Improved Plucked String Synthesis Model Considering Tuning and Playing Style

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a plucked string synthesis model including a simplified tuning system and a right-hand playing style. The proposed model based on digital waveguide synthesis is applied to the Gayageum, a traditional Korean plucked string instrument. The Gayageum has 12 twisted silk strings, each supported by a movable bridge called an Anjok, which is placed on the body and is moved sideways along a string to tune it. The simplified tuning system is formulated with parameters related to the tension of the string and location of the Anjok, and these determine the pitch of a specific string. The unique right-hand playing style, a consecutive flick in which a player flicks a string twice in succession by the middle and index fingers, is implemented by a simple feed-forward filter. The proposed synthesis model is evaluated based on the frequency signal-to-noise ratio.

Keywords:

• Digital waveguide synthesis
• Gayageum
• Movable bridge
• Playing style
• Sound synthesis

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology [grant number 2012R1A1B6002600].

Notes on contributors

Sangjin Cho

Dr Sang-Jin Cho received his BS and MS degrees in electronic engineering from the University of Ulsan, Ulsan, Korea, in 1997 and 2002, respectively. He studied computer engineering at the University of Ulsan and received his PhD degree in 2007. He has experience of designing a musical controller for stringed instruments and digital audio effecters in CCRMA at Stanford University, USA, in 2006. He works for the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ulsan as a research professor. His current research interests include analysis/synthesis of musical sound, physical modelling of musical instruments, digital audio signal processing, watermarking, and new musical interfaces.

E-mail: [email protected]

Hyungseob Han

Hyung-Seob Han received his BS and MS degrees in computer engineering from the University of Ulsan, Ulsan, Korea, in 2009 and 2011, respectively. He has been studying computer engineering at the University of Ulsan to earn his PhD degree since 2011. He works for the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ulsan as a guest professor. His current research interests include digital audio signal processing, nonlinear signal analysis, and feature extraction algorithms.

Sang-Bock Cho

Dr Sang-Bock Cho received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea, in 1979, 1981, and 1985, respectively. He worked at the University of Texas in Austin as a visiting scholar from 1994 to 1995 and at the University of California in San Diego as a visiting scholar from 2003 to 2004. He has been working in the School of Electrical Engineering at Ulsan University, Ulsan, Korea, since 1985. He is a member of IEEE, IEEK, KIISE, and KIPS. His current research interests include VLSI/SOC design and test, computer vision, image processing, automotive electronics, and multimedia applications.