The harmonica is arguably the most widely played instrument in the world, yet there is a surprising paucity of published studies of its acoustics or physical dynamics. The typical diatonic harmonica and the physical forces involved in its natural function are described, and simple observations of the harp’s functions are reported. The speaking of the reeds, naturally, when producing a bend, and when speaking as an overblow or overdraw is discussed and investigated by simple stopping of the reeds, by videostroboscopic analysis, and by recording vibration of the reeds with displacement gauges. The reeds of the ten hole harmonica can be made to vibrate at varying frequencies depending on the size and shape of the player’s vocal tract. Three different modes of speaking from each hole and its pair of reeds are revealed and studied: first, naturally in a closing mode, either blown or drawn; second, as a bend, either blown or drawn, with pitch in the interval between the two notes in the hole; and third, as an overblow or overdraw in an opening mode with a pitch outside the interval between the two natural notes of the hole. This dynamic interaction allows the player to speak with the instrument perhaps as with no other.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
April 1998
April 01 1998
Acoustical and physical dynamics of the diatonic harmonica Available to Purchase
Henry T. Bahnson;
Henry T. Bahnson
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
Search for other works by this author on:
James F. Antaki;
James F. Antaki
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
Search for other works by this author on:
Quinter C. Beery
Quinter C. Beery
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
Search for other works by this author on:
Henry T. Bahnson
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
James F. Antaki
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
Quinter C. Beery
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 2134–2144 (1998)
Article history
Received:
February 18 1997
Accepted:
January 05 1998
Citation
Henry T. Bahnson, James F. Antaki, Quinter C. Beery; Acoustical and physical dynamics of the diatonic harmonica. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 April 1998; 103 (4): 2134–2144. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.421359
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Citing articles via
Focality of sound source placement by higher (ninth) order ambisonics and perceptual effects of spectral reproduction errors
Nima Zargarnezhad, Bruno Mesquita, et al.
A survey of sound source localization with deep learning methods
Pierre-Amaury Grumiaux, Srđan Kitić, et al.
Variation in global and intonational pitch settings among black and white speakers of Southern American English
Aini Li, Ruaridh Purse, et al.
Related Content
Physics, phonetics, and physiology of the diatonic harmonica
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (October 1999)
Chromatic playing on a diatonic harmonica
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (October 2011)
Chromatical playing on diatonic harmonica: From physical modeling to sound synthesis
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (October 2011)
Acoustic coupling between oral tract and diatonic harmonica: Recent observations
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (May 2002)
The diatonic harmonica, pipe resonators, and the siren
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (October 2011)