Bart Hopkin AIR COLUMNS and TONE HOLES: Principles for Wind Instrument Design

Here is the most comprehensive book on flute making to integrate theory, design and hands-on aspects of the craft. A focus on bore shape and tonehole layout is aimed at enhancing the maker's understanding of what goes on inside a wind instrument and why the vibrating air column behaves as it does. Written in a practical, nuts-and-bolts manner, this book condenses and interprets much of the recent work done on the acoustical physics of woodwind instruments.

Aside from chapters on the mechanics of oscillating air chambers and the effects of bore shapes on resonance and tone quality, it outlines several approaches that can be taken in the task of making a flute. It also discusses types of mouthpieces and bells, Helmholtz Resonators and toneholes for cylindrical, conical and globular instruments. Most valuable are appendices dealing with frequency and wavelength relationships, a tuning chart and information on formulas used in the process of woodwind production as well as an extensive bibliography.

36 pages. CM-7

Bart Hopkin was founder and editor of Experimental Musical Instruments, a quarterly journal dedicated to new and unusual musical instruments, since its inception in1985. (EMI is no longer in print.) Mr. Hopkin received a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1974, and later received a B.A. in music education from San Francisco State University. A professional guitarist, he has taught, written, composed, performed and recorded in many places, including Kingston, Jamaica, where for several years he researched and wrote on Jamaican children's songs and revival church music. 

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