Blind testing - of flutes.

2014-09-12 03:34:09

You know how you can sometimes take a statement or article, change some keywords, and have it apply to a different scenario? The referenced article reads like any audiophile investigation into the sound of audio components. Sighted differences disappearing when blind tested, and Lord Rayleigh's famous words " What we cannot measure, we do not know". He also uses many of the same tools used in our familiar fields of audio analysis, and asks many of the same questions.

http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/FluteTone-Intro.htm

Blind testing - of flutes.

Reply #1 – 2014-10-06 17:50:20

Thank's for this, I just finished reading it. I found it was interesting that the material was inconsequential to the tonal quality of the flutes. I suppose its easy to assume that the material would somehow resonate and alter the frequency or harmonic spectrum, but that clearly wasn't the case.

Blind testing - of flutes.

Reply #2 – 2014-10-06 20:08:14

When I play flute, I don't feel it vibrating.

Blind testing - of flutes.

Reply #3 – 2014-10-06 21:06:39

Not at all. I can't call upon an recent or distant memory of being able to feel a midrange cone vibrate either. Someone certainly thought it did though, and that there should be some sonic variants associated with the materials.

Of course, we know that the sound does not emanate from the body of the flute. These tests also support that, and there is little reason to choose a carved wood flute over a more cost effective poly or alloy one.

Blind testing - of flutes.

Reply #4 – 2014-10-06 21:11:09

No problem feeling vibrations in a midrange cone.

Biggest tone differences IME (I've been playing flute for nearly 50 years):
1. Embouchure (far and away!)
2. Mouthpiece hole shape
3. Closed vs open hole
4. Tightness of joints

Blind testing - of flutes.

Reply #5 – 2014-10-07 00:20:32

Current URL for the full report: http://iwk.mdw.ac.at/?page_id=97&sprache=2