Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments

The European Commission funding covered the development costs of these units, and some of the marginal costs of building installations for the participating museums. The balance of the costs of providing these units for the Edinburh installation was met by the University's Development Trust.

The Sound Laboratory: The Units

1. Sound tables. Visitors can excite strings under tension (i) without any soundboard, (ii) with a simple soundboard and (iii) with hollow soundboxes of different sizes. Striking differences can be heard and the unit gives an introduction to the development of string instruments.

2. Bowed strings. Visitors can experiment with different bowing speeds and pressures to understand the basics of violins and other bowed string instruments. The unit channels the interactive element to give a clear demonstration of these two parameters.

3. Vibrations in air columns and in strings: the difference between longitudinal and transverse vibrations. Visitors actuate vibrations in a spring (simulating an air column) and a long overhead string (simulating a string on a guitar or other string instrument.

4. Sounding a trumpet. A real trumpet is actually played by an artificial embouchure, the visitor controls air pressure and the valves and hears the results. As the air column resonates, the waveform and the spectrum are displayed on a computer screen, which also provides interpretative material. In Dutch, English, French and German.
   

5. Sounding a clarinet. A real clarinet is actually played by an artificial embouchure, the visitor controls air pressure and the one of the keys and hears the results. As the air column resonates, the waveform and the spectrum are displayed on a computer screen, which also provides interpretative material. In Dutch, English, French and German.
   

6. Strings and percussion. Visitors can hammer a thin string, a thick string and a metal bar mounted on a soundbox and hear the results and see the basic difference between the piano and the marimba. The waveform and the spectrum are displayed on a computer screen, which also provides interpretative material. In Dutch, English, French and German.

7. Instruments Workshop. A computer-based interactive introduction to the families of musical instruments, with a `workshop' in which the visitor can make (and hear) virtual instruments. Visitors can play a game, seing how quickly they can make an instrument to produce a given sound. In Dutch, English, and French.

8. Reconstruct a Sound. An interactive introduction to musical sounds, with a game of recognising instruments. In Dutch, English, and French.

9. Exploring Timbre. A computer-based lively interactive introduction to how the sounds of different instruments are characterised, using the sounds of some jazz "greats" as examples. In Dutch, English, and French.

The Partners

• Musée des Instruments de Musique / Muziekinstrumentenmuseum, Brussels (Belgium)

• Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris (France)

• Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig (Germany)

• Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments

The scientific co-ordination of the project was undertaken by Dr Murray Campbell of the University of Edinburgh.

The pedagogical co-ordination of the project was undertaken by Dr Eszter Fontana of the University of Leipzig.

Credits

See how to use the Sound Laboratory

See where and when to visit the Sound Laboratory

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© Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments, 2000

This page updated 11.3.00