Glad you also think it's good, Bob.

 A little background on Benade here:

http://acousticalsociety.org/about/awards/gold/12_10_10_benade

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/marl/Benade/BenadeHome.html

What I like is that the material links the theoretical aspects of acoustics to 
the practical ways in which instruments actually behave - as well as the 
modifications which players like to undertake.

His other excellent book is 'Horns, Strings and Harmony', a rather more 
populist work. Despite the title, there's a good bit about woodwind, including 
his design for a multi-keyed flute made out of tubing and bits of tin can. A 
keen maker, though not a craftsman; he wanted to see how things could be made 
to work and how they could be modified to work better.

Francis
On 11 Feb 2011, at 13:44, BobG wrote:

> Francis,
> Thanks for the ref to Arthur Benade's book. I've just bought it, and first 
> indications are that it is excellent!
> Bob
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Francis Wood" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Cc: "Dartmouth NPS" <[email protected]>
> Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 2:38 PM
> Subject: [NSP] Re: Tuning/pitch
> 
> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 10 Feb 2011, at 13:43, Julia Say wrote:
>> 
>>> a small depression could surely catch a sound
>>> wave at a funny angle and cause it to behave in a less than theoretically 
>>> perfect
>>> manner
>> 
>> It's really much more like the effect caused by a tiny irregularity in a 
>> tooth. It seems massively more important than it actually is.
>> 
>> There's absolutely no possibility of "theoretically perfect" behaviour in a 
>> woodwind bore, so consequently these insignificant irregularities cannot 
>> possibly disturb such perfection.
>> Practically speaking (unless one is unbelievably expert) the factors 
>> influencing sound waves in an NSP bore are a good mixture of the laws of 
>> Physics and Sod's Law. In varying proportions, obviously.
>> 
>> I don't think I've seen Arthur Benade's Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics 
>> mentioned in this forum. I certainly can't claim to know it well, or to 
>> understand most of it. But I think it is one of the best regarded textbooks 
>> on musical acoustics written by a first class scientist who also enjoyed 
>> making musical instruments (especially wind) when he wasn't busy with the 
>> day job.
>> 
>> I'm mentioning this here because it's a book I turn to in curiosity when the 
>> behaviour of woodwinds is in question.
>> 
>> Francis
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> To get on or off this list see list information at
>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
> 
> 
> 
> 



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