Marimba One Resonator Tuning / Response to Brandon Bell
mari...@northcoast.com
> I don't want to sound offensive to anyone who has played on or owns a
> marimba one, but the resonator tuning on those instruments are completely
> useless. Along those lines, so are any "dual track" resonator positioning
> marimbas. Ask any expert accoustician and they will agree, or anyone who
> has studied physics.
>
> In a nutshell here is why; all wind intruments are made of round tubing
> with either a cylindrical bore (same diameter thoughout like a flute) or
> a conocal bore (bore gets larger throughout like a horn or tuba). On all
> of these instruments, when they tune their instrument they change the length
> of the tubing. Even though the media is different the concept with resonators
> is the same. On the marimba one the only thing their resonator tuners do is
> move the rank of resonators closer to the bars, the length of the tubes
> remain the same and hence the pitch of the tubes remain the same. If we
> applied the marimba one tuning principal to other instruments, you would
> tell a flute player to play with the flute closer or further away from the
> player's mouth instead of pulling out or pushing in the head piece.
It is unfortunate that one such as Brandon Bell is willing to post
completely erroneous information, stating it as if it were fact, for the
world to read. But since he has done so, I will take this opportunity to
address an issue--that of resonator tuning--that obvously is not well
understood by many.
Resonators are cylindrical tubes, closed (plugged) at one end (the bottom)
and open at the other end (the top). Depending on the instrument, they
might be round, oval or even semi-rectangular in cross-section. Each
resonator has a "resonance frequency", which is the frequency at which the
air column inside the resonator tends to want to vibrate. If the
resonance frequency of a resonator is the same as the fundamental
frequency of the bar above it, there is an increase in the radiation
efficiency of the bar/resonator system. That is, the volume of the
bar/resonator together is greater initially than the volume of the bar
alone. While the decay time of the bar/resonator system is actually
shorter than the bar alone, because the system begins louder, it generally
drops below the audible range later than the bar alone, and thus gives the
impression of a longer sustain.
The standing sound wave that is excited in a resonator when you hit the
bar above it does not end (reflect) at the opening of the resonator, but
rather a small distance (a little over half the tube radius) past the open
end of the resonator. This difference between the effective acoustical
length and the actual tube length is called the "End Correction". It
happens that when an object comes in proximity of the opening of a
resonator, the resonance frequency of the resonator changes. Here is a
quote from "The Physics of Musical Instruments" by Neville H. Fletcher &
Thomas D. Rossing (Springen-Verlag, NY, NY 1991 p543):
"If the bar is close (within a distance of one radius, for example) to
the resonator tube, the resonance frequency [of the tube] will be affected
by its presence. In particular, the resonance frequency [of the tube]
will be lowered as the bar is moved closer to the tube. This effect can
be used to compensate for changes in ambient temperature. It works as
follows: if the temperature rises, the speed of sound increases, and so
does the resonance frequency of the tube. Moving the resonator closer to
the bar, however, lowers the resonance frequency of the tube, so that it
once again matches that of the bar. Some marimbas incorporate an
adjustment of this nature."
Thus, there are two distinct ways to make the resonance frequency of a
resonator equal to the fundamental frequency of its corresponding bar.
#1 -- We can increase/decrease the resonance frequency of the resonator
by changing the acoustical length of the resonator. That is, by moving
the plug up and down.
OR
#2 -- If the marimba bar is in close proximity (within approximately
one radius) of the opening of the resonator, we can adjust the resonance
frequency of the resonator by moving the opening of the resonator closer
to or further from the bar.
Marimba One marimbas take advantage of method #2 for tuning. Marimba One's
system allows the user to move the whole bank of resonators up and down to
easily and quickly adjust for changes in ambient temperature. Marimba
One's threaded tuning knobs keep the resonators always centered under the
bars, and allow for infinitely variable adjustment within the adjustment
range. From my 3.5 years of experience tuning resonators at Marimba One,
I know that the resonance frequency of many of the larger resonators can
be altered by at least a full semi-tone using method #2--that is, using
the method Marimba One marimbas employ for tuning. This is an immense
amount of tuning potential.
