MODEL VERIFICATION AND PERCUSSION SOUND CHARACTERISTICS OF METALLOPHONE WITH CHORD SOUND

The metallophone is a common percussion instrument. The percussion sound of the metallophone is strongly related to the structural vibration modes. This paper presents the new design geometry of metallophone plate that can produce the C major chord sound. The finite element (FE) model for the metallophone plate is constructed to perform the theoretical modal analysis so as to obtain natural frequencies and mode shapes. The experimental modal analysis (EMA) is then carried out on the metallophone plate to determine the structural modal parameters. Base on the experimental results the FE model can be verified and further applied to design modification analysis. The percussion sound of the specially designed chord metallophone is also measured and shown its chord sound characteristics. The new designed metallophone that can produce chord sound is a brand new concept for the percussion instrument. The integration of FEA and EMA techniques is shown effective for the design of percussion instruments.