MEASUREMENT OF THE EFFECT ON VIOLINS OF AGEING AND PLAYING
This is a report on the first three years of a long-term experiment designed to measure how two very similar violins change with time. After being constructed ‘in parallel,’ one is stored under controlled conditions in a museum and is played infrequently, while the other is played regularly by a professional musician. Vibro-acoustic measurements were performed on the instruments and parts thereof during and after construction. Playing and listening tests by a panel of experienced violinists were conducted at completion, after three years with no adjustment, and then after minor adjustments were made to the played violin only. Panels of players and listeners rated the two violins at all stages, and all results are consistent with the null hypothesis: at present there is no significant preference for either instrument over a range of categories.
Making Violins with Tasmanian Tonewood: expect the unexpected
Tonewood is the term employed to describe the wood species used to make musical instruments. These species have a proven record of consistent mechanical and acoustic qualities. Existing data show that a number of Tasmanian tonewood species have been used by luthiers over the past 25 years with varying success. Violin makers in particular, having to carve instrument plates from a solid block of wood, have found these species to be quite unpredictable when compared to the traditional, and reliable, European resonance spruce and curly maple. The aim of this paper is to discuss the acoustic qualities of 6 Tasmanian tonewood species which are not currently used in violin making, and the remarkable differences found between some Tasmanian species and some European species. In order to gather further information on Tasmanian tonewood, 30 specimens of wood from 6 species currently used by luthiers for guitars and other instruments were sourced; 175 test samples were then cut off the mother boards. These samples were used to conduct a series of acoustic tests for acoustical characterization of specimens. A new criterion to study the anisotropy of resonance woods was proposed (the ratio between the acoustic radiation and acoustic impedance). The most effective combination of species seems to be for the top Huon or King Billy Pine and Beech Myrtle for the back
From touch to string vibrations. I: Timing in the grand piano action
This article describes an experimental study of the timing in the grand piano action. The function of the action is described by timetables for the motions of the moving parts. Important timing properties included are the relation between key bottom contact and hammer–string contact, the interval of free hammer motion before the impact on the string, and the hammer–string contact duration. The influence of the regulation and dynamic level on these timing properties is analyzed. The results of the measurements are discussed, with a focus on the implications for piano playing, regulation, and design.