Secrets Of Stradivarius’ Unique Sound Revealed

Texas A&M ^ | January 22, 2009 | Unknown

[decimon]

Funny how the instruments come to resemble the owners.

[wildbill]

I woodn’t fret over this.

[decimon]

I woodn’t fret over this.

I bow to your wit.

[wildbill]

Just stringin’ ya along.

[decimon]

Just stringin’ ya along.

Fiddlin' with me, huh?

[Publius6961]

Secrets Of Stradivarius’ Unique Sound Revealed

Dang it, another one?

This must be the 283,103rd authoritative explanation!

*yawn*

[decimon]

This must be the 283,103rd authoritative explanation!

Itzhakly right.

[School of Rational Thought]

When they speak of consistency in sound, don’t they mean though each octave of the instrument? or is it quality from instrument to instrument? or both?

[decimon]

When they speak of consistency in sound, don’t they mean though each octave of the instrument? or is it quality from instrument to instrument?

I meant the latter. I'm just some guy with a keyboard.

[widdle_wabbit]

To: SandWMan

An interesting overview on wood finish can be found in first link, thanks for mentioning water glass.

Water Glass may be (is term used in Britain) an archival or restoration fill/seal process and I wonder who would be using it but instrument repair (ers)?

“POTASSIUM SILICATE WATER GLASS”

“Potassium silicate water glass is better suited to instrument making than the more common sodium silicate water glass because it does not form the opaque patches that sometimes occur on a sodium silicate water glass surface while drying (caused by interaction with carbon dioxide in the air). It can be applied neat or diluted with some water.”

“The adhesion of varnish to water glass is excellent once both are thoroughly dry. But this adhesion can take many weeks to develop. Though the water glass appears dry in a matter of hours, residual moisture and the alkalinity it carries can affect drying of a varnish coat on top. It helps if one lets the water glass dry in a low-moisture atmosphere for several days before putting varnish on. We also recommend a thin layer of protein (eg. egg white or casein or glue) between the water glass and the varnish. This avoids unusually slow drying of the first varnish coat, and improves the initially poor adhesion that makes the varnish chippy for some time after application.”

http://www.nrinstruments.demon.co.uk/Varn.html
Here endeth water glass for instruments portion...

Then there is the present day usage of the term in and around diverse trades such as auto and ship repair..

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-water-glass.htm

“Also known as sodium silicate, water glass is a solution that may appear as a barely solid agent or a thick liquid. There are a number of different uses for water glass, with many of them related to the manufacture of products that encompass such areas as building materials, textiles, and fire safety. When combined with magnesium silicate, water glass can also be helpful in such tasks as repairing mufflers on automobiles.”

[AFreeBird]

The last theory I heard was actually brought up when talking about global warming/cooling, sunspots etc. That the area from which Stradivarius acquired his wood; the trees had suffered through sever cold for a long period of time before being harvested. As such, the trees grew slower, the rings were closer together, therefore making it denser.

Personally, it's probably "All of the Above". A confluence of events, materials and processes etc., all coming into place in time for Stradivarius to make his masterpieces.

[SunkenCiv]

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[bert]

He found chemicals but he proved no connection between the chemicals and the sound.

He offered no reason for the correlation or why the chemicals discovered changed sound emanating from the instrument

[wildbill]

Been hittin’ the blue grass.

[AndyJackson]

He offered no reason for the correlation or why the chemicals discovered changed sound emanating from the instrument

He did actually. His claim is that the various nanoparticles in the varnish and embeded in the wood dampen high frequency noise which brightens the sound. Since these kinds of materials properties are not normally the subject of the kind of analysis that physicists analyze for in modeling the acoustic modes of the string and sound box, they would not have been discussed before.

What is unique in his analysis is the coupling of new results from chemical analysis to the accoustic properties of the instrument.