partial answers

[Bernhard Stopper]

I have upload a string animation from my presentation at the convention:

http://www.piano-stopper.de/dl/piano_string.wmv

It´s quite interesting to notice, that the wave travels in both 
directions when the hammer hits the string.
You may also notice, that there are certain reflections of the wave 
between the capo and the hammer, as long as the hammer is in contact 
with the string.
 From this animation, we can see that the partials are direct result by 
the reflections (on both ends of the string) of the travelling wave.
A string with one termination and opened at one end for example can only 
produce even partials.

regards,

Bernhard Stopper

Allan Gilreath, RPT schrieb:
>
> Good morning folks,
>
> I had a question from my apprentice that someone on the list may be 
> able to help me with. We all know that vibrating strings divide up 
> into segments with lengths approximately equal to fractional portions, 
> i.e. ½, 1/3, ¼, 1/5, 1/6, etc. (we’re not even taking inharmonicity 
> into account at this level.) His question is, “Why does the string 
> divide into all of the different available fractional segments and not 
> just even multiples of two?” I was hoping for a much better answer 
> than just, “Because it does” but Benade, Helmholtz and Rayleigh, the 
> best I can tell, all assume this to be a fact and I don’t really find 
> the “why.”
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Allan
>
> Allan L. Gilreath, RPT
>
> Registered Piano Technician
>
> *Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc.*
>
> /The Piano Experts/
>
> PO Box 1133 - Calhoun, GA 30703
>
> 2612 Hwy 41 S - Calhoun, GA 30701
>
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>
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>