〈 Previous Article ¦ List of all Papers ¦ List of all Authors ¦ Next Article 〉

Non-linear sound propagation and spectral enrichment as a key to characterising brass instrument types

Campbell, Murray; Gilbert, Joël; Myers, Arnold; Beauvais, Romain and Lopez-Carromero, Amaya 

Narrow-bore instruments are commonly perceived to be brighter than wide-bore models of the same kind of instrument. This effect is closely related to the effect of the bore profile of a brass instrument on the potential for non-linear propagation of sound within the tube. This paper reports on recent experimental work and numerical simulations aimed at deriving a quantitative prediction of the effect on timbre of nonlinear spectral enrichment in a brass instrument from measurements of its bore. An 'enrichment' parameter derived from bore shape and size is proposed which is can be used to characterise types of brass instrument.