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Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments
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Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Acoustics and Vibrations".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 June 2023) | Viewed by 14759

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mariana Domnica Stanciu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: mechanical properties of wood and lignocellulosic materials; dynamics of strings musical instruments; experimental mechanics
Prof. Dr. Voichița Bucur

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, RMIT University, School of Science, Melbourne, GPO Box 2476, VIC 3001, Australia
Interests: mechanics; ultrasonics; wood; musical instruments
Prof. Dr. Mircea Mihǎlcicǎ

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: simulation of mechanical systems; numerical methods applied in engineering; dynamics of mechanical systems; vibrations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mechanics, dynamics, and acoustics of musical instruments is a fascinating and very generous field as it involves interdisciplinary research, in which the science of materials, mechanics, and acoustics of simple or complex structures are intertwined with psycho-acoustic studies on performers and audience. This Special Issue aims to highlight the complex aspects of musical instruments, based on numerical and/or experimental analysis, in conjunction with modern techniques for investigating traditional and new materials used for musical instruments. The Special Issue invites researchers on mechanical engineering; wood; acoustics; mathematics; materials science; music; signal processing; sociologists; musical instruments manufacturers, historians, and restorers of musical instruments to contribute to the development of knowledge of musical instruments.

Prof. Dr. Mariana Domnica Stanciu
Prof. Dr. Voichița Bucur
Prof. Dr. Mircea Mihǎlcicǎ
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • musical instruments
  • modal analysis
  • finite elements modelling
  • heritage musical instrument
  • new materials for musical instruments
  • evaluation of musical instrument quality
  • dynamic behavior of old and new musical instruments
  • experimental techniques

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

2 pages, 158 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue on Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments
by Mariana Domnica Stanciu, Mircea Mihalcica and Voichita Bucur
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11428; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011428 - 18 Oct 2023
Viewed by 698
Abstract
The mechanics, dynamics and acoustics of musical instruments concern scientists from different fields, such as physics, mechanics, acoustics, psychology, and music, as well as musical instrument manufacturers, who use these factors to not only understand and explain the phenomena that take place inside [...] Read more.
The mechanics, dynamics and acoustics of musical instruments concern scientists from different fields, such as physics, mechanics, acoustics, psychology, and music, as well as musical instrument manufacturers, who use these factors to not only understand and explain the phenomena that take place inside and outside of musical instruments as a result of the propagation of sounds, but also those related to the perception of the sounds produced by them [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