Brandon Bell said "Ask any expert accoustician and they will agree, or
anyone who has studied physics." Apparently, he never asked any. Thomas
Rossing, co-author of the above quote, is well known for his advanced
knowledge of musical acoustics. Fletcher & Rossing's quote directly
disproves Brandon Bell's unresearched statements regarding Marimba One's
"useless" tuning method.
Those of you who have listened to Marimba One marimbas and used the tuning
knobs to lower and raise the resonators most likely did not need me to
give you a scientific explanation of why it works, for you have heard it
work. If the proof is in the pudding, then please listen to the
instrument, adjust the resonators a goodly amount and HEAR the difference.
As for Brandon Bell's subsequent remarks about the "disadvantages" of oval
resonators and "skinny bass bars", it is probably safe to assume that he
put the same amount of research behind those statements as he put behind
the statement above ;-)
Thank you for your time. Please feel free to e-mail me at any time with
questions/comments.
Sean Olsen <mari...@northcoast.com>
Resonators
Marimba One
Greg Malcangi
I can't remember if we have met but could you pass Evelyn's and my
regards to Ron.
I agree with most of your reply to Brandon. It would be difficult to
disagree with someone so well informed!
I have a couple of observations born out my experience as a musician,
recording engineer and having listened to several hundred of my wife's
(and other soloists) performances:
Contrary to popular belief the biggest effect on the acoustic properties
of a marimba is not temperature or humidity changes (within reason) but
the natural resonance of the concert venue. A particular note on the
marimba in a particular venue may produce brilliantly and over balance
with it's neighbours, while in another venue the same note may hardly
sound at all. The Marimba One, Yamaha, Kori, Adams, etc., have no
provision for this situation at all. Their resonators are moved en-masse
which may improve the production of one or two notes but at the expense
of all the others. The DeMorrow and Malletechs allow the stop at the end
of each resonator to be adjusted so that individual notes can be altered
in relation to their neighbours. For Evelyn, the end result is so
pronounced that there is little choice in which marimbas she owns.
In Evelyn's and my opinion those instruments with wider bars (down the
bottom) do produce a better sound. Of course a "better sound" is
subjective but more of the fundamental seems to be present which makes
for a richer sound, IMHO. The shape, composition of resonators and other
factors may be the cause and it could just be a coincidence that wide
bar marimbas produce a "better sound".
The Malletech instrument has these things that the Marimba One doesn't
but it also has one other thing, a higher price tag! Marimba One are
obviously reaping the benefits of producing a product that reaches the
correct balance between quality and price.
Regards,
Greg
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102404
>
>Contrary to popular belief the biggest effect on the acoustic properties
>of a marimba is not temperature or humidity changes (within reason) but
>the natural resonance of the concert venue. A particular note on the
>marimba in a particular venue may produce brilliantly and over balance
>with it's neighbours, while in another venue the same note may hardly
>sound at all.
Quite right! One must remeber a marimba is a conglomoration of several
individual instruments (each individual bar), unlike a trumpet which is one
unit. As good of quality controll that any corporation can have in the
production of their instrument, they cannot change the miniscule variations
of a natural material. The fact is, if you take any marimba and remove
the resonators, and play a two octave major scale in any key, you will find
that no two bars have the exact same decay rate. Only individual resonater
tuners can compensate for these variations.
>
>In Evelyn's and my opinion those instruments with wider bars (down the
>bottom) do produce a better sound. Of course a "better sound" is
>subjective but more of the fundamental seems to be present which makes
>for a richer sound, IMHO. The shape, composition of resonators and other
>factors may be the cause and it could just be a coincidence that wide
>bar marimbas produce a "better sound".
