Musical Instruments Research Articles

Corrosion of Steel Strings on Historical Musical Instruments Triggered by the Emissions of Degrading Cellulose Nitrate.

Corrosion is a challenge for the conservation of musical instruments when metal parts are exposed to organic materials of the instrument's body. In long-term observations in the Norwegian Museum of Music, Ringve and Rockheim (Museums of Southern Trøndelag), local contact corrosion was documented on metal strings of plucked instruments when mounted close to cellulose nitrate (CN). The investigated strings were iron-based alloys, in some cases covered with a tin coating. In the gas mixture emitted from CN, the presence of corrosive compounds such as NO2 and carboxylic acids was confirmed by an electrochemical NO2-sensor and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The corrosion product on the strings consisted of iron oxide nitrate hydroxide hydrate, Fe2(NO3)O(OH)3(H2O), and goethite, α-FeOOH, detected with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and infrared spectroscopy (IR). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), used to investigate the surface of tin-coated corrosion products, showed the presence of adsorbed organic nitrogen. The formation of corrosion products is dominated by organic acids and moisture. The presence of nitrate in the corrosion product proved the involvement of nitrogen oxides in the corrosion mechanism. This analytical study highlights a dilemma for preserving material combinations in musical instruments and provides a basis for further researchfor conservation practice.

The Essence of Guru in Indian Music Tradition: Pandit Bhajan Sopori – A Dedicated Guru and Multifaceted Musician

In Indian culture, the Guru holds the highest place, guiding disciples not only in knowledge but also in spiritual and moral evolution. Saint Kabir Das beautifully expressed the Guru’s significance: "गुरू गोविन्द दोऊ खड़े, काके लागूं पांय। बलिहारी गुरू अपने गोविन्द दियो बताय।।" This idea is deeply rooted in Indian classical music, where the Guru-Shishya tradition has been the foundation of learning for centuries. Pandit Bhajan Sopori, the saint of Santoor, Lived and followed the Guru-Shishya tradition, shaping disciples into soulful musicians. His teaching was a divine blend of discipline, creativity, and devotion, Focusing not just technical mastery but also spiritual depth. He believed that singing was the base for mastering musical instruments and carefully taught students the details of Raga, Taal, and Meend techniques. His Sopori Baaj transformed Santoor playing by adding smooth glides and complex sound variations. Beyond mentoring individuals, Pandit Sopori's vision reached many people through SaMaPa (Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts). SaMaPa became a source of hope for young artists, especially from remote areas like Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East. It gave hidden talents a platform, preserved rare musical traditions, and supported musicians both financially and emotionally. Through concerts, festivals, and scholarships, SaMaPa fulfilled its mission of bringing music to everyone—Jan Jan Tak Sangeet. His teachings continue to inspire, keeping Indian classical music alive through his dedicated students. By guiding artists with both skill and passion, Pandit Bhajan Sopori remains a timeless Guru, with his music passing on to future generations. His Great contribution as a Guru was recognized when he was honored with the Dr. Radhakrishnan Memorial National Teacher and Media Award in 2015 on the occasion of Teacher’s Day. Pandit Bhajan Sopori’s life and teachings show the importance of Guru-Shishya tradition, inspiring generations of musicians to follow the path of discipline, devotion, and excellence.

The development and face validity of the music therapy sensory instrument for cognition, consciousness, and awareness (MuSICCA)

