The French Horn vs. the Concert Hall

Abstract

The focus of work of this type is to bridge the communication gap between the arts and the sciences (in this case: music and acoustics) in order to bring about effective solutions to difficult problems which neither side can solve independently. The sound reflection problem experienced by the French horn player in a concert hall is an example of this kind of problem. Solutions to the reflection problem presented by the acoustician are most often judged to be inadequate by the musicians. In acoustics, as in most sciences, the common response to criticism from the arts is that until the concerns are expressed in scientific terms there can be no response. A more productive approach is to find the scientific basis behind the criticism and use this new information to both address the concerns of the artist and develop a better solution than could be had without the input of the artist. This paper is an example of the effectiveness of this approach.