An Experimental Investigation on the Bridge Effect in Sound Produced by Setar
This study aims to evaluate the amount of energy transfers through the bridge in Setar, a Persian long-necked lute. Stringed musical instruments are among the most complicated acoustical systems. When the string is plucked, its vibration distributes into the entire vibrating system (i.e. body, string, air enclosure) and produces sound. The resultant sound consists of three parts: the first is the string’s direct sound; the second is that part of sound-box vibration being excited by string’s direct sound, and the third is the part of sound-box vibration being excited by string force passing through bridge. The last part believed to have the major share and the others have minor effect. For this research, a specific fixture has been made and a precise plucking machine is installed to hold and pluck the instrument uniformly. Also, a novel approach is utilized to evaluate the share of each abovementioned part in the output near-field sound produced by Setar.