Hi folks:
One last thing. In talking to Karl I decided we needed to do an actual
measurement of what we call the "input spectrum". This is the part of
the sound coming off the blowing edge of the shakuhachi that is controlled by
the player, and subsequently shaped (filtered) by the bore.
The input spectrum is the power spectrum
of the "noise" coming off the blowing edge of the shakuhachi "without the
resonances".
What is the sound of the shakuhachi without the shakuhachi, you might ask,
and is this some
kind of zen koan?
Nelson's credit card edge example has convinced me that such an input
spectrum is broad band colored noise,
and that at the very least the player controls the frequency of the maximum
in the band. How much
a good player controls the *shape" of the output spectrum is what we want
to determine. Nelson's example
indicates that the edge shape, and perhaps the embouchure can only
influence the input spectrum
weakly. Karl has suggested that this input spectrum might be much more
important.
This can be measured by taking a shakuhachi and cutting through to the bore
in a line lengthwise, essentially placing pressure nodes everywhere. Why
even bother?
Because what makes this problem very interesting (and novel) to us is that
in the shakuhachi the player controls
this spectrum, perhaps more than in any other instrument. We need something
to replace the feel and control of a real instrument
hence the "sliced" shakuhachi. The feel would be
there, the only thing missing will be the aural feeback, but one would hope
that an experienced player could
mimic the correct, learned embouchure so that a reasonable measurement of
the input spectrum
could be made for each note. Since I don't expect anyone to volunteer
their instruments,
we'll make a few PVC instruments, with at least one normal one to try out
beforehand.
We will need an experienced player, hopefully in the bay area, willing to
"perform" the experiment.
You would basically have to "play" each note a few times.
I can provide lunch for the "subject" and could come to them, and can get
together the equipment which is basically a microphone
and a pc. I'd have to take some time working out some technical detail
before we could do this.
Any volunteers?
Marko
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