Charles Taylor's 1989 Christmas Lectures 4/5: Technology, Trumpets and Tunes

In his 4th lecture, Charles Taylor takes look at development and science behind wind instruments. There has been remarkable interaction between way that instrument makers have developed instruments, way players have developed their skills for performance and way composers have used these developments in their music. This fascinating intersection of physics, craftmanship and human auditory psychology will be discussed in this lecture. Technological innovations from valves to key systems have profoundly shaped wind instrument capabilities, sound characteristics and our perception of music. This lecture will explore science behind wind instruments, looking at how these technological innovations, coupled with vibrations caused by air moving down pipes, creates sounds that we interpret as music. Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction 01:08 - Vibration in Pipes 02:04 - Harmonics Methods 03:04 - Demonstrations 05:11 - Reed Tools 07:21 - Traditional Wind Instruments 08:50 - Physical Principles of Vibration 09:36 - Fluctuations in Pipe 10:33 - Harmonics & Closed Ends 11:31 - Resonance & Frequencies 13:27 - Frequency Table 14:17 - Preferred Frequencies 15:11 - Harmonic Analysis 16:57 - Comparison of Tools 19:57 - Influence of Mouthpiece & Bell 21:39 - Impedance & Acoustics 23:03 - Features of Oboe 23:31 - Comparison with Tape Recorder & Flute 24:31 - Compromise in Tools 25:27 - French Horn & Feedback 26:04 - History of Wind Instruments 27:32 - Natural Pipes & Harmonics 29:31 - Invention of...