Severe brain injuries in children and young people can result in disorders of consciousness. This can pose significant challenges for the brain injury survivor as they may struggle to show awareness; for their family, who want to help their child to recover consciousness; and for the team providing treatment and care for them, who need an assessment that will inform optimal treatment and care planning. Currently, there is a paucity of fully validated behavioral tools to assess consciousness in 2–18-year-olds. Assessing awareness across this age range is challenging and complex due to neurodevelopmental changes that occur during maturation. This study evaluated the face validity of a music-based behavioral assessment for children and young people with disorders of consciousness. This is known as the Music therapy Sensory Instrument for Cognition, Consciousness and Awareness (MuSICCA). The study recruited 20 participants to compose a mixed cohort of music therapists, non-music therapy healthcare professionals and family members with lived experience of caring for a child or young person with a disorder of consciousness. These participants reviewed the MuSICCA and evaluated its suitability as an assessment of consciousness for use with children and young people. They provided feedback by rating their level of agreement with two statements and they also described the perceived strengths and limitations of the MuSICCA. The results showed substantial agreement among raters that the MuSICCA appears to be an assessment of consciousness and awareness, and that the MuSICCA appears to be suitable for use with children and young people. Its strengths include being rigorous, comprehensive, providing guidance and opportunity for caregiver involvement, its use of salience in stimulation, and its utility in supporting the wider clinical and care teams. The findings suggest that the MuSICCA may be a valuable assessment tool in providing treatment and care for children and young people with disorders of consciousness and their families.

Acoustic and Ergonomic Assessment of a Remodeled Double-layer Leiqin Leg Rest based on Additive Manufacturing

This study focuses on additive manufacturing (AM) to remodel an ergonomically optimized Leiqin leg rest. To address the design deficiencies of traditional leg rests regarding playing comfort and stability, iterative optimization techniques were employed alongside the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). Photosensitive resin material was chosen, and a parametric modeling approach was utilized to accurately construct the leg rest model, resulting in the successful development of a double-layer rotating arc-shaped leg rest. Systematic acoustic testing and semi-structured interviews with ten Leiqin players were subsequently conducted for evaluation. The results indicated that the redesigned leg rest significantly outperformed traditional designs in terms of both comfort and stability. This study not only validates the application value of additive manufacturing in enhancing traditional musical instruments but also offers a new technological paradigm for the ergonomic design of musical instrument accessories.  

Motivational factors for sustained participation in a traditional Chinese orchestra among primary school students: a self-determination theory perspective

ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the motivational factors that contribute to primary school students’ sustained participation in a traditional Chinese orchestra in a capital city in South China. The methods included participant observation, reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. The participants were 32 primary school students and five music teachers. Underpinned by the self-determination theory (SDT), we analysed the data according to the basic psychological needs of relatedness, competency and autonomy. The findings identified factors that influence students’ sustained participation in the Chinese orchestra, including emotional bonds with instruments, peer support, cultural inheritance, competitions, practice habits, family involvement, teacher guidance and long-term commitment. This study further extends SDT by demonstrating how the psychological needs for relatedness, competence and autonomy are uniquely supported among young Chinese students through their interactions with musical instruments, peers, teachers and family. It highlights the cultural interpretation of these psychological needs within the context of Chinese music education. The findings contribute to the SDT literature on music education by providing evidence that fulfilling the three basic needs can promote sustainability in traditional music learning.

How Switching Musical Instruments Affects Pitch Discrimination for Cochlear Implant Users.

Cochlear implant (CI) users struggle with music perception. Generally, they have poorer pitch discrimination and timbre identification than peers with normal hearing, which reduces their overall music appreciation and quality of life. This study's primary aim was to characterize how the increased difficulty of comparing pitch changes across musical instruments affects CI users and their peers with no known hearing loss. The motivation is to better understand the challenges that CI users face with polyphonic music listening. The primary hypothesis was that CI users would be more affected by instrument switching than those with no known hearing loss. The rationale was that poorer pitch and timbre perception through a CI hinders the disassociation between pitch and timbre changes needed for this demanding task. Pitch discrimination was measured for piano and tenor saxophone including conditions with pitch comparisons across instruments. Adult participants included 15 CI users and 15 peers with no known hearing loss. Pitch discrimination was measured for 4 note ranges centered on A2 (110 Hz), A3 (220 Hz), A4 (440 Hz), and A5 (880 Hz). The effect of instrument switching was quantified as the change in discrimination thresholds with and without instrument switching. Analysis of variance and Spearman's rank correlation were used to test group differences and relational outcomes, respectively. Although CI users had worse pitch discrimination, the additional difficulty of instrument switching did not significantly differ between groups. Discrimination thresholds in both groups were about two times worse with instrument switching than without. Further analyses, however, revealed that CI users were biased toward ranking tenor saxophone higher in pitch compared with piano, whereas those with no known hearing loss were not so biased. In addition, CI users were significantly more affected by instrument switching for the A5 note range. The magnitude of the effect of instrument switching on pitch resolution was similar for CI users and their peers with no known hearing loss. However, CI users were biased toward ranking tenor saxophone as higher in pitch and were significantly more affected by instrument switching for pitches near A5. These findings might reflect poorer temporal coding of fundamental frequency by CIs.

