For instruments such as a saxophone, is the fundamental wavelength still the whole length of the instrument even though it is curved?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
2
-
$\begingroup$ Just unfold it, and take a measurement of the total length. $\endgroup$– Peter DiehrCommented Jun 27, 2018 at 12:32
-
$\begingroup$ It will depend on the type of ends (boundary conditions) of the instrument that will change the wave pattern inside the instrument. In some cases (I need to check some references) the fundamental can be 4 times as long a the instrument (i.e. the standing wave inside is $\lambda/4$). $\endgroup$– EigenDavidCommented Jun 27, 2018 at 13:08
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
It is a very good question. The fundamental note will still be given by the the path down the center. But! Because the path outside the bend is not the same as inside, it means that unfolding and straightening the instrument will produce a different result.
Imagine a straightened saxophone. The center line of the original presumably has the same path length as the straightened has all the way across. Which means that the straightened one will resonate more strongly on that center note. But the original instrument will have a complicated behavior for different frequencies.
And the result is the characteristic sound for each instrument. One aspect of this is timbre.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre
Straightening an instrument will definitely change that.