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Scientists Dispel The Mystery Surrounding Stradivarius Violins
Science Daily ^ | 2005-07-13

Posted on 07/17/2005 9:35:07 AM PDT by nickcarraway

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1 posted on 07/17/2005 9:35:09 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Made by extraterrestrial violinsts. What else do I need to know?


2 posted on 07/17/2005 9:35:59 AM PDT by cyborg (http://mentalmumblings.blogspot.com/)
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To: cyborg

Made of spruce that grew slowly during the depths of the "Little Ice Age".


3 posted on 07/17/2005 9:38:06 AM PDT by Lessismore
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To: Lessismore

BUMP!


4 posted on 07/17/2005 9:38:32 AM PDT by Publius6961 (The most abundant things in the universe are ignorance, stupidity and hydrogen)
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To: nickcarraway

Sweden has lots of spruces and mooses. I live in fear that like Germany once did, they will soon export violins to all of the peace-loving countries of Europe.


5 posted on 07/17/2005 9:38:57 AM PDT by dr_who_2
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To: nickcarraway

So what did old Stradivarius do? I imagine he shaped the tops and checked for resonance all the time until the top gave off the sound he wanted. He would have used a small leather mallot to tap the wood.


6 posted on 07/17/2005 9:39:19 AM PDT by RightWhale (Substance is essentially the relationship of accidents to itself)
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To: Lessismore

I had a case this weekend that was most interesting. I had to accompany one of Sweden's greatest violinists to a wedding. The violin is one of my favorites.


7 posted on 07/17/2005 9:39:26 AM PDT by cyborg (http://mentalmumblings.blogspot.com/)
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To: RightWhale

placing sand on the soundboard and running a bow along the edge of the soundboard will set up a vibration that will reaveal a specific pattern in the sand.

He may have also used this technique to achieve a particular resonance


8 posted on 07/17/2005 9:54:15 AM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: dr_who_2; cyborg

There's entirely too much sax and violins on FR these days.


9 posted on 07/17/2005 9:54:26 AM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: martin_fierro
Sax and Violins?!


10 posted on 07/17/2005 9:57:34 AM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: martin_fierro

lol


11 posted on 07/17/2005 10:08:13 AM PDT by cyborg (http://mentalmumblings.blogspot.com/)
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To: nickcarraway

There have been countless studies by people trying to discover just what makes Stradivarius violins great, and I doubt anyone will ever be able to put a finger on it with any certainty. There are just too many factors that go into an instrument, and even two violins made of wood from the same tree (well...usually it'd be spruce for the top and maple for the back and sides) won't necessarily sound at all alike.


12 posted on 07/17/2005 10:14:07 AM PDT by RosieCotton (Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. - G.K. Chesterton)
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To: cyborg

My little sister is learning to build and repair violins. She loves it! She's only built one so far, but it turned out really well, though not cosmetically perfect. My Dad is still trying to talk her into selling. He plays, and really loves the sound of her firstborn. ;-)


13 posted on 07/17/2005 10:15:45 AM PDT by RosieCotton (Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. - G.K. Chesterton)
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To: nickcarraway
I seem to recall they discovered a few years ago that he used a different finish that also impacted the resonance.


Scared Bunny Blog
Not for the timid

14 posted on 07/17/2005 10:16:14 AM PDT by sharktrager (My life is like a box of chocolates, but someone took all the good ones.)
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To: RosieCotton

It's probably a good thing they can't figure it all out.


15 posted on 07/17/2005 10:17:36 AM PDT by cyborg (http://mentalmumblings.blogspot.com/)
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To: cyborg

It's fascinating all the same! There have been so many studies...most of which prove to be only partially true.

There was a guy a few years back who was convinced it was the finish, but as I recall, other luthiers thought of him as a quack. Wish I could remember the details.

I know, I know...Google is my friend.


16 posted on 07/17/2005 10:19:15 AM PDT by RosieCotton (Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. - G.K. Chesterton)
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To: mylife
It will do that. Another factor is the location of the bass bar relative to the sound post.

I wonder how Stradivarius got started. Who would have fed him while he was figuring out his technique; the time involved must have been extensive and he wouldn't have had time to hold down a regular job or even maintain a garden.

17 posted on 07/17/2005 11:36:49 AM PDT by RightWhale (Substance is essentially the relationship of accidents to itself)
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To: RightWhale

Stradivarius was a deadbeat I guess.


18 posted on 07/17/2005 11:51:38 AM PDT by cajungirl (no)
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To: cajungirl

I guess he was, unless he began to make and sell his product while still under his parent's roof. Or, he might have been sent to apprenticeship if someone noticed he had both hands and ears.


19 posted on 07/17/2005 11:56:29 AM PDT by RightWhale (Substance is essentially the relationship of accidents to itself)
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Just adding this to the GGG catalog, not sending a general distribution.

Years ago, an independent researcher figured out some of the kinda weird techniques Strad used to season the wood. He went so far as to build and sell violins which were a big hit with violinists all over the world.

Before that, sometime in the 1970s, a violinist in London got jostled getting off a bus; his instrument wound up falling onto the street just as the bus pulled away. After the violin was no more, the Strad signature was visible. Formerly it was inside the soundbox. The violinist had been playing it all his life, and hadn't known. :'(

Please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
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20 posted on 07/17/2005 1:41:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (last updated by FR profile on Tuesday, May 10, 2005.)
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