True again, this is also quite noticible in pianos. Compare the breadth and
depth of the bass tones on a upright, which has shorter thicker bass strings,
to a full concert grand. I think most of the complaints that I've heard of the
Malletech's bass bars are they are two big to reach large intervals. So it's a
question of ease of playing vs. sound. You sacrifice one or the other.
>
>The Malletech instrument has these things that the Marimba One doesn't
>but it also has one other thing, a higher price tag! Marimba One are
>obviously reaping the benefits of producing a product that reaches the
>correct balance between quality and price.
One thing I will say about Marimba One; Ron Samuels is a great sales person
and a great marketer. Malletech needs to work on their Marketing. If any thing
is selling their products, it's their endorsers more than their ads. I like the current
ads running for their mallets: "Malletech mallets are now screwed!!!" <vbg>
Many Regards, :-)
Brandon Bell
===================================================================================
"You can't make a poor man rich by making a rich man poor"
-Abraham Lincoln
===================================================================================
Greg Malcangi
individual instruments (each individual bar), unlike a trumpet which is
one unit. >>
A trumpet isn't one unit. When you put a valve down on a brass
instrument you add a length of tubing which makes it a different
instrument with a different harmonic series. When buying a valved brass
instrument one of the first things you look for is the evenness of
response, feel, etc., when you put the valves down.
<< The fact is, if you take any marimba and remove the resonators, and
play a two octave major scale in any key, you will find that no two bars
have the exact same decay rate. Only individual resonater tuners can
compensate for these variations. >>
The minute variations have very little effect once you add the
resonators. Occasionally you will find a more pronounced variation and
there is nothing that resonator tuning can do about this, unless you
want to deaden all the other notes to match it. The variations in
material and temperature do have an effect but this can be almost
negligable compared with the effect a concert venue can produce. Another
important point to bear in mind is that in some concert venues moving
the marimba a few feet on the concert platform can have a pronounced
effect on the sound as perceived from the auditorium.
mari...@northcoast.com
OR
Sean Olsen <mari...@northcoast.com>
Resonator Dept Manager
Marimba One
Eric Randal Sooy
Bowling Green State University recently purchased a 5 -octave Marimba
One. I offer here my personal observations of the instrument after having
played it on a regular basis for over one year.
First, the construction:
A Marimba One exhibits flawless craftsmanship in every detail. I appreciate
the instrument maker who is aware of the "artfulness" of how an
instrument looks, and the M1 is certainly a pleasure to walk up to and
play. Here's a seed for an discussion: I believe the visual does affect
the aural perception.
The straight and vertical-grained rosewood bars are here for the long run.
Straight grain wood is simply more stable, as evidenced by my two sets of
60 year old Deagan bars (Diana models). Vertical grain resists cracking
better than flat-sawn. Of all the bars on the BGSU M1, no bar has
grain that goes beyond 45 degrees.
The sound:
Simply wonderful. The bass end woofs in my face, and the voicing is quite
consistent. We'll be sending in the bars for their one year tuning this
summer, but I've noticed no bar(s) that are wacked out.
AND, I don't need to go to a chiropractor every time I reach for large
intervals on the bottom. As a traditional cross grip convert, the
slightly narrower bottom notes are well-appreciated.
Given the lower than industry average price, and examining the marimba as
a unit, there is nothing about the M1 that merits severe criticism. I
suggest you talk with the people who make these instruments and get an
idea of the passion they hold for their art.
BIG DISCLAIMER
These are my opinions, and neither I nor BGSU will receive
tangible or intangible benefits from Marimba One. These are simply
reflections on my (our) good experience with this instrument, and are not
intended to demerit the fine instruments made by other manufacturers.
Now if I could only scrape together 10 grand for my own M1 :)
Eric Sooy
Inst. of Percussion, BGSU
--
Eric R. Sooy
es...@bgnet.bgsu.edu