Modeling the piano string as a mass-spring chain.

Abstract

The mass-spring chain allows accurate modeling of vibrating strings in all three spatial dimensions. [Rowland and Pask, Am. J. Phys. (1999)]. This presentation describes striking one or more adjacent masses of such a string model with a forcing function corresponding to the piano hammer [http://www.ioc.ee/stulov/PUB.htm]. An advantage of striking a mass-string model, in which each mass may move in three dimensions, is that coupling from transverse to longitudinal modes of vibration are naturally provided.