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Xie, Julia; Chung, Rachel

This study experimented with different notes on a flute to determine acoustic frequencies and pressure variations inside. Since a flute is approximately an open-open pipe—with an open hole on one end and an embouchure hole at the other, standing waves or waveforms of the flute can be constructed accordingly. A small microphone was used to measure pressure variations inside the flute: the device was inserted into the open end of the instrument until it reached the other side, by the embouchure hole. Using Spectrum Lab and Audacity, spectrograms showing the waveforms inside of the flute were generated as the microphone was pulled out at a constant rate. As different notes have distinct fingerings, the resulting waveforms produced will have unique characteristics. By editing and superimposing the spectrograms with flute-fingering diagrams, the waveforms, frequencies, and mode shapes could be determined. Mode shapes plotted at different frequencies were used to determine possible relationships between the mode number and frequency at different notes. It was found that different flute fingerings result in different node placements, which consequently produce specific frequencies for each note. The characteristics of pressure inside the flute were demonstrated by the spectrogram, which assists in the understanding of how different flute pitches are produced. For further investigation, this experiment can be extrapolated to other woodwind instruments with key holes.

Text

University of British Columbia. Science One Research Projects; University of British Columbia. SCIE 001

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0434179

Science, Faculty of

Undergraduate

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