Harmonic generation in organ pipes, recorders, and flutes

Abstract

A simplified treatment is given of the mechanism of sound production in musical instruments driven by air jets, which is sufficiently explicit that semiquantitative predictions can be made about the effects of certain variables upon the harmonic structure of the sound produced. In particular it is found that the amplitude of the even harmonics, generally, and of the second harmonic, particularly, is quite critically dependent upon the offset of the pipe lip from the symmetry plane of the jet. A completely symmetrical relationship (zero offset) reduces the generated amplitude of the second harmonic by a large factor. Experimental results with an adjustable organ pipe are found to confirm these predictions. The implications of these results for the voicing of organ pipes and recorders and for subtle tonal variation in flute playing are briefly discussed.