Spectral content of the attack portion of the tone produced by a soprano recorder

Abstract

We have used Navier-Stokes-based modeling to calculate tones produced by a full-size soprano recorder. Of all the wind instruments, the player of a recorder has relatively little impact on the tone that is produced. However, one thing that the player does control is the way that the blowing pressure is increased from zero at the start of a tone to a final value that is maintained until the end of the tone. We show how the ramp-up time for the blowing pressure has a profound effect on the spectral content of the attack portion of the tone. Using a correlation analysis, we explore this spectral content and consider how it can, in certain blowing regimes, be an important and audible contributor to the tone color produced by a recorder. [Work supported by NSF grant PHY1513273.]