Browsing by Author "de la Cuadra, Patricio"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Analysis of Flute Control Parameters: A Comparison Between a Novice and an Experienced Flautist
    (S HIRZEL VERLAG, 2008) de la Cuadra, Patricio; Fabre, Benoit; Montgermont, Nicolas; Chafe, Christopher
    The sound produced by flutes depends not only on the physical characteristics of the instrument but also on the control exerted by the musician. The latter is very important in some instruments of the flute family, especially in those where the air jet is shaped with the lip of the player. Some of the most relevant parameters controlled by the flautist, such as the distance from the lips to the sharp edge, the shape of the lips hole and the speed of the jet, are experimentally measured in this paper. Data produced by an experienced and a novice flautist are collected, analyzed and compared. Subjects are studied under normal musical playing conditions, playing phrases made out of simple musical intervals with subjective dynamics. Images of performer's lips are taken together with measurements of the blowing pressure and the sound radiated by the instrument. Data analysis shows remarkable differences between the two subjects. The optimized coordination of several parameters in order to obtain a desired musical response, coupling between performer's mouth and the instrument, as well as the efficient use of the available resources are some of the differences observed.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    EMERGENCE OF QUASIPERIODIC REGIMES IN A NEUTRAL DELAY MODEL OF FLUTE-LIKE INSTRUMENTS: INFLUENCE OF THE DETUNING BETWEEN RESONANCE FREQUENCIES
    (2022) Terrien, Soizic; Vergez, Christophe; Fabre, Benoit; de la Cuadra, Patricio
    Musical instruments display a wealth of dynamics, from equilibria (where no sound is produced) to a wide diversity of periodic and non-periodic sound regimes. We focus here on two types of flute-like instruments, namely a recorder and a pre-hispanic Chilean flute. A recent experimental study showed that they both produce quasiperiodic sound regimes which are avoided or played on purpose depending on the instrument. We investigate the generic model of sound production in flute-like musical instruments, a system of neutral delay-differential equations. Using time-domain simulations, we show that it produces stable quasiperiodic oscillations in good agreement with experimental observations. A numerical bifurcation analysis is performed, where both the delay time (related to a control parameter) and the detuning between the resonance frequencies of the instrument - a key parameter for instrument makers - are considered as bifurcation parameters. This demonstrates that the large detuning that is characteristic of prehispanic Chilean flutes plays a crucial role in the emergence of stable quasiperiodic oscillations.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Experimental analysis of non-periodic sound regimes in flute-like musical instruments
    (2021) Terrien, Soizic; Vergez, Christophe; de la Cuadra, Patricio; Fabre, Benoit
    Self-sustained musical instruments are complex nonlinear dynamical systems that are known to produce a wealth of dynamical regimes. This includes different kinds of non-periodic sounds, which are either played on purpose or avoided depending on the cultural and musical context. We investigate non-periodic sounds produced by two types of flute-like instruments, namely, an alto recorder and traditional pan-like flutes from Central Chile. We adopt a nonlinear dynamics point of view to characterize the multiphonics produced by the alto recorder and the sonidos rajados produced by the Chilean flutes. Our results unveil the common quasiperiodic nature of the two types of sound regimes and suggest that they result from a similar physical sound production mechanism. This paves the way for a better control of non-periodic sound regimes by the instrument makers.