partial answers

[Allan Gilreath, RPT]

Good morning folks,

 

I had a question from my apprentice that someone on the list may be able to
help me with. We all know that vibrating strings divide up into segments
with lengths approximately equal to fractional portions, i.e. ½, 1/3, ¼,
1/5, 1/6, etc. (we’re not even taking inharmonicity into account at this
level.) His question is, “Why does the string divide into all of the
different available fractional segments and not just even multiples of two?”
I was hoping for a much better answer than just, “Because it does” but
Benade, Helmholtz and Rayleigh, the best I can tell, all assume this to be a
fact and I don’t really find the “why.”

 

Any thoughts?

 

Allan

Allan L. Gilreath, RPT

Registered Piano Technician

Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc.

The Piano Experts

PO Box 1133 - Calhoun, GA 30703

2612 Hwy 41 S - Calhoun, GA 30701

allan at allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com

phone 706 602-7667 - fax 706 602-0979

 

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