Okay, I'll admit that I'm too lazy to try the experiment myself. I'll take everyone's word for it. But what, then, is the effect of the lattice-like rose on the sound of a lute? Is it simply a combination of the areas of all of the openings, or is more happening? Does something different happen when you have a very complex rose pattern from a simple one with bigger openings?
I would think that all of the free edges of the rose pattern must vibrate to add their own layer to the sound. Sort of like the F-holes on a violin. And the wood of the rose pattern is thinner than the rest of the soundboard, so it's resonant frequency must be different. But then, I'm just barely following the explanation of the Helmholtz effect. I was a Humanities major, so I'm hoping that Dr. Science can explain it in terms I can understand :-) Tim Motz On Sunday, December 14, 2003, at 10:57 AM, Leonard Williams wrote: > Dear Dr. Helmholtz: > I tried the experiment with an empty 12 oz. bottle. Using my > Korg tuner I found that I was able to > alter the pitch from an f# down to an e, even an eb. The higher pitch > came with the completely open bottle > neck; to get the lower pitch I placed my finger across the far side > of the opening from where I was > blowing. The pitch change was certainly noticeable without using the > meter for a more precise analysis. > Howard--the room did not move much, but I got the distinct > impression that the lights were dimming! > > Leonard Williams > [] > (_) > ~ > > ----- Original Message ----- > > Subject: Re: calling Dr. Helmholtz... > > >> BobClair wrote: >> >>> Try this at home and report back. Take a wine or beer bottle. Fill >>> it 2/3 full >>> with water. (The change in pitch for a given change in area is >>> bigger when the >>> volume is smaller - patially filling it with water makes the effect >>> easier to >>> see (hear) but if you think this makes the results suspect leave the >>> bottle >>> empty). Blow across the bottle, note the pitch. Now cover half the >>> opening >>> with a >>> finger. Try it again (it may take a bit of practice to get the >>> note). Did the >>> pitch go up or down? >> > >