Social epidemiology of sports and extracurricular activities in early adolescents

Abstract Background This study examines the social epidemiology of sports and extracurricular activities in early adolescents (9–14 years) using a diverse national U.S. sample. Methods We examined data from baseline (2016–2018, ages 9–10) to Year 3 follow-up (2019–2021) of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 11,270). Multivariable linear regression models with standardized betas estimated adjusted cross-sectional associations between sociodemographic factors (age, biological sex, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, household income, parental education) and physical activity (metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hours(h)/week) through sports and extracurricular activities at baseline and Year 3. Results Average MET-h/week decreased from 15.5 (±18.7) in Year 1 follow-up to 13.0 (±19.1) in Year 3 follow-up. Female sex, gay/bisexual sexual orientation, lower household income, and lower parental education were associated with lower MET-h/week at baseline. Male adolescents were more likely to play soccer and baseball/softball; female adolescents were more likely to play a musical instrument and participate in swimming/water polo and ballet/dance. Among the most common sports and extracurricular activities, lower parental income and education were associated with lower participation. Conclusion This study of early adolescents identified sociodemographic differences in sports and extracurricular activities that can inform targeted interventions to reduce these disparities. Impact This study examines the trends and social epidemiology of sports and extracurricular activities in early adolescents using a demographically diverse national U.S. sample. Average early adolescent physical activity decreased across three years of follow-up. Soccer, musical instruments, swimming/water polo, baseball/softball, and ballet/dance were the most common activities at baseline. Female sex, gay/bisexual sexual orientation, lower household income, and lower parental education were associated with lower weekly physical activity at baseline.

Makna Uang Panaik dalam Pernikahan Suku Bugis-Makassar sebagai Ide Penciptaan Tari Akkulle

The Akkulle dance work is a work inspired by one of the series of traditional wedding processions, namely madduppa botting, which exists in the Bugis-Makassar tribe from South Sulawesi Province. The word Akkulle itself comes from the Bugis-Makassar language which means capable, where when men want to marry women they must be able to work hard, struggle, try and never give up to collect Panaik money. The process of creating the Akkulle dance work refers to the traditional procession or habits of the Bugis-Makassar people in carrying out the wedding procession. The Akkulle dance work departs from several motifs in the paduppa dance and pamanca dance originating from South Sulawesi. Therefore, the creator made the paduppa dance and pamanca dance as basic movements, which were gradually developed by the arranger from the aspects of space, level, and direction with the accompaniment of traditional Makassar music to add to the atmosphere. The arranger uses South Sulawesi regional musical instruments as the basis for the dance accompaniment to maintain the regional atmosphere that will be presented. The Akkulle dance work is a 24-minute dance work, which is divided into four scenes that visualize the Bugis-Makassar traditional wedding procession and the values ​​contained therein. The Bugis-Makassar traditional wedding ceremony is the end of a man's long struggle to collect dowry to propose to his beloved. The Akkulle dance work has become a general view for the wider community regarding the Bugis-Makassar traditional wedding procession.

