Musical Soundwaves

[baoli liu]

High-tension instrument(piano) has more stable
pitch,comparing to the low-tension instrument(guitar
or harp).loosed sting has the tendency to creat a
sharp pitch at first because of the large ampitute,the
pitch will drop quickly when the vibration ampititute
gets smaller.

Baoli 

--- Carl Meyer <cmpiano@attbi.com> wrote:
> 
> Terry, it might help to look at a piano as a high
> tension instrument rather than a guitar which is a
> low tension instrument.  When you bring a piano wire
> up to pitch it does kind of sound like a guitar when
> its several notes flat, but notice how it comes
> alive as it approaches the proper pitch. The high
> tension is what allows the piano to produce such a
> high number of partials when struck at the proper
> distance from one end.  Notice that a guitar sounds
> different when picked at different distances from
> the bridge.  The piano is unique in that it is the
> only stringed instrument (that I can think of) with
> such awesome tension.
> 
> Maybe that is just one more piece of the puzzle.
> 
> Carl Meyer  Assoc. PTG
> Santa Clara, California
> cmpiano@attbi.com  
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 10:54 AM
> Subject: Re: Musical Soundwaves
> 
> 
> > Interesting responses. Fairly consistent. Thanks
> to all. I'm surprised its that simple.
> > 
> > Oboe. Oboe. Oboe. OK, now I know how to spell it
> (never did hang around orchestras much).
> > 
> > One further question before I go get a book on the
> topic. What part of the piano is the greatest
> influence on its sound? More specifically, to what
> degree is the soundboard responsible for the
> piano-like sound pianos make. Even bad pianos with
> even worse soundboards still sound quite a bit like
> a piano, maybe a bad piano, but still quite a bit
> like a piano (you can easily tell it is not a
> flute). Is it mostly the hammers and strings, or
> perhaps more likely, it is the hammers, strings,
> soundboard, rim, etc. - everything combined. This
> may seem like a dumb question, but one response
> indicated that it seemed that a saxophone (thanks
> spell checker) sound was largely caused by the
> mouthpiece rather than the rest of the horn. Is
> there any chance the soundboard may well play a big
> role in helping us hear the piano wires (by acting
> as a transducer), but not actually have a whole lot
> to do with the "piano sound".
> > 
> > I'll try and stop asking questions............. if
> someone can answer the above!  :-)
> > 
> > Terry Farrell
> >   
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "David Smith" <dsmith941@hotmail.com>
> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 9:59 AM
> > Subject: Re: Musical Soundwaves
> > 
> > 
> > > Terry, although I am a rookie's rookie as a
> piano technician, I do have 
> > > education and experience in acoustics and
> engineering, so here is my shot at 
> > > your querry.
> > > 
> > > When different instruments or voices produce the
> same fundamental tone, they 
> > > all differ in many other ways which our ears
> interpret for us.  For example, 
> > > differences in attack (beginning of the sound),
> release ending of the 
> > > sound), frequency content (overtones, etc
> included in the sound in different 
> > > proportions), degree of inharmonicity, vibrato,
> phasing as it reaches the 
> > > two ears, and probably on and on.
> > > 
> > > Having spent many years workng with frequency
> and fourier analysers in a 
> > > previous life, I noticed that many things can
> sound indistinguishable from 
> > > each other, if you filter out the attack and
> just listen at a filtered 
> > > fundamental frequency.  It is all the other
> "small" things that make all the 
> > > difference.
> > > 
> > > Hope this helps without offending due to my
> simplistic thoughts.  Somewhere 
> > > in my moldering boxes of books is a rigorous
> explanation which I would be 
> > > happy to dig out if no one else fills that need.
> > > 
> > > Dave Smith
> > > 
> > > 
> > > >From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> > > >Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
> > > >To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > > >Subject: Musical Soundwaves
> > > >Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 09:10:24 -0400
> > > >
> > > >Why does a flute sound like a flute? Why does
> an obo sound like an obo? Why 
> > > >does a guitar sound like a guitar? And last,
> but certainly not least, why 
> > > >does a piano sound like a piano?
> > > >
> > > >Does anyone have a simplistic explanation for
> what is the cause of unique 
> > > >sounds/tones among various instruments? If you
> play A4 at a pitch of 440 Hz 
> > > >on any instument, you will hear the pitch of
> 400 Hz. But they will all 
> > > >sound different. So I guess they all do
> something different to the 
> > > >soundwave that reaches your ear. What is that
> difference? How does a 
> > > >speaker reproduce these differences of they
> only move in and out?
> > > >
> > > >Thanks for any thoughts.
> > > >
> > > >Terry Farrell
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > >
>
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> > 
> > 
> 
> 


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