ISVR3063 Musical Instrument Acoustics
Module Overview
This module studies musical instruments from the orchestra and beyond, and applies engineering understanding of their physical mechanisms to explore why they sound the way they do. It also explores the issues raised by attempting to understand how an instrument works such as the psychology of subjective perceptions and how they can be quantified, the role of nonlinearity in determining the sound of an instrument and the effects of uncertainty and variability in characterising an ostensibly similar group of instruments. These are all issues which occur in a wide range of realworld engineering problems.
Aims and Objectives
Module Aims
Explore the physical mechanisms that govern the functioning of a wide range of musical instruments.
Learning Outcomes
Disciplinary Specific Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Explain how a musical instrument works by relating its physical mechanisms to its sound.
- Understand how different research modalities can extend our knowledge of musical instruments.
- Read and understand the literature of musical instrument acoustics.
- Express critical thinking about musical instruments and other subjects through coherent written essays
Syllabus
1. Overview of the subject. 2. Sound perception. 3. Strings in free vibration. 4. Bowed stringed instruments. 5. Review of fluid dynamics. 6. Brass instruments. 7. Woodwind. 8. Voice. 9. Percussion.
Special Features
o Demonstrations of wave phenomena and musical instruments in lectures. o Lab class analysing plucked strings on electric guitars.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
There will be a weekly double-slot lecture given either by the module co-ordinator or a guest lecturer with a particular interest in the subject of that lecture. There will also be two supervised laboratory sessions, one computational and the other involving sound measurements from an instrument.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Practical classes and workshops | 6 |
| Tutorial | 2 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 12 |
| Lecture | 24 |
| Completion of assessment task | 52 |
| Follow-up work | 36 |
| Wider reading or practice | 18 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Fletcher, N. H. and Rossing, T. D. The Physics of Musical Instruments.
Other Materials.
Assessment
Formative
Essay
Summative
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Laboratory Report | 20% |
| Laboratory Report | 20% |
Repeat
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Lab Report | 20% |
| Lab Report | 20% |
Referral
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Laboratory Report | 20% |
| Laboratory Report | 20% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External