating string may be inharmonic in the state of free vibration (transient state), but reveals only harmonic relations between the partials of the string in the state of steady (forced) vibration.