Re: Kleenex and Spit


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Posted by Paul R. Ogushwitz on August 17, 2000 at 18:00:37:

In Reply to: Kleenex and Spit posted by Rick Denney on August 17, 2000 at 11:49:25:

Rick, Formally speaking, sound attenuates in two ways: Absorption and Scattering.

Absorption means that molecular motions are diminished as the sound propagates. In air, absorption is largely due to viscosity. Absorption decreases with decreasing frequency, so the tuba sound has to travel a longer distance and piccolo sound has to travel a shorter distance to suffer equal same amplitude decrease. You say your neighbors are 100' feet away. The fact is, that's only about 5 wavelengths at CC (64 Hz) -- not a great distance at all, acoustically speaking. That's also why acoustic foam will not do the trick for you (nor acoustical condoms, nor acoustical IUD's, etc.)

Scattering means that the sound is being reflected. Scattering is your ticket. Trees are excellent scatterers of sound in the out-of-doors. All those leaves and branches, you know. Because your house is low to the ground, the trees won't have to be terribly high. Relative to major interior modifications to your home, trees are inexpensive. With trees, you don't end up reducing precious floor area in the home, no concessions or trades are necessary with wifey ("You can have the Wenger practice room, and I want a new sofa, loveseat, bedroom set, kitchen cabinets ..."), the neighborhood is beautified, and we all get more oxygen to breathe.

Try an experiment. Play your tuba outside, upwards, into a tree. Ask the neighbors whether that sound is louder than when you are playing in the house.



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