Acoustics

Part 3

A study of musical intonation

From wind quintets to brass sections, balance, overtones and perception shape intonation in ways that often diverge from measurable frequency.

By Christopher Leuba

Part 1

A study of musical intonation

Resultant tones, harmonic series ratios and chord spacing challenge equal temperament, linking acoustics and practical ensemble intonation.

By Christopher Leuba

Frequency and Pitch

A = 440 became the international standard only in 1939, after centuries of competing pitches that shaped orchestral practice, instrument making and musical notation.

By Benny Sluchin

And approach the realm of making beautiful music

A rare and powerful call from maestro Roger Bobo: at the height of the “Tuba Explosion”, he challenges players to define — at last — the ideal instrument.

By Roger Bobo

Editorial

So your trumpet plays in tune

Keyboard tuning, just intonation and string phrasing place brass players between conflicting pitch systems, as Thomas Stevens outlines practical compromises.

By Thomas Stevens

Good intonation on the trombone

The trombone’s fixed positions meet the compromises of natural harmonics, as Raymond Fonsèque proposes a different logic for pitch across major and minor keys.

By Raymond Fonseque

Part 2

A study of musical intonation

From harmonic-series tuning to valve-slide adjustments on the horn, practical listening and resonance become more reliable guides than equal temperament alone.

By Christopher Leuba

Brasses: noisy instruments

By Benny Sluchin

The bell-tuning trumpet

Colin Bloch examines bell- and slide-tuned trumpets, comparing intonation patterns through controlled tests and outlining structural causes behind observed deviations.

By Colin Bloch

Instrument Making and the Ear

From hearing physiology to workshop testing, E. Ferron links instrument design, acoustics and perception, where no two ears judge sound in quite the same way.

By Emile Ferron

Part 8

DSA - Digital analysis of intonation and sound

By Robert Meissner

Editorial

Is sound something you control—or something you become? Jean-Pierre Mathez challenges technique, fashion, and pedagogy: sonority is a lifelong conquest of freedom.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 6

DSA - Digital analysis of intonation and sound

Subjective perception of the wind player

By Robert Meissner

11th International Congress on Acoustics

At the 1983 Paris acoustics congress, brass research moved between factory consistency, vibrating bells, mutes and the elusive mechanics of multiphonics.

By Benny Sluchin

The inner acoustics of the horn

Study of the horn’s inner acoustics, explaining how its structure and air column influence tone production and intonation.

By Willi Aebi

Dynamics in the 80's

From Reykjavik to the Hollywood Bowl, rising concert hall scale and amplified culture reshape orchestral sound, leaving acoustic limits exposed.

By Roger Bobo

Part 3

Playing and singing simultaneously on brass instruments

From Weber's Concertino to Berlioz's chord writing, acoustic principles explain how combination tones emerge from simultaneous playing and singing on brass.

By Benny Sluchin

Manufacturers' Opinions about Brass Instruments

Between workshop lore and acoustic certainty, brass makers’ claims expose a restless debate over metal, finish, resonance, and playing quality.

By J. M. Bowsher, P. S. Watkinson

Part 5

DSA - Digital analysis of intonation and sound

Hearing

By Robert Meissner

Part 3

DSA Digital Analysis of Intonation and Sound

Tuning device

By Robert Meissner

I myself have formed this instrument

“Forming” the instrument? A dangerous illusion. This article debunks the myth: the instrument cannot be shaped — it is the player who must adapt.

By Robert Ischer

On the sensitivity of brass instruments

Metal, pressure nodes and temperature shifts shape response, timbre and tuning, as Emile Ferron links instrument acoustics to the player’s imprint.

By Emile Ferron

Part 3

The modern concert hall

The Trumpet Echo

By Sabina Pade

Part 4

The modern concert hall

Spreading walls, shrinking sound

By Sabina Pade