This week’s BBC World Service Discovery program deals with how wind instruments get their distinct sound.
There is one part where they explain why a recorder sounds different to a whistle. Interesting stuff.
Title: Trevor Cox examines the science of wind instruments, Musical Instruments [2] 5 Jan 11
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/discovery
According to the Podcast, We should reclassify Clarke and other conical bore whistles as recorders.
I think the arguement for material differences was rather unorganized and more of a disservice to music on the whole. What agitated me the most was the proponent for material making a difference (my view) used wildly different instruments (even different key) instead of two instruments of near similar design with only material differences. Very unscientific.
Anyone have a like that more scietifically shows the difference? I know I hear it, that’s how I choose my whistles. Yet because I prefer to hear a particular quality, I only get instruments that produce those qualities. I can expand on qualities after I complete my collection of different keys.
The significant feature of a recorder, in my view, isn’t the bore but the hole layout optimized to be fully chromatic over a range of about an octave and a half without simply overblown octaves. Simple system whistles and flutes, otoh, keep the 3 octave range and simply* overblown octaves whether they’re conical or not.
*ie, with fingering which is similar or identical between octaves.
Thanks for posting that link. I heard part of that on NPR (last week?) while I was getting ready for work but couldn’t really listen to it fully. I meant to look it up but forgot.