Introduction
The saxophone was developed in 1846 by Adolphe Sax. The purpose of the saxophone’s development was to have an instrument with the projection of a brass and agility of a woodwind instrument. It is a closed ended instrument, with a reed which allows air to vibrate as it passes through the mouthpiece. It is very popular with military bands and is most well known for jazz and classical music, because of it’s unique sound and smooth solos. This report will explore the saxophone’s sound production including; frequency, resonance, notes, antinodes and harmonics explaining in depth how it occurs and their effect on the sound produced.
Sound
Sound is created by the air particles vibrating against each other. Sound can travel through all types of mediums, such as solids, liquids and gases. When going through these mediums, the sound travels in waves known as longitudinal(figure 3) and transverse(figure 2) mechanical waves. The variations in sound are caused by the different frequencies of vibrations. The difference in the two types of sound waves is; a transverse wave travels just like when you make a rope go up and down, the waves move along in a vertical direction, whereas a longitudinal wave moves in a horizontal direction pushing the waves along.
Sound is produced in a saxophone by the player providing a constant flow of air at a pressure above the atmosphere. The constant flow of air from the player is the source of energy, causing the air to oscillate creating vibrations in the air. The vibrating is created by the reed, which controls air flow through the mouthpiece. Also the vibrating is controlled by the resonance in the saxophone. The vibrating then radiates energy out of the open holes of the saxophone. The ...
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...ng before playing especially in bands so they play with the same timbre. the different types of reeds used also changes a saxophones timbre. Reeds are made out of cane and synthetic materials such as plastic. Reeds size vary in thickness, and stiffness. These differences affect the timbre and playability. A stiffer reed will allow less vibrations, therefore having a lower frequency and pitch. A more flexible reed will create more vibration, thus having a higher frequency and pitch.
Harmonics is the frequency that the saxophone plays at when playing different notes. When a player changes notes while playing, the frequency instantly changes to the natural frequency of that note. The change in frequency is what allows the saxophone to play different tunes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this report explores how sound production occurs in the saxophone.
The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether if the sound is affected when it travels through different length pipes. The method used to do this experiment was created by using 5 different PVC pipes in the lengths of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 centimeters. Then, using a tuning fork, sound will be produced on one end of the PVC pipe and measured with a decimeter on the other end. This experiment was recorded using 5 trials for each independent level and the average decibels (dB) for each pipe length were recorded.
The saxophones are timid on average and have a talent for complaining. They can usually be found huddled together in the band hall talking about how awful something,or another
The Western concert flute has a range that extends three full octaves and a fourth up to the F two octaves above the treble clef staff. The flute has several capabilities for advanced techniques, including flutter-tongue, in which the tone rapidly flutters to create a vibrating sound. Flutists can also clack the keys and blow to create a crackling sound. Some flute players have mastered the art of multi-phonics, in which two notes play at the same time. One note sounds by the flutist humming while the other note sounds through actually playing the
The Alto Saxophone is a single-reed musical instrument that was invented in 1846 by Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax. Adolphe Sax was born on November 6, 1814 in Dinant, Belgium. During his childhood, he studied the clarinet and flute at Brussel’s Conservatory. His father was a renowned maker of musical instruments during that time. Since Adolphe grew up with his father making instruments and studying the clarinet and the flute, it was obvious that he would end up following in his father’s footsteps. The first instrument that Adolphe decided to look at was the bass clarinet; he wanted to improve the tone of the instrument. He came up with a single-reed instrument constructed from metal that had a conical bore and overblew at the octave, which translates to the saxophone.
Briefly stated, the outer ear (or pinna) 'catches' and amplifies sound by funneling it into the ear canal. Interestingly, the outer ear serves only to boost high frequency sound components (1). The resonance provided by the outer ear also serves in amplifying a higher range of frequencies corresponding to the top octave of the piano key board. The air pressure wave travels through the ear canal to ultimately reach and vibrate the timpanic membrane (i.e.-- the eardrum). At this particular juncture, the pressure wave energy of sound is translated into mechanical energy via the middle ear.
Ultrasound is sound waves that have a frequency above human audible. (Ultrasound Physics and Instrument 111). With a shorter wavelength than audible sound, these waves can be directed into a narrow beam that is used in imaging soft tissues. As with audible sound waves, ultrasound waves must have a medium in which to travel and are subject to interference. In addition, much like light rays, they can be reflected, refracted, and focused.
The clarinet is a woodwind instrament consisting of a cylindrical wood, metal, or ebonite pipe with a bell-shaped opening at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end, to which a thin reed is attached. The clarinet has five different sections, the mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper section, the lower section, and the bell. The length of the entire instrument is 60 cm long. The mouthpiece section consists of a slotted cylinder, to which a reed is attached by a metal clamp called a ligature. The mouthpiece plugs into the next section which is a barrel. The barrel is simply a connecting cylinder to which the mouthpiece and the upper section plugs into. The upper section is a cylindrical pipe consisting of 4 holes and 9 keys placed in different locations along the pipe. On the back of the pipe there is a hole and a key that is used by the thumb. The lower section plugs into the upper section and is also connected via a special bridge key. This piece consists of 3 holes and 8 keys. On the inward facing side of the pipe, there is a protruding piece of metal called a thumb rest, which supports the entire clarinet. The bell plugs into the lower section. It consists of a cylinder that flares out into a bell shape and ends the clarinet.
momentum transfer when air molecules collide. Our ‘subjective impression’ about the frequency of a sound is called pitch. High pitch has high vibration frequency, while low pitch has a low vibration frequency. A pure musical tone consists of a single pitch or frequency. However, most musical tones are “complex summations” of various pure frequencies - one characteristic frequency, called the fundamental, and a series of overtones or harmonics Younger people can usually hear pitches with frequencies from about 20 hertz (infrasonic) to 20,000 (ultrasonic) hertz. We can’t hear above 20,000 hertz or below 20 hertz (ultra and infrasonic waves).
The vibration of the strings of a guitar causes the sound wave, but is not actually what you are hearing. The amplification of the sound wave is what is actually heard. The differences in the tension of the stings and the mass of the strings affect the pitch of the sound produced. The ends of each string are nodes, or where the wave does not travel from its initial position. The note you hear from the string is actually the first harmonic of the wave; other harmonics created when plucking a string form the undertones and overtones of a note. The waves on a guitar string are transverse waves, meaning they travel perpendicular to the original position. The waves are also standing waves, because they remain in the same position.
There are many different kinds of saxophones, but only a few are commonly used. The most common ones include the alto, baritone, tenor and soprano saxophones. Most tyros start on the alto saxophone. After learning the rudiments of the alto, players then can transition to a different kind of saxophone. One motif of the saxophone is that all of the finger positions are the same no matter which type of saxophone one is playing.
Edgard Varèse’s Density 21.5 for unaccompanied flute was composed in 1936 (revised in 1944) at the request of George Barrère for the première of his new platinum flute.Inspired by the flute’s capabilities, Varèse sought to showcase the platinum instrument’s full range of sound and explore its timbral capacity. Density is a monophonic work that is characterized by extreme dynamics, angular motives, timbral variety, and complex rhythms. During the span of sixty-one measures, Varèse exploits the flute’s full range of sound and color and almost every pitch on the instrument is realized.
The Web. The Web. 16 Feb. 2014. http://www.heri.ucla.edu/pdfs/sax_final%20report_sing_1f02b4.pdf>. Sokol, Marlene.
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