The Origins of Music: Preface - Preface

and various embouchures and strengths of blowing.With the full notes

in the center,we indicated our assessment of the tone that sounds most

often and most readily with a specific combination.Deviation from the

cited (assessed) tone could be considerable in individual cases,but lies

somewhere within the marked range.(A table of tones of the flute from

plaster is not given since results were fairly similar to those with metal

flutes.)

All the flutes in figures 15.12,15.13,and 15.14 were treated as notched

flutes.They have the same length,very similar shape,and almost the same

mouthpiece (see figure 15.6).A comparison and analysis of the results

in the different tables is very interesting.We were above all surprised

that we could produce a fairly wide range of tones with all reconstruc-

tions.So,within specific ranges of frequency,we could produce individ-

ual popular tunes (and thus scales).This fact does not make the task of

seeking possible original scales any easier;in fact it blurs it and makes it

much more difficult (see B.Fink in Anonymous 1997).If we attempt

an uncritical generalization of the results and take into consideration

only individual assessments of the most frequent tones with each

261 New Perspectives on the Beginnings of Music

Figure 15.13

Tones obtained from a reconstruction of the bone flute from fresh bear bone with various

combinations of closed and open holes.The flute was played as a notched flute.

Fig.15.13