The Listenary

Music is made by vibrations. What vibrates in a piano? The piano strings vibrate, long thick strings for low sounds and short thin strings for high sounds. What vibrates on a violin? Strings again. So what vibrates in a flute? The air inside the barrell of the flute vibrates, a long closed barrel for low notes, a shorter closed barrell for higher notes.

 

There are at least three ways a piano string vibrates. First, when the hammer strikes, the struck string sets up one vibration that should match expectations for the key that was struck. When you let go of the key, the damper shuts down the vibration on that string. You can press the damper pedal to refuse the dampers return, thus keeping all strings free to vibrate.

Second, each string vibrates with overtones or harmonics. The whole length of the string vibrates, and while that's happening there's a secondary vibration that takes up each half length of the string. While those two vibrations are sounding, there's a tertiary vibration that takes up each quarter length of the string. This division of string length and multiplication of sound keeps happening infinitesimally though we can't hear it all. These extra sounds are called overtones or harmonics and  add richness to the sound.

 

Third, if not dampered, a string will vibrate in sympathy with another string that has similar or divisible vibration frequency. So when you play a single note with the damper pedal down, there are many other strings sounding along with the one you chose. This sympathetic vibration is called resonance.

 

Resonance and harmonics bring joy to the musician artist, somewhat the same as when someone's comments "resonate" with you and you feel a sense of connection and being understood. This joy in the resonance and harmonics is important as both goal and reward to musicians.

 

One set of human vocal cords can produce vibrations which could be called harmonics, and those vibrations setting the air vibrating in the hollow spaces in the mouth and nose is called resonance. We might say such and such a person's voice has great resonance; it is pleasant to listen to.

 

In a church sanctuary or concert hall, one must consider futher resonances and harmonics. The space in the main hall is filled with air like the barrell of a flute. It vibrates in resonance, and with its own harmonics. That is why choirs find joy in singing in the great cathedrals where the rooms are alive with resonance and harmonics.

 

Now let's think about electronic sound. Most current keyboard manufacturers have gone to great lengths to record the real piano, or violin, or flute sound for each key separately with all its resonances and harmonics. This is a great improvement over the first keyboards.

 

The first time that electronic sound, no matter how carefully recorded, becomes live with living resonances and harmonics is when it sends its sound into the space of a room, as into the flute barrell. Here the resonances and harmonics can dance together to bring joy to the musicians. Electronic sound can be amplified in volume to the point that it resonates directly with the listener's sternum rather than depending on the resonances of the surrounding space. 

 

These, then, are my concluding observations, given the fact that resonances and harmonics are the goal and reward of musicians and their audiences. 1) Acoustic instruments can gain the goal even without good room space. 2) If electronic instruments don't have good room space, like a large or small barrell in which the sound can resound, the musicians and audience will crave increased volume to gain the goal directly on their bodies.

 

Therefore, acoustic instruments are better than electronic for small, intimate work outdoors or in large spaces, or in acoustically difficult spaces. Further therefore, large electronic church organs work well because professionals have studied the space and placed the speakers for best resonant use of the space. And a final therefore, portable electronic instruments and amplification systems would do well with professional study and careful consideration of the resonant qualities of their performance space in order to attain the goal they crave.

 

These are my opinons concluded from study about resonance. I would love to hear your comments, corrections, and expansions.