source file: mills2.txt Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 03:36:22 -0800 Subject: integral overtones From: Daniel Wolf <106232.3266@compuserve.com> (1) James Kukula wrote: '' Nice uniform strings will generate integer overtones.'' Perhaps a string player on this list would like to comment: has anyone ever encountered a ''nice uniform string''? Neither drawn metal wire nor nylon has produce the kind of uniformity suggested here, and the renewed and growing preference for gut strings suggests that that kind of uniformity has not been a desired characteristic. (I am certain that there is a huge body of literature on this subject from the Catgut Acoustical Society and elsewhere: perhaps a list subscriber with expertise in this area can give us some pointers). In his all natural harmonics string quartet, Chronos Kristalla (1990, Material Press), La Monte Young found it necessary to tune the harmonics themselves, not the fundamentals in order to get the level of consonance he requires. In fact, when the open strings of his quartet are then played with one another, beating is abundant although the intervals between their natural harmonics are essentially beatless. (All of this is said ignoring the role of bow technique). Additional complications of _wind_ instrument spectra that I neglected to remark upon earlier include (1) in musical contexts what the instruments play changes and is rearticulated so rapidly that there is little or no chance to establish stable systems comparable to Kukula's example of ocean waves forming crests, and (2) the stability of the air pressure from the player's lungs is far from perfect. (2) I hope my observations are not misunderstood as dismissing the integer overtone series. Far from it: The series remains the best basic model for the spectra of most instruments, and is the essential model (both positive and negative) for voice leading and orchestration. But a degree of greater precision with regard to the complexities of real musical instruments should help to reveal the extent and limits of the model as well as suggest new technical possibilities for music making. Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Fri, 3 Jan 1997 14:40 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA01429; Fri, 3 Jan 1997 14:43:01 +0100 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA01427 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id FAA21196; Fri, 3 Jan 1997 05:42:57 -0800 Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 05:42:57 -0800 Message-Id: <01BBF951.1D507560@ashcraac.sct.ucarb.com> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu