A Comparison of Boehm's Design of the Flute with That of Rockstro

W. E. Worman

Citation: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 50, 128 (1971); doi: 10.1121/1.1977576
View online: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1977576
View Table of Contents: https://asa.scitation.org/toc/jas/50/1A
Published by the Acoustical Society of America

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 81ST MEETING
Contributed Papers (12 minutes)
9:00
BBl. Two-Dimensional Notations for the Specification of
Sound and Music Synthesis. W. L. HENKE, Department of
Electrical Engineering and ResearchLaboratory of Electronics,
MassachusettsInstitute of Technology,Cambridge, Massachu-
setts 02139.•An interactive (online) computer aided system
(entitled MZTSYN)for sound and music synthesis and com-
position is being developed. The usability of such systems is
dependent upon the perspicuousness and palatability of
the notations and the "syntax" of the user-machine inter-
action. MZTSYN'Snotations are mostly two dimensional or
graphical in nature, a form to which most humans are much
more attuned than character string oriented notations.
Signal processing "configurations" are specified with a
graphical "configuration editor" using a block diagram
representation. Temporal control is provided by "parameter
files" ("scores"), edited with a "parameter editor," in which
the horizontal dimension is time and the vertical
specifies other attributes of either temporally continuous
parameter tracks or discrete "event" notations. A "wave-
form editor," an "audio editor," and a synthesizer are other
major segmentsof the system. The implementation of MITS¾•
is an example of a fairly sophisticated level of interactive
computer graphics and sonics being quickly realized on a
quite modest computer system (PDP-9 CPU) with the aid of
a programming language and system designedfor such types
of applications. [-Supportedby the U.S. Air Force.•
9:15
BB2. Basic Elements in Piano Scale Design with Plain
Strings. EARLE L. KE•T, Consultant,Elkhart, Indiana 46514.--
Consideration must be given to space limitations, string
tension, string diameter, inharmonicity coefficients, tensile
strength of wire, and the musical character of the tones pro-
duced by the strings, in establishingthe scale design for the
plain strings in a piano. Mathematical expressionsinvolving
these basic elements are well known, but a study of several
commercial pianos indicates that it is probable that empirical
and graphical methods are relied upon for scale design more
than the use of mathematics that relate all of the basic ele-
ments. Modern computers provide means for optimizing
smooth string-to-string relationships in scale design without
the drudgery that would be involved otherwise. A flexible
mathematical tool for smooth scale design is provided when
expressionsare developed that correlate vibration frequencies,
string mass, string length, string tension, the energy in the
vibrating string, tensile strength, and the inharmonicity
due to string stiffness.
9:30
BB3. Improved Equipment for Plotting Resonance Curves
for Wind Instruments. Jor• BAc•rus, Department of Physics,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
90007.--Previously publishedresonancecurvesfor the clarinet
[-J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 43, 1272-1281 (1968)• were made by
exciting the air column of the instrument by means of an
external sound source. This method turned
suitable for the bassoon; the shape of the resonance curve
depended greatly on where the external sound source was
located. Used with the brass instruments, the method gave
resonance curves with spurious peaks at high frequencies.
A better method is to conduct sound from
directly to the sealedoff mouthpiece through a high acoustical
resistance and measure the resulting pressure amplitude in
the mouthpiece as a function of frequency. Hence an acoustical
resistance was constructed which is frequency independent
over the desired range and whose impedance is high corn-
128 Volume 50 Number 1 (Part 1)
ß ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
pared with that of the instrument to be measured. This
resistanceis attached to the driver unit along with a monitor-
ing microphone to keep the input constant. Adapters have
been constructed which allow the driver and resistance com-
bination to be coupled to various wind and brass instruments.
Resonance curves for the various instruments will be shown.
[This work was supported by the National Science
Foundation.•
9:45
BB4. A Comparison of Boehm's Design of the Flute with
That of Rockstro. W. E. WOR•AN, Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.•The flute commonly
played today is basically the model developed by Theobald
Boehm during the years 1846-1847. A 19th century rival
was the Rockstro model designed in 1864 by Richard S.
Rockstro. Boehm and Rockstro dealt with the problem of
flute making in quite different ways, and both developed
dimension very playable flutes. The present paper contrasts their
methods and also shows how their methods compare with
the method an acoustician might use to design a flute today.
Due to the double standard of pitch, low at A4 =435 Hz and
high at 452 Hz, a method of building a flute to altered pitch
without redesigningit was needed.Both Boehm and Rockstro
developedschemaswhich were practical graphical methods of
altering the design to the new pitch. These schemas are
compared with each other and with the basic design methods.
10:00
BB5. Violin Resonances Studied by Electrical Simulation.
M. V. M•Ews, Bell TelephoneLaboratories, Murray Hill.
New Jersey 07974.--A study of the resonancesof a violin was
made by attaching an electric pickup to the strings of a
normal violin and passingthe signal so obtained through a
set of electrical resonances.Frequencies, bandwidths, and
amplitudes of the resonancescould easily be adjusted and
resulting sound evaluated aurally. About 20 resonanceswere
used. The frequencieswere set equal to the peaks of a pub-
lished response curve of a Stradivarius. Amplitudes could
be adjusted so the tone matched a range of instruments from
an orchestral violin to a hillbilly fiddle. Bandwidths from
7 to 100 Hz were tried, about 50 Hz being best. Componentsof
the sound due to individual resonanceswere heard separately.
Low-frequency resonancesgave a rich but muffled tone,
midfrequencyresonancesa thin sound,and the high-frequency
resonancesa harsh penetrating sound.
10:15
BB6. Vibrations in Unassembled Violin Plates Compared by
an Acoustical Method and Holograrn Interferometry.
C•R•E• M. Hu•c•Ns, Catgut Acoustical Society, Montclair,
New Jersey, AN•) K. A. STETSONAN•) P. A. TAX•oR, National
Physical Laboratory,Teddington,England.•Hologram inter-
ferometry is making possible the visualization of transverse
waves in the wooden bodies of stringed instruments under
vibration. The presentstudy is an attempt to coordinatethe
information now being obtained from holograms of un-
out to be un-
assembledviolin plates with criteria previously developed in
the course of the successful construction of 100 instruments
in which the sound radiated from the plates is measured as a
function of frequency. Comparisonswill be made between
hologramsand acoustical tests of flat plates versus arched
the driver unit plates, and plates made intentionally "correct" versus
"incorrect" according to violin making practice.
10:30
BB7. Variations in Tonal Characteristics and Construction of
the Viola. C^}•uF• M. Hu'rcmms, Catgut Acoustical Scoiety,
1971