Greetings to all, A number of years ago I witnessed Rick Baldassin, in a convention class, demonstrate that a plucked string emits a different set of frequencies according to whether it is plucked in a horizontal (in the plane of the strings) or vertical (toward the soundboard) direction. It would seem that the vertical plucking would most approximate the principal mode of a string struck by a hammer. Any of you out there with electronic devices could quickly verify this. Jerry ** > Dear Jim: I usually pluck the strings of the top octave in tuning > them, but I wonder sometimes if the same pitch is produced that way. > Sometimes is seems that the note is sharper when struck by the hammer > than when plucked. Is this one of my many delusions, or have others > seen thes phenomenon? > Pat Poulson >>You have correctly observed that a plucked string exhibits a flatter >>pitch than a struck string. The reason is that the plucked string usually >>has much less amplitude, therefore, less residual tension, >>Jim Coleman, Sr.
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