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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
An investigation of the f-hole shape’s influence on the modal response of the violin
The violin’s f-hole shape plays a significant role in determining the instrument’s modal response. Researchers have long studied the influence of the f-hole shape on the A0 or Helmholtz mode through simplified lumped-element representations of this resonator-like mode. Nonetheless, the f-hole shape’s impact on the violin’s other modes remains ambiguous, partly due to the difficulties of modeling the instrument’s coupled acoustic and structural modal response. This work presents a coupled structural-acoustic model to predict how the f-hole shape alters the violin’s signature modes. The simulated results suggest that increasing the f-hole aperture size increases the radiated sound power of the A0 and B1− modes. The enlarged f-hole size also augments radiated levels for some higher frequency modes, including modes in the bridge-island region. Sequential measurements on a fractional-sized violin using two different f-hole shapes confirm the trend, highlighting the utility of altering the f-hole shape to tune the violin’s modal response.
Journal Article
X-ray Imaging and Computed Tomography for the Identification of Geometry and Construction Elements in the Structure of Old Violins
Numerous studies on heritage violins have shown that there are a number of factors that contribute to the acoustic quality of old violins. Among them are the geometric shape of the violin, the thickness of the tiles, the arching of the tiles, the dimensions and position of the bass bar, the size and position of the acoustic holes. Thus, the paper aims to compare the structural and constructive elements of old violins made in various famous violin workshops (Stainer, Klotz, Leeb, Babos Bela), using nondestructive and noncontact techniques based on image analysis. The violins that were studied date from 1716 to 1920, being in good condition, most of them being used by artists from the Brașov Philharmonic of Romania. In the first stage of the study, the violins were optically analyzed and scanned to identify the structure of the resonant wood, using the WinDENDRO Density 2007 program. X-ray imaging and computed tomography (CT) were also used. Combining the types of analyses, capitalizing on the expertise of violin producers and the knowledge of researchers in the field, valuable data on the geometric and constructive characteristics of old violins were extracted.
Journal Article
Listener evaluations of new and Old Italian violins
Old Italian violins are routinely credited with playing qualities supposedly unobtainable in new instruments. These qualities include the ability to project their sound more effectively in a concert hall—despite seeming relatively quiet under the ear of the player—compared with new violins. Although researchers have long tried to explain the “mystery” of Stradivari’s sound, it is only recently that studies have addressed the fundamental assumption of tonal superiority. Results from two studies show that, under blind conditions, experienced violinists tend to prefer playing new violins over Old Italians. Moreover, they are unable to tell new from old at better than chance levels. This study explores the relative merits of Stradivari and new violins