title: Designing musical structures using a constrained optimization approach.
abstract: The paper discusses the application of numerical optimizing techniques to musical structures. It is shown that the natural tendency to emulate the instrument maker by optimizing the characteristic frequencies of the structure is not always the most appropriate strategy, and that in cases where one or more possible solutions exist it is more appropriate to specify the frequency requirements as a constraint. The strategy is illustrated using a xylophone bar.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petrolito
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Legge
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009146:Music; D013016:Sound; D014732:Vibration