Re: Noises through pickups (rather gongs...)

[Matthias Grob <matthias@grob.org>]

This may be off topic a bit, but its very interesting:
I am aware of our capacity to complete fundamentals.
I just dont understand why bowls should not vibrate them?
Too low? But how about a smaller bowl?
What did the old cat hear?

>So true, eventhough this low tone is not really produced, nevertheless
>we can "hear" it.
>The reason is simple. Our ears can also be tricked-or missinterpret-
>an acoustic effect, like our visible recognition.
>In this case,we hear from a bell all overtones/harmonics,but the
>"Base Tone" is physical missing. Our brain now adds this missing
>first harmonic to the reall appearing overtones and so we hear also
>this low base-overtone of the harmonic spectrum of the bell.
>
>This effect is also used for such devices like Subharmonic Exciters and
>Psychoacoustic-effects devices.Bring in the sound more bass,without
>changing the volume of a signal.
>
>Allan Hoeltje schrieb:
>  > Second, someone here (don't remember who and it's been deleted) said 
>it
>>  is physically impossible for singing bowls to produce the low tone that
>>  you hear.  Maybe what they really meant was "physically incredible"
>>  because, since you _do_ hear the tone, it is indeed possible.  I
>>  remember some years ago reading about bells and the mathematical 
>formula
>>  for determining the "perceived" fundamental frequency.  The word
>>  perceived is important here because bells are not like organ pipes or
>>  strings.  Organ pipes and strings actually produce their fundamental
>>  tone.  Bells do not.
>>
>>  Bells produce overtones of what we perceive to be the fundamental tone.
>>  This is were my memory escapes me but I seem to remember that a bell
>>  produces a low frequency vibration which is below human hearing and
>>  overtones which we do hear.  It is the sums and differences of this
>>  inaudible low tone and the interaction with the overtones which produce
>>  the perceived fundamental.  This is also why the sound of a bell seems
>>  to come not from the bell but from the space around it.  No mystical
>>  mystery, just nature being its wondrous self.  :-)
>>
>>  Third, I have not procured a real Tibetan singing bowl yet but last
>>  night I was feeding my two cats.  One of their bowls is a 6" stainless
>>  steel bowl.  It dawned on me that it came from a set of six bowls of
>>  increasing size up to 16" in diameter.  Imagine my surprise when I took
>>  a wooden potato masher and rubbed the edge of the 16" bowl with just 
>the
>>  right circular motion.  My 18 year old cat is stone deaf but he stared
>>  at me mesmerized by the intense low sound emanating from the bowl - it
>>  was probably the first thing he has "heard" in years!  I am sure
>>  stainless steel is no substitute for high quality bronze alloy so I can
>>  only imagine what a real 16" singing bowl must be like.
>>
>>  Anyway, once again the folks on Looper's Delight have directed my sonic
>>  fascination on to a new and exciting tangent.  Singing bowls are now on
>>  my "must get" list of looper gear.  Thanks to all who have contributed!
>>
>>  -Allan

-- 


          ---> http://Matthias.Grob.org