11 pages, 3188 KiB  
Article
An Integrated Method for the Vibroacoustic Evaluation of a Carbon Fiber Bouzouki
by Spyros Brezas, Markos Katsipis, Yannis Orphanos, Evaggelos Kaselouris, Kostas Kechrakos, Nikos Kefaloyannis, Helen Papadaki, Antonis Sarantis-Karamesinis, Stylianos Petrakis, Ioannis Theodorakis, Efstratios Iliadis, Tilemachos Karagkounidis, Ioannis Koumantos, Michael Tatarakis, Makis Bakarezos, Nektarios A. Papadogiannis and Vasilis Dimitriou
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(7), 4585; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13074585 - 4 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1672
Abstract
An integrated method, which combines Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry, impulse response measurements, finite element method simulations, and psychoacoustic tests, is proposed to evaluate the vibroacoustic behavior of a carbon fiber bouzouki. Three of the carbon fiber instruments are manufactured, and one is qualified [...] Read more.
An integrated method, which combines Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry, impulse response measurements, finite element method simulations, and psychoacoustic tests, is proposed to evaluate the vibroacoustic behavior of a carbon fiber bouzouki. Three of the carbon fiber instruments are manufactured, and one is qualified via interferometric experimental measurements with reference to a traditional wooden bouzouki, which was evaluated for its sound and playability by the proposed method. Psychoacoustic tests were used to evaluate the sound and playability of the newly qualified carbon fiber bouzouki, which was further modeled by the finite element method and simulated. The simulation results agreed well with the experimental measurements. Furthermore, finite element simulation results of the qualified carbon fiber bouzouki were demonstrated with reference to the traditional wooden bouzouki experimental results, providing new findings crucial for the optimization of the manufacturing and the vibroacoustic behavior of the carbon fiber instrument. The proposed integrated method can be applied to a variety of carbon fiber stringed musical instruments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments)
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19 pages, 10151 KiB  
Article
Stiffening Cello Bridges with Design
by Laura Lodetti, Sebastian Gonzalez, Fabio Antonacci and Augusto Sarti
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 928; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13020928 - 10 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3957
Abstract
In instruments of the violin family, the bridge is the part in charge of transferring the vibrational energy of the strings into the body and therefore contributes greatly to the sound of the instrument. The bridge needs to be light enough to efficiently [...] Read more.
In instruments of the violin family, the bridge is the part in charge of transferring the vibrational energy of the strings into the body and therefore contributes greatly to the sound of the instrument. The bridge needs to be light enough to efficiently transmit the strings’ movement yet rigid enough to support the static load of the strings. Historically, there have been several attempts at solving this problem with different designs, arriving in the early 1800s at the two current models: the French and the Belgian. Recently, in Cremona, Italy, the Amorim family of luthiers has developed a new cello bridge design. Inspired by their work, we study the influence of the shape of the legs of the cello bridge on its static and vibrational behavior through parametric modeling and simulations using the Finite Element Method. In particular, we perform displacement and modal analysis for different boundary conditions, providing in addition a detailed description of the mode shapes. We also compute and compare Frequency Response Functions for the different geometries. Our results show that shape can indeed be used to control the vibrational and static responses of the cello and consequently tune its sound. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments)
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20 pages, 15121 KiB  
Article
Correlation between Acoustic Analysis and Psycho-Acoustic Evaluation of Violins
by Silviu Marian Nastac, Vasile Ghiorghe Gliga, Mircea Mihalcica, Alina Maria Nauncef, Florin Dinulica and Mihaela Campean
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(17), 8620; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178620 - 28 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1794
Abstract
This paper presents the results of an experimental study performed on seven violins obtained from a top plate made of resonance spruce and a back plate made of curly maple. Each pair of plates had a different modification to its thickness profile. Some [...] Read more.
This paper presents the results of an experimental study performed on seven violins obtained from a top plate made of resonance spruce and a back plate made of curly maple. Each pair of plates had a different modification to its thickness profile. Some were thickened and others were thinned compared to the classical thickness profile. Then, a soloist played a musical sequence on each violin and the acoustic signals were recorded. The sound quality of the signals was evaluated with a psycho-acoustic evaluation based on a blind questionnaire completed by listeners. It turned out that: (1) respondents with more musical experience (especially those with over 26 years of experience) were more demanding in assessing sound clarity and offered the widest range of scores in assessing this quality; (2) the musical experience of the respondents influenced to the highest degree the appreciation of the warm sound quality; (3) the scores for the violins with thinned plates were weaker, especially according to the psycho-acoustic analysis; and (4) the highest score was obtained by the violin with the thickest plates, which can be correlated with the two dominant frequencies extracted from the FFT analysis, whose values coincide with the frequencies of the B1− and B1+ modes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments)
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10 pages, 4860 KiB  
Article
Using Mechanical Metamaterials in Guitar Top Plates: A Numerical Study
by Mattia Lercari, Sebastian Gonzalez, Carolina Espinoza, Giacomo Longo, Fabio Antonacci and Augusto Sarti
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(17), 8619; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178619 - 28 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2217
Abstract
It has recently been shown that the mechanical properties of thin, rectangular wooden plates can be tuned by carving them with specific patterns of perforations, effectively realising a 2D wooden mechanical metamaterial. Such a material is of great interest for the construction of [...] Read more.
It has recently been shown that the mechanical properties of thin, rectangular wooden plates can be tuned by carving them with specific patterns of perforations, effectively realising a 2D wooden mechanical metamaterial. Such a material is of great interest for the construction of musical instruments, as it could allow a new degree of creative control for makers. Furthermore, issues with the shrinking supplies of tone-woods could be alleviated as wood samples that don not meet the desired requirements could simply be altered, instead of being discarded. In this work, we study the effect of the use of these metamaterials in the soundboards of classical guitars. By way of simulations, we evaluate their impact on the modal behaviour and on the sound pressure level of the instrument, as well as on its ability to sustain the load exerted by the strings. Our results show that the metamaterials can tune the instrument’s response without compromising its structural integrity. We thus conclude that the use of wooden mechanical metamaterials in the soundboards of classical guitars is feasible and, in many ways, beneficial, not the least since it opens the door to using non-traditional woods with bespoke density and stiffness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments)
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14 pages, 1176 KiB  
Article
A Statistical Approach to Violin Evaluation
by Raffaele Malvermi, Sebastian Gonzalez, Fabio Antonacci, Augusto Sarti and Roberto Corradi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7313; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147313 - 21 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1171
Abstract
Comparing violins requires competence and involves both subjective and objective evaluations. In this manuscript, vibration tests were performed on a set of 25 violins, both historical and new. The resulting bridge admittances were modeled in the low and mid-frequency ranges through a set [...] Read more.
Comparing violins requires competence and involves both subjective and objective evaluations. In this manuscript, vibration tests were performed on a set of 25 violins, both historical and new. The resulting bridge admittances were modeled in the low and mid-frequency ranges through a set of objective features. Once projected into the new representation, the bridge admittances of three historical violins made by Stradivari and a famous reproduction revealed high similarity. PCA highlighted the importance of signature mode frequencies, bridge hill behavior, and signature mode amplitudes in distinguishing different violins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments)
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20 pages, 11719 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Analysis of the Musical Triangles—Experimental and Numerical Approaches
by Mariana Domnica Stanciu, Silviu Marian Nastac, Voichita Bucur, Mihai Trandafir, Gheorghe Dron and Alina Maria Nauncef
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 6275; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126275 - 20 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2058
Abstract
This paper addresses the experimental and numerical dynamic analysis of curved bars used as percussion musical instruments. These structures are known as triangles, being made of various metal materials. The study was based on the experimental analysis of the dynamic response over time [...] Read more.
This paper addresses the experimental and numerical dynamic analysis of curved bars used as percussion musical instruments. These structures are known as triangles, being made of various metal materials. The study was based on the experimental analysis of the dynamic response over time and the frequency of three types of triangles, different in material and size. Subsequently, finite element analysis of the same structures modeled with the SimCenter 12 program was performed. The results were compared, highlighting the contribution of material type and geometry in obtaining vibration modes, frequency spectrum, and structural damping coefficient. Between the experimental and the numerical analysis, the obtained errors were below 2.2% in terms of their natural frequencies. The study also highlights the complementarity of the two methods in understanding the vibration modes of triangles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics, Dynamics and Acoustics of Musical Instruments)
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