Designing Neural Synthesizers for Low-Latency Interaction

Neural audio synthesis (NAS) models offer interactive musical control over high-quality, expressive audio generators. While these models can operate in real time, they often suffer from high latency, making them unsuitable for intimate musical interaction. The impact of architectural choices in deep learning models on audio latency remains largely unexplored in the NAS literature. In this work, the authors investigate the sources of latency and jitter typically found in interactive NAS models. They then apply this analysis to the task of timbre transfer using the RAVE model (Realtime Audio Variational autoEncoder), a convolutional variational autoencoder for audio waveforms introduced by Caillon and Esling in 2021. Finally, an iterative design approach for optimizing latency is presented. This culminates with a model the authors call BRAVE (Bravely Realtime Audio Variational autoEncoder), which is low-latency and exhibits better pitch and loudness replication while showing timbre modification capabilities similar to RAVE. It is implemented in a specialized inference framework for low-latency, real-time inference, and a proof-of-concept audio plugin compatible with audio signals from musical instruments is presented. The authors expect the challenges and guidelines described in this document to support NAS researchers in designing models for low-latency inference from the ground up, enriching the landscape of possibilities for musicians.

Titles of Traditional Chinese Musical Instruments in Russian Concert Posters : Methods of Formal and Semantic Adaptation

In recent years, cultural ties between different nations have been expanding. Concerts of Chinese national music are often held in Russian cities. Posters are distributed both through traditional methods and online. The question arises about which linguistic means allow Russian-speaking readers to learn about a new cultural experience and to make the description of Chinese musical tradition understandable and appealing. The subject of this study is the examination of the ways information about musical instruments that are exotic for the Russian culture is conveyed. It investigates the reasons for choosing lexical units to denote the instruments, as well as the formal and semantic adaptation pathways of borrowed lexemes in the Russian language. The material consists of vocabulary naming Chinese national instruments in concert posters written in Russian. The material was collected through a method of continuous sampling. Lexicographic, comparative, and statistical methods were used in the analysis. The article presents an analysis from different perspectives: it explores the types of conveying the sound of Chinese musical terms in Russian, searches for equivalents in Russian musical terminology, and examines the connotation of the titles of Chinese concerts. The novelty of the approach lies in the choice of material. Involving concert posters of Chinese national music allowed for a comprehensive analysis based on musicology and linguistics data. The investigation of the text and visual elements of the concert poster allowed for the following conclusions: the pragmatics of the national music concert poster lies in the fact that the text and visual elements not only convey precise information about the concert but also invite a wide audience of music lovers, arousing interest among Russian listeners. The names of Chinese instruments are given in transcription according to the Pallady system, and the processes of Russification are presented minimally. Units that, according to dictionaries, inflect, may appear in posters as uninflected, which also indicates the absence of Russification. The use of inaccurate equivalents for interpreting the meanings of exoticisms provides listeners with a general idea of the instrument but does not allow for a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the character of the music being performed.

Prevalence and Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders in A Group of Iranian Musicians

Prevalence and Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders in A Group of Iranian Musicians

‘Saber brincar’: A childist decolonial approach to play

The verb ‘play’ has multiple translations. The verbs used to denote play a musical instrument and play in children’s games differ in Portuguese as well as Nordic languages such as Norwegian. The theoretical distinction between verbs ‘jogar’ and ‘brincar’ guides a decolonial childist analysis of play, focusing on the role of the ‘figure of the child’ in Euro-centric coloniality/racism. The study uses an ethnographic exploration of children’s play in the Landless Workers Movement (MST), highlighting the importance of ‘brincar’ in connecting children with their parents, grandparents, and the surrounding world. Decolonial childism advocates for an educational approach that prioritises connections without disrupting the conviviality between adults and children. This perspective views play as a foundation for intergenerational relationships based on links, connections, and care, shaping adults into good ancestors by learning from children and childhood.

