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From Pianos to Amps

Hi John,

I can almost hear several violin or piano makers discussing this
subject 2 or 3 centuries ago. Not that they would be talking about
feedback, but they would have terms for 2nd, 3rds, overtones. They
would be discussing how sound changes from dull to bright, attacks
and decays, what produces rich tone and how to alter the tonal picture.

Maybe your answer lies partly in looking way back, before electronics,
at how the designers back then plied their trade in making the best
sounding instruments they could.

I can imagine today that these solutions would involve partly
electronic, partly mechanical (eliminate vibration???), and a lot
of subjective evaluations.

I wonder about the first people who believed that a piano string
should be struck in a position giving the minimum amount of 7th
harmonic possible. If the makers of these fine instruments were
aware of this (without even knowing what it was), what other nuggets
lie waiting to be uncovered and applied to our latest technology.

This reference shows a (perhaps) deeper look into the relationship
between the 7th and the fundamental and how it varies with frequency.
The way I read this is that more 7th can be tolerated at higher
frequencies.

Also interesting is the reality that their is an initial pulse
down the string. How does an amp best capture these sorts of attacks,
since they are very important to the "pianoness" of the sound.

You mention the 3rd harmonic as being compressive or expansive.
These aren't terms I'm familiar with. Care to elaborate?

Thanks




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