Abstract en anglais

V1 : Abstract

Since the mists of time, musical instruments makers have built their instruments based on empiric know-how. Simply put, if a material or a design produces a pleasant sound, it will be used until a better one comes along. Centuries of experiments have led to the modern instruments that are played nowadays.

The object of this BA2 engineering project is to scientifically explain the differences in acoustical properties of several materials. The projects consists of three distinct steps.

Firstly, a simple musical instrument has to be built. The team chose to build a simple plucked string instrument loosely based on a zither. Four identical soundboards have been built in different materials (two types of plywood, plexiglas and aluminum). These soundboards are to be placed on a constant base made of plywood. The resonance frequencies of several parts of the zither (strings, soundboard and resonant box) have been computed using known results of acoustic physics.

Secondly, the sounds produced by the zither will be recorded and their spectra analysed by Fast Fourier Transform using the Signal Processing Toolbox of the software Matlab.

Finally, an explanation of the differences found between the spectra will be attempted based on the mechanical properties of the materials used.

The team hopes to be able to scientifically validate the preferences of luthiers for certain types of materials when making stringed instruments.