LEARNING ANGKLUNG AT SAUNG UDJO: THE EXPERIENCE OF STUDENTS OF THE P MM 3 PROGRAM AT THE INDONESIAN EDUCATION UNIVERSITY IN UNDERSTANDING AND PLAYING ANGKLUNG

This article presents the experiences of students from the Independent Student Exchange Program (PMM) 3 at the Indonesian Education University in understanding and playing angklung at Saung Angklung Udjo. From the results of the interviews conducted, it was revealed that before participating in this activity, most students had never tried playing angklung. However, after participating in the angklung learning activity at Saung Angklung Udjo, a significant increase in their skills was seen. In addition, students also showed an increase in understanding of the cultural values of angklung as a traditional musical instrument. Several factors that contributed to the success of this learning included the quality of teaching, adequate facilities, time and intensity of practice, and student motivation and interest. The positive experiences gained during learning at Saung Angklung Udjo not only improved technical skills, but also instilled cultural values and togetherness among students. This research is expected to provide valuable insights for the development of arts and culture education curriculum in Indonesia.

PELATIHAN DRUMBAND BERBASIS KEARIFAN LOKAL TERINTEGRASI NILAI-NILAI ISLAM PADA GURU SEKOLAH DASAR NEGERI MANUNGGAL BHAKTI

Extracurricular activities can be used as a means to develop students' interests and talents and achieve achievements at school. One of the success factors in extracurricular activities is the role of competent coaches. Teachers can become coaches in extracurricular activities to support extracurricular activities. One way to carry out these extracurricular activities is to provide training to teachers to become coaches in extracurricular activities. The purpose of this training is to realize the cadreship of teachers as coaches in sustainable drumband extracurricular activities. The method used in this community service activity is the CBR method. Activities are carried out on teachers. The training includes basic drumband training, the use of musical instruments in each drumband section, playing intro songs to the ending and combined exercises for blocking and finishing. The results of this training activity show that this activity can provide a foundation for carrying out drumband extracurricular activities in the future. With teachers who have the competence to train extracurricular activities, teachers can collaborate to carry out drumband extracurricular activities to develop students' interests and talents in order to achieve achievements for the school.

The main principles of song and music and their relationship to children's literature and the foundation of children's kowledge in education and Teaching

Song and music are important parts of human life and have a constant relationship with each other. This means that people before they understand science, knowledge, reading and writing, they have understood the existence of the arts in general, song and music in particular. Always, the melodies and rhythms of the music move within blood. This fact is very clearly felt in children. As a babies affected by rhythm and music like (mother's lullaby). This means that, children find love, peace and desires quickly in this art. He uses it to satisfy some of his spiritual needs as they intend. Singing is one of the most important emotional languages. human has become fully familiar with it. From the very beginning of creation, God gave human a great talent and made them the owner of a complete sound instrument which is (throat). Therefore, due to the simplicity of musical instruments and their inexperience, people have tried to express these sounds by throat that they hear in nature. At the beginning, they were unable to repeat many of these sounds properly. However, by having throat, they have been able to make a good effort to improve aspects and satisfying instincts. According to the changes of successive eras, the progress of civilization, the development of knowledge and intellect of the individual. These songs have remained from generation to generation changed to manuscript. An important part of the literature is based on it, they organized according to the stage and age of the individuals. Children's literature is an important part of general literature. It has been given great importance in the East in general and in the West in particular. It's because of that, generations can be educated through this written literature. In order to advantage their nations in the future.

Formation of the Ukrainian Guitar School in the Context of the Development of European Guitar Art

The purpose of this study is to examine the main trends in the establishment and development of national guitar schools in European countries and Ukraine. It attempts to present certain general historical characteristics of the process in different countries, as well as to identify famous composer-guitarists and pedagogues who have made an important contribution to the development of modern guitar art. The research methodology includes the principles of systematisation and generalisation, analytical, historical, and comparative methods. It enables the analysis and systematisation of existing scientific studies on the subject, comparison and synthesis of formation processes, development trends, and characteristics of national guitar schools in Europe and Ukraine. The innovation of the study is in the identification and emphasis on peculiarities of formation and development of national guitar schools in Ukraine and European countries. Conclusions. Ukrainian guitar performance is characterised by special historical conditions and a vibrant national character. Today, there are certain national guitar schools in Ukraine, for example, the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Dnipro schools. Performers and teachers of these schools have used the world professional performance traditions and added national colour to them. In all national schools, the guitar gradually developed from a folk instrument into an academic concert instrument with established performance standards. This led to an increasingly complex repertoire and the production of avant-garde compositions. There is a tendency towards the recognition of the guitar as a multifunctional and independent musical instrument. Every European country now has its own national guitar school, and the guitar is one of the most widespread and popular instruments in the world.

