What contribution can acoustics make to organology?

Abstract

In this paper I illustrate some of the problems that occur when trying to use Acoustics and Vibration to further the study musical instruments, but also some of the unique insights that it can give. The objectives of Musicians, Luthiers, Organologists and Acousticians in studying musical instruments are very different and this can give rise to misunderstandings. Luthiers are concerned with the subtlest of changes and take the overall sound generation mechanism for granted. This means that they sometimes miss potentially disruptive innovations. Acousticians tend to look at the big picture before the fine detail and sometimes overlook key and characteristic features. Musicians have another perspective, heavily influenced by their perception not only of how an instrument sounds but how it should sound. Organologists and Ethnomusicologists are interested in the circumstances behind an instrument's production, the history of the instrument, what it meant to the people of the time and so on. Analysing the musical sound of an instrument is valuable and relevant, but it is also highly subjective. It is very difficult to isolate differences in construction and to link them to differences in sound. Investigating the history and social circumstances behind an instrument is also important, but it is difficult to link to the design of the instrument itself. An acoustic analysis is a way of connecting all of these facets of study. I have conducted such an analysis on the Bolivian Charango, a small plucked stringed instrument from the Andes region of Bolivia and Peru. I used the results of the acoustic analysis to explain the construction by linking the musical sound to the Ethnomusicology; something that would not have been possible without this data. It is a good example of the contribution that Acoustics and Vibration can make to Organology.