source file: mills2.txt Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 07:28:48 -0700 Subject: Re: Neanderthal flute From: Daniel Wolf Even if we can establish that these were indeed musical instruments (and not pasta strainers or candelabra), the list of variables to be covered before a tuning is established is formidable: (1) the mouthpiece is missing: how much longer was it? was it transverse (if so, where was the blow hole placed) or vertical? If vertical, then was it with a cut (like a quena or shakuhachi) or without a cut (like a nay)? or was it a direct flute in the first place? A buzzed lip embrochure (like a cornetto) is plausible, though I assume fipple flutes and reeds - both more complex technologies - would be less likely. (2) Has someone seen an X-ray of the instrument? Is the channel primarily conical or cylindrical? (That makes a big difference in both overblowing and fingerhole placement - and one in which Gary's Science Fair project would have been seriously affected; Benade's _Horns, Strings, and Harmony_ provides a fascinating introduction to woodwind building with useful information on fingerholes). How deep are the fingerholes? Deep walled instruments may have fingerholes of variable length which lengths become critical to the pitch (bassoon players know about this; serpents and racketts took advantage of this to create more reachable fingerings). (2) The fingerhole placement has to be considered in combination with both size and depth of the holes. How much have the holes increased in diameter while decreasing in depth due to wear over the years? Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Tue, 8 Apr 1997 21:31 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA02640; Tue, 8 Apr 1997 21:31:19 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA02638 Received: from by ella.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) id MAA22134; Tue, 8 Apr 1997 12:29:14 -0700 Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 12:29:14 -0700 Message-Id: <282980350.632586@goodmedia.com> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@ella.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@ella.mills.edu