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From: Terrie Lambert
Date: Sat, 30 Nov 1996 14:49:03 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: Resonance and Timbre

Hello again,

In regards to this thread,

>
>Would you tell us which comb material was more likely to provide the warmer
>timbre. (My guess is wood, depending of course which type of wood). I've
>heard a lot of opinions on this forum. It would be interesting to know what
>a scope reveals.

Wood is more capable of providing the distortion absorbing qualities's I
speak of.
This is due to it's molecular density or lack of it when compared to plastic.


>>Remember if you put a tuning fork on a wooden table, you have to put your
>>ear to the wood in order to hear it. Sound is indeed traveling through the
>>wood. If you put a pick-up in that wood you can hear it amplified. It makes
>>a great deal of difference what kind of material an electric guitar is made
>>of.
>
>Makes a great deal of difference in classical guitars too. This I know
>something about. Harder woods will not resonate as well as the softer. This
>might not be true of electrics--that I really don't know.

It makes a great deal of difference in any instrument. With electric you
have no large resonator. If you can imagine actually considering the
configuration of the material used for your instrument as important as the
material used in your mic's or amp's, we really are talking apples to apples
in application.

This is definitely not a new subject to luthiers. In regards to the
stradivarius violin. He used wood from a forest that was the home for a very
tenacious beetle. The microscopic resonators within the wood from the
beetles is documented as being responsible for the beautiful tone from these
instruments. I know it's said that some people can't hear the difference,
but the difference has been heard. Maybe in the old days this was due to
lack of ear damage. They didn't have the noise pollution we do.


>Operatic trained would not utilize the sinuses much, if at all. Blues, jazz,
>pop would and usually do. I could show you the difference, but that's a
>little hard to do here. :-)

Actually it was my neighbor who teaches operatic singing who informed me of
this. She sang for the San Francisco opera for 25 years. It is not a matter
of utilizing it or not. It's a matter of when the tongue is dropped in the
back of the mouth to provide an open palette, the sinuses are part of the
resonating package. This subject came up when I took lessons. I was born
without upper sinuses(above the eyes) and went to three teachers who all
said this was a real limitation in regards to tonal quality. I have great
lung capacity but will always tend to be a bit nasal sounding due to it.
Once again some people hear it and some don't.


>> Definitely the palette shape makes a difference.
>It probably does, across the board; however, again it is more important to
>the blues, jazz, pop, singer that it is in opera.

Barbara Streisand wouldn't have a nose job due to the fact that she knew it
would change the timber of her voice. The internal shape of the nose and
palette are reliant on each other. That's why people with cleft palettes
sound so nasal.Once again its a package deal.


>>Resonance is both internal and external.
>With harp, it is crucial, IMHO.
>
>>Just food for thought.
>
>Thanks for sharing.
>
>---Debbie H.

I really like the opportunity to learn and share.

Thanks again,

Terrie