21 8 On the Properties of Wind Injlruinents, 



will require any change after it is tranfpofed a femitone higher. The B flat key, however, 

 cannot be ufed in fcales that are tranfpofed ; but there will not be much occafion for it at 

 all, as the long key here recommended will fupply its place, and be as eafy to manage. 



The pipe delineated by the two dotted lines in Fig. 6, was filled with water while each 

 note of the flute was founding, but the variation produced in one or two notes of the 

 fecond o£tave by the afcent of the water was fcarcely perceptible. Entertaining fome 

 doubt, however, that B and its oflave were not perfedtly in tune with each other, I com- 

 pared them both with two correfponding founds of an organ which were perfedl o£laves. 

 The higher found of the flute was a true odave to the found of the lower toned organ- 

 pipe, but the lower was rather too {harp to be exa£Hy in tune with the found of the higher 

 pipe, unlefs the flute was carefully blown. After the tranfpofing tube was removed, the- 

 relation between thefe two laft founds was little amended. 



The o£laves of A and B, rendered fliarp by opening the end of the pipe, were as true as 

 the o£lave founds of German flutes are generally found to be when compared with other 

 founds which are perfedlly in tune. Without making any further remarks on this method 

 of tranfpofition, I fhall proceed to other obje£ls. 



Wind inftruments of muflc, which have their notes regulated by feveral apertures, will 

 generally produce two or more founds, differing confidcrably in acutenefs from one an- 

 other, when all their holes are clofed, or when any number of them are open, if the 

 ftrength of the current of air employed in founding the inftrumentbe gradually increafed; 

 All the founds in any feries thus produced above the loweft of the feries, are called 

 harmonics : thus when C is the loweft found of a German flute, the harmonics are C, G', 



In the fcales of the flute, the oboe, clarionet, and other inftruments, a fucceflion of tha 

 loweft founds in diatonic order are produced by opening feveral holes, until the higheft is 

 only a tone or half a tone lower than the loweft harmonic of each inftrument with all the 

 holes clofed. This harmonical found is then taken into the fcale, and another feries is 

 produced by opening the holes a fecond time, while the current of air is accelerated. 



On the flute and the oboe thefe latter founds, the afpiring ofi^spring of thofe belo%r, 

 fliould be each an o£lave to its progenitor, but on the clarionet each fliould be a twelfth. 

 The number of apertures that will be required to complete the lower, feries, depends upon 

 the number of diatonic notes which compofe the interval between the loweft found of the 

 inftrument and its loweft harmonic : each note included between thefe muft have an aper- 

 ture to regulate its pitch. When the interval is an oftave, fix holes will fuflice for this 

 purpofe ; but when it is a twelfth or compound fifth ten muft be employed. 



The requifite pitch of each note is obtained by adjufting the fizes of the holes, and 

 making them dilate confiderably as they approach the infide of the inftrument. We have 

 before noticed the effeft of opening a pipe which was all throughout of the fame width, 

 connefted with the infide of a flute, and from what has been faid, it is eafy to underftand 



why 



