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KF5JRV > TECH 25.07.16 13:24l 36 Lines 1920 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 6590_KF5JRV
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Subj: Monochord
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Sent: 160725/1117Z 6590@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQK1.4.65
Monochord
The monochord is an ancient scientific and musical instrument, invented in
Greece in c. 500 BC, used for the investigation and demonstration of
musical phenomena.
The monochord consists of a metal string stretched over a hollow resonating
body. Using a movable bridge the string can be divided into two portions whose
lengths may be set at any ratio to give various pitches G and musical
intervals when plucked. According to tradition, the ancient Greek philosopher
Pythagoras (fl. 4th century BC) discovered the correspondence between simple
ratios of string length and consonant musical intervals. Dividing the
string into sections in the ratios 2:1 or 3:2, for example, yields the
intervals of a perfect octave and perfect fifth respectively.
Pythagoras and his followers believed that the whole universe could be
understood in terms of musical harmonies and simple mathematical ratios.
Until at least the 17th century astronomers such as Johannes Kepler
(1571-1630) believed that the planets moved in such a way as to produce a kind
of cosmic harmony. Astronomy and the study of musical harmony thus went
hand in hand and music was considered a proper part of science throughout the
medieval and into the early modern period.
Musical uses
The monochord was used as a musical teaching tool in the 11th century by Guido
of Arezzo (c. 990-1050), the musician who invented the first useful form of
musical notation. By laying out the notes of a scale on a monochord, he was
able to teach choir boys how to sing chant and also to detect incorrect
chanting. A monochord-like instrument called the Tromba Marina was used for
practical music making between the 15th and 18th centuries. The monochord was
also used for tuning instruments and was still in use in the 19th century for
tuning organs. More commonly, the monochord was, and still is, used for
demonstration purposes.
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