Course talk:PHYS341/2018/project/merlin

Thank you for your article on the merlin! I like that you chose a new and more "experimental" instrument, because there are so many that don't get enough recognition!

Physics and Musical Information In terms of the physical explanations you gave, I thought that they were all very thorough, and gave me a very good broad understanding of the physical properties of the instrument. A really strong part of your explanation was where you explained why the instrument is constructed "neck-through": it was both interesting to learn and also helped to give context to how the designers thought the instrument would be used.

One of the things that I was confused about is why the merlin was constructed on a diatonic scale, and what the benefit of diatonic fretting is. In your revision, it might benefit to go deeper into what the diatonic scale is and why the merlin is tuned in such a way, and to what types of music that sound best lends itself to. In the same vein, perhaps explaining what the benefit of a strummable dulcimer is, and why the designers were keen to create the instrument could be interesting content.

Visuals I thought your images were very thorough and explanatory. However, in the section that compares the acoustic guitar, it might be interesting to have a side-by-side comparison of a guitar versus a merlin, just so we can see the specific points at which they differ: I know we all probably have an image of a guitar in our minds, but it always helps to actually have those points to reference on the page.

Historical Content Obviously, the merlin is a very new instrument, but I would definitely love to know more about what spurred the designers to create it! Considering they're coming out of a small town in Quebec, and the instrument is an even more specific type of an already fairly rare instrument (the dulcimer), I would love to know what the backstory is and I think it would also put a lot of your information into context.

Writing Style In terms of writing style, I might suggest going over everything and reading it out to make sure all your sentences are complete! It makes it a little bit easier to read, so we can absorb all the information.

Thanks again and happy editing! Bella