3B Scientific Monochord User Manual

Page 4

Elwe Didactic GmbH • Steinfelsstr. 6 • 08248 Klingenthal • Germany •

www.elwedidactic.com

3B Scientific GmbH • Rudorffweg 8 • 21031 Hamburg • Germany •

www.3bscientific.com

Subject to technical amendments

4. Operation

Additionally required:

Tuning forks

•

Fit the string onto the monochord. To do this,
fit the string into the slot at the left-hand end
of the instrument by means of the small metal
ring and push the free end through the peg
(

fig. 1).

•

While tightening the peg, tune the string with
the help of a tuning fork. Fix the peg with the
wing screw.

•

Make the string vibrate either by plucking it or
bowing it.

•

Adjust the desired string length by carefully
shifting the bridge and take the reading off the
length scale (fig. 3).

•

In order to change the tension on the string,
slightly loosen the wing screw and set the
string tension with the help of the knurled
screw. Subsequently tighten the wing screw.

•

In order to determine the tension of the string,
attach the dynamometer to the monochord
and insert the end of the string into the slot of
the dynamometer (fig. 2).

The following relations between the string lengths result in a major scale:

Notation of notes

Frequency ratios

Key note : higher note

Intervals

Ratios of string lengths

Key tone : higher tone

C : C

C : D

C : E

C : F

C : G

C : A

C : H

C : C`

C : G`

C : C``

C : E``

C : G``

1 : 1

8 : 9

4 : 5

3 : 4

2 : 3

3 : 5

8 : 15

1 : 2

1 : 3

1 : 4

1 : 5

1 : 6

Prime

Second

Major third

Fourth

Fifth

Major sixth

Major seventh

Octave

1 : 1

9 : 8

5 : 4

4 : 3

3 : 2

5 : 3

15 : 8

2 : 1

3 : 1

4 : 1

5 : 1

6 : 1

Fig 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3