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The Living Art of Violin Playing
Blending creative insights with wisdom of the masters,
professional violinist Maureen Taranto-Pyatt shares practical
guidance in her new methodology, Progressive Form.
With The Living Art of Violin Playing , violinists will
learn to appreciate the physics and geometry of movement to
facilitate a nuanced flow of compression and release in the
playing. A gradual building of technique begins from sitting or
standing, moves through the torso into the left arm first, sets up
an effective bow arm, and then combines the two in a holistic
context. Imagery invigorates each of the technical moments,
instilling new patterns that are now memorable and integrating each
component into larger forms.
Featuring nearly 400 photos and music examples to illustrate
technical elements through balance and gesture, Progressive Form
can be used as a step-by-step retooling of technique or as a
reference for targeted issues. A comprehensive exploration of
method in service of musical expression, The Living Art of
Violin Playing offers the aspiring and serious violinist a
path toward a more liberated musical world.
eBook
Acoustic evolution of old Italian violins from Amati to Stradivari
The shape and design of the modern violin are largely influenced by two makers from Cremona, Italy: The instrument was invented by Andrea Amati and then improved by Antonio Stradivari. Although the construction methods of Amati and Stradivari have been carefully examined, the underlying acoustic qualities which contribute to their popularity are little understood. According to Geminiani, a Baroque violinist, the ideal violin tone should “rival the most perfect human voice.” To investigate whether Amati and Stradivari violins produce voice-like features, we recorded the scales of 15 antique Italian violins as well as male and female singers. The frequency response curves are similar between the Andrea Amati violin and human singers, up to ∼4.2 kHz. By linear predictive coding analyses, the first two formants of the Amati exhibit vowel-like qualities (F1/F2 = 503/1,583 Hz), mapping to the central region on the vowel diagram. Its third and fourth formants (F3/F4 = 2,602/3,731 Hz) resemble those produced by male singers. Using F1 to F4 values to estimate the corresponding vocal tract length, we observed that antique Italian violins generally resemble basses/baritones, but Stradivari violins are closer to tenors/altos. Furthermore, the vowel qualities of Stradivari violins show reduced backness and height. The unique formant properties displayed by Stradivari violins may represent the acoustic correlate of their distinctive brilliance perceived by musicians. Our data demonstrate that the pioneering designs of Cremonese violins exhibit voice-like qualities in their acoustic output.
Journal Article
Modal analysis of violin bodies with back plates made of different wood species
This research investigated the potential of some European wood species for use in the manufacturing of the back plates of violins as an alternative to the quite rare curly maple wood. An experimental modal analysis was employed for this purpose using the impact hammer method. The modal analysis was performed both on the top and back plates, as individual structures, and then after being integrated into the violin body. The modal analysis envisaged the determination of the eigenfrequencies (natural frequencies), the number of spectral components, and the quality factor, as important indicators of the acoustic performances of a musical instrument. A multi-criteria analysis based on the values obtained for these indicators allowed interesting findings concerning the acoustic properties of the selected wood species (hornbeam, willow, ash, bird-eye maple, walnut, and poplar). Same as curly maple, they all have special aesthetics, but only hornbeam, willow, and ash wood proved to have acoustic potential as well.
Journal Article
The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin
The different mechanical properties of the materials from which the tailpieces are made have a noticeable effect on the acoustic performance of the violin. These elements are made today from ebony, rosewood, boxwood, aluminium, or plastic. The aim of this study was to check the exact impact of tailpieces made of different materials on the frequency response function (FRF) of a violin’s bridge and the timbre of the instrument’s sound. For this purpose, the bridge FRF measurement was carried out, and a psychoacoustic test was conducted. The material from which the tailpiece is made to the greatest extent affects the modal frequencies in the range 530–610 Hz (mode B1+), which mainly manifested itself in a change in the instrument’s timbre in terms of the brightness factor. The study showed that the lighter the tailpiece, the darker the sound of the violin. It was also revealed that the selection of accessories affects factors such as openness, thickness, and overall quality of the sound.
Journal Article
Before the Chinrest
Drawing on the principles of Francesco Geminiani and four decades of experience as a baroque and classical violinist, Stanley Ritchie offers a valuable resource for anyone wishing to learn about 17th-18th-and early 19th-century violin technique and style. While much of the work focuses on the technical aspects of playing the pre-chinrest violin, these approaches are also applicable to the viola, and in many ways to the modern violin. Before the Chinrest includes illustrated sections on right- and left-hand technique, aspects of interpretation during the Baroque, Classical, and early-Romantic eras, and a section on developing proper intonation.
eBook