Abstract
A tremolo played on the mandolin is performed by repetition of a single note, so a tremolo is said to be a fluctuating continuous sound with an amplitude envelope in the form of a sawtooth wave. Previous studies demonstrated that a feeling of fluctuation is elicited by sounds with a modulation frequency of up to about 20 Hz, i. e., low frequency, so it is thought that the feeling of fluctuation is related to perception for a tremolo. In this study, the relationship between the feeling of fluctuation and tremolo proficiency was investigated in terms of the plucking rate. The results showed that a tremolo is best performed at a lower level of fluctuation strength.
