Evaluation of two control parameters of trumpet players as function of sound features.

cote interne IRCAM: Causse09aNone / NoneNational audienceExperiments were performed by five trumpet players with the same trumpet and mouthpiece. For each subject, two control parameters are measured: mouth-pressure and force applied by the lips on the mouthpiece. The sound is also recorded. The players are asked to play sustained notes at different pitch and sound levels. We calculate fundamental frequency, sound pressure level, and some spectral features: noisiness, spectral roll-off, etc. Although little mouth-pressure variability as function of pitch and dynamic appears between subjects, clear differences were obtained in terms of the force applied on the mouthpiece. Therefore, we suggest to focus on the link between sound features and the ratio of these two control parameters measured, sort of “gesture estimator.” The representation of the ratio as function of the sound features shows a good classification of musicians. Moreover, in some specific cases such as noisiness, the relation seems independent from the players. These observations suggest that these two control parameters could be efficient to characterize players’ embouchure and to access some sound characteristics without knowledge of the mechanical characteristics of the lips. These results will be described and discussed, and direction for future works suggested. [Consonnes project, supported by the French Research Agency]