Experiments!

We tried making sounds with materials close at hand. What kind of sounds do these materials make? Please try it for yourself!

Woodwinds

The Structure of the Oboe
[Experiment]Try making a reed out of a straw

In this experiment, a reed is made using a juice straw, and the sound is compared to that produced by an ordinary reed.

The Structure of the Clarinet
[Experiment]comparing the clarinet and the recorder

Try rolling up a transparent sheet in various ways and attaching a clarinet mouthpiece. What sounds does this produce?

The Structure of the Saxophone
[Experiment1]What is the relation of the taper to the tone?

As was stated previously, changing the taper (the degree of graduation) changes the timbre and pitch of the instrument, but in what way? We used a mouthpiece and paper to find out.

The Structure of the Saxophone
[Experiment2]What happens when the length of the instrument changes?

As was stated previously, changing the taper (the degree of graduation) changes the timbre and pitch of the instrument,in the next experiment, we changed the length of the tube.

The Structure of the Bassoon
[Experiment1]Comparing the Sound of Tone Holes cut Obliquely and Perpendicular

Does the sound change according to whether the bore of a tone hole is cut obliquely or straight? We performed an experiment with a vinyl chloride tube.

The Structure of the Bassoon
[Experiment2]Encasing the Bore in Various Materials

It is said that the timbre of the bassoon depends on the thickness of the wood surrounding the bore. Let's listen to the timbres of sound produced by an exposed bore, as well as bored enclosed in different materials.

The Structure of the Flute
[Experiment] replacing the cork in the head joint with a different material

Inserting natural cork in the head joint affects the sound quality. What will happen, however, if we insert another substance instead of cork?

Brass

The Structure of the Trumpet
[Experiment] Gradually changing the length of the tube

Pressing the trumpet's valves increases the length of the path of the sound, making the note lower overall. Try out this mechanism using a vinyl tube.

The Structure of the Trombone
[Experiment] Let's make a straight trombone

If you straightened the entire tubing of a typical tenor trombone, it would end up being 270 cm from mouthpiece to the end of the bell.

How to Play the Horn
[Experiment] Placing a ball, pyramid, and block inside the bell

The position and shape of the hand inside the bell influences the pitch and timbre, so we experimented with placing objects of differing shapes inside the bell.

Strings

The Structure of the Acoustic Guitar
[Experiment 1]Sound hole size

What effect does the size of the sound hole have on the sound? We compared the sound as we changed the size of the hole.

The Structure of the Acoustic Guitar
[Experiment2]Changing the material of the top

The top plays an extremely important role in body resonance. If we change the material of the top what will happen? We tried using a variety of materials.

The Structure of the Acoustic Guitar
[Experiment3]Changing the material of the saddle and nut

The strings on a guitar are supported by the saddle and nut. Although these parts were once made from ivory, they are now made from materials such as animal bones, hardened plastic, or brass. What would happen if we replaced these parts with paper or rubber?

The Structure of the Electric Guitar
[Experiment] Let's make and then test several coils

It was mentioned earlier that the number of times a coil is wound and even how it is wound (pitch, etc.) can have a significant effect on the timbre and volume. A coil does not need to be wound thousands of time for this change to be noticeable-even 200 times is enough. Let's give it a try.

The Structure of the Classical Guitar
[Experiment1]Let's compare the thickness of the body

The design of the body is extremely important for classical guitars to produce a beautiful sounding timbre. Let's change the thickness of the wood used for the body to see how this changes the sound of the guitar.

The Structure of the Violin
[Experiment1]Using alternative materials for a bridge

The bridge is usually made from maple, but this experiment used bridges made with different materials.

The Structure of the Violin
[Experiment2]Using alternative materials for bow hair

We used a variety of materials as bow hair instead of horsehair.

Keyboards

The Structure of the Piano
[Experiment1]Changing the Material of the Hammers

How does the sound change when other materials are substituted for the felt part of the hammer? We experimented with various materials to make the hammer.

The Structure of the Piano
[Experiment2]Blocking the Holes in the Metal Frame

If you take a look inside the piano, you can see holes in the metallic frame. What effect does it have on the sound if these holes are blocked? We made cardboard covers and tested the sound produced when these covers were in place.

Percussion

The Structure of the Drum
[Experiment1]Putting something inside a bass drum

Some professional drummers put objects inside their bass drums to change the tone. Thus, we conducted an experiment to see how different items inserted into a bass drum changed its tone.

The Structure of the Drum
[Experiment2]Opening a hole in the bottom head of a tom-tom

Sometimes a hole is created in the head to change the tone of a drum. So, we made several different holes in the bottom head of a tom-tom and compared their tones.

The Structure of the Drum
[Experiment3]Using alternative materials for the snare

What happens to the tone of the snare drum when different materials are used for the snare? We used different materials for the snare and conducted an experiment.

The Structure of the Marimba
[Experiment1]Tone plate sanding depth and sound pitch experiment

When the central portion of the underside of the tone plate is sanded down, the note it produces is lowered. How much does the note go down for a given amount sanded off? Try sanding down a little bit at a time.

The Structure of the Marimba
[Experiment2]Tone plate sanding location and sound pitch experiment

Sanding down the central portion of the underside of the tone plate makes the note lower. What would happen if the ends were sanded down, instead? Try it and see.

The Structure of the Marimba
[Experiment3]Try changing the material of the resonator pipes

The material used to make resonator pipes is metal. How might the sound change if a different material were used, instead? We tried experimenting with various materials.

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