Infant Care in Early Bronze Age Syria: Newly Identified Clay Rattles at Hama

ABSTRACT This paper presents new evidence for the presence of rattles at the Early Bronze Age site of Hama in Syria. The assemblage of rattles at this site forms the largest securely identified find of this type of toy in the Near East. The identification of ceramic handles and pierced body sherds as rattles is based on comparative analysis with complete rattles from the nearby site of Al-Zalaqiyat Cemetery. We argue that the rattles served as toys to amuse and calm infants, rather than as musical instruments, based on the low noise level of the rattles and the relatively small size of their handles. We present an overview of the different types of rattles found in the Near East in the Early Bronze Age, and reflect on what the presence of rattles tells us about the care and nurturing of infants at Hama.

A novel approach for music genre identification using ZFNet, ELM, and modified electric eel foraging optimizer

Music genre categorization has been considered to be an essential task within the context of music data recovery. Genres serve as categories or labels that enable the classification of music based on shared attributes, including musical style, instrumentation, cultural origins, historical context, and other distinctive elements. The purpose of classifying music genres is to automatically assign music pieces to one or more predefined genres. The present research suggests a new method for music genre identification via integrating deep learning models with a metaheuristic algorithm. The proposed model uses a pre-trained Zeiler and Fergus Network (ZFNet) to extract high-level features from audio signals, while an Extreme Learning Machines (ELM) is utilized for efficient classification. Furthermore, the model incorporates a newly developed metaheuristic algorithm called the Modified Electric Eel Foraging Optimization (MEEFO) algorithm to optimize the ELM parameters and enhance overall performance. To evaluate the effectiveness of the model, it has been tested on two widely recognized benchmark datasets, namely GTZAN and Ballroom, and the results are contrasted with some advanced models, comprising MusicRecNet, Parallel Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network (PRCNN), RNN-LSTM, ResNet-50, VGG-16, Deep Neural Network (DNN). The outcomes demonstrated that the suggested system surpassed several existing methods regarding precision, recall, and accuracy.

Finding the Singing Spruce: Musical In-strument Makers and Appalachia’s Mountain Forests

Finding the Singing Spruce: Musical In-strument Makers and Appalachia’s Mountain Forests

Alternative sustainable Mexican tropical woods for classical guitar frameboards and fretboards

Sustainable wood species suitable for constructing frameboards and fretboards of classical guitars and other string musical instruments, are identified and proposed as alternatives to wood species traditionally used for these purposes, but being currently ecologically endangered. Two sets of wood species were considered: (1) experimental woods, as possible alternatives, and (2) reference woods, traditionally in use, but considered at risk. Wood samples were studied in terms of anatomical characteristics: sizes of vessels, fibers, rays, and the corresponding ratios, amount of extractives, type and amount of axial parenchyma; and also in terms of physical vibration characteristics. Experimental woods of low mass density also have vibration qualities below those found among the reference wood species. The anatomical characteristics observed in these low density wood species feature large vessel diameters, thin fiber walls, and low amounts of extractives and parenchyma. Experimental woods of higher densities show larger, more adequate vibration parameters, and a variety of cellular characteristics, with modest amounts of extractives. Reference woods show larger transmission, more desirable vibration properties, diverse vessel diameters, with significantly thick fiber cell walls, and abundant axial parenchyma and extractives. Results were analyzed in terms of different variables, showing clustering of wood species according to anatomical and physical vibration similarities. This study allows recognizing characteristics closely equivalent to the reference woods among some of the experimental wood species, making them suitable for classical guitar frameboards and fretboards, as well as identifying some experimental wood species not necessarily suitable for this purpose.