Interesting article

[Richard Brekne]

Hi Larry...

This buisness of single strings "sounding" flatter then coupled strings is a
different subject matter. Actually, you see, they not only sound flatter, they
are measurably flatter (with perhaps some circumstances of exception) There has
been done some experimentation on this line, but a complete explanation of this
phenomenon is as yet lacking. Some evidence points in the direction of the nature
of the bridge, other points towards the strings themselves.

What this article is about is something somewhat different and the disscussion
surrounding Virgil Smiths "natural beats" comes more to my mind then anything
else. In the last Journal there was a bit that seemed to follow quite similiar
lines really. Both (after my readings) postulate that the sum of all the partials
in a given vibrating string effect in some way how we percieve the fundemental.
At least the two are not entirely dissimiliar. Its interesting enough and worth
further ponderance for sure...grin. Anything to keep the old mind pondering..



LTpianoman@AOL.COM wrote:

> Richard,
>
> Below is an excerpt from the site you provided. Thanks. After reading it, and
> the rest of the info on the site, it seemed to me that this Subjective Tone
> theory (or theorem by now), would explain why unisons sound flatter (or
> sharper, I forget) than their respective single strings played seperately.
> Any thoughts?
>
> Larry Trischetta, Pocono NE Chapter,
> Scranton, PA
>
> From: http://sleepy.millikin.edu/~jaskill.nsm.faculty.mu/subpitch.html  (John
> Askill, Millikin University):
> A facinating series of experiments were conducted by Diana Deutsch, Professor
> of Psychology at the University of California at San Diego and shown in the
> film "What is Music" (Nova, Coronet Films). In it she subjected a listener to
> one series of tones in the left ear and another series in the right ear. The
> resulting effect was a totally different series of tones, subjective tones.
> The same effect was produced by listening to orchestra music produced by two
> or more sections of an orchestra playing at the same time. In fact, pieces of
> subjective music have been written in which two instruments, such as flutes,
> play two different sequences of tones at the same time. The resulting tones
> being the melody, a subjective melody.
>

--
Richard Brekne
Associate PTG, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway