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Intonation And Compensation Of Fretted String Instruments, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Christina M. Gower
Intonation And Compensation Of Fretted String Instruments, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Christina M. Gower
Gabriele Varieschi
We discuss theoretical and physical models that are useful for analyzing the intonation of musical instruments such as guitars and mandolins and can be used to improve the tuning on these instruments. The placement of frets on the fingerboard is designed according to mathematical rules and the assumption of an ideal string. The analysis becomes more complicated when we include the effects of deformation of the string and inharmonicity due to other string characteristics. As a consequence, perfect intonation of all the notes on the instrument cannot be achieved, but complex compensation procedures can be introduced to minimize the problem. …
Simulating A Guitar With A Conventional Sonometer, Zily Burstein, Christina M. Gower, Gabriele U. Varieschi
Simulating A Guitar With A Conventional Sonometer, Zily Burstein, Christina M. Gower, Gabriele U. Varieschi
Gabriele Varieschi
In this paper we present a simple way to convert a conventional sonometer into a simulated fretted instrument, such as a guitar or similar, by adding a fingerboard to the sonometer. In particular, we use this modified apparatus in relation to the problem of the instrument intonation, i.e., how to obtain correctly tuned notes on these string instruments. The experimental procedures presented in this study can become a more structured laboratory activity to be used in general physics courses or acoustics classes.