Klarinet Archive - Posting 000063.txt from 1994/05

From: Kirby Fong <u745%sas.nersc.gov@-----.BITNET>
Subj: Acoustics
Date: Tue, 3 May 1994 13:18:11 -0400

The acoustics journal that most of you have in mind is indeed "The
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America." I should add however that it
is a technical journal, and, without a background in applied mathematics,
physics, mechanical engineering, or acoustics, you will have trouble fully
understanding what you read there.
Another book to which someone alluded is "Horns, Strings, and Harmony" by
Arthur H. Benade, 1960, Anchor Books. I bought this as a paperback for $1.45
eons ago. It is primarily a qualitative rather than mathematical dicsussion
of musical instrument acoustics and is much more readable than the Journal of
the ASA. One of the points discussed is how the shape of a piano hammer
affects the tone of a piano.
Years ago when I lived in a small town in the mountains of New Mexico,
Alfred Brendel came to give a recital. He was forced to use a piano belonging
to one of the local piano teachers. I was privileged to listen to him
practicing before the concert and was amazed to see him pull some picks out of
his brief case and proceed to revoice the piano by poking at and reshaping the
felt hammers. My ears were not (and probably still are not) sufficiently
trained to hear the difference, but it obviously mattered to him!

Kirby Fong fong@-----.gov