Experimental Study on Sound Characteristics of Ja-Khay Strings

This research explored sound characteristics of eight different strings on Ja-Khay, a Thai classical floor zither. The strings were investigated the suitability of being the first brightest string. Physical properties of each string such as linear density, elastic modulus and tension required to make a 262 Hz C4-note sound were tested and measured. The sound produced by each string was recorded in the recording studio of Music Engineering and Multimedia Department, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. Temporal and spectral responses of the sound produced by eight test strings were analyzed. The relationship between physical properties and sound characteristics such as maximum loudness, sustain, richness and brightness of the sound was investigated. The good sound characteristics of three most well-liked strings according to the survey: construction string number 120, tennis string and Saw-U silk string, were confirmed by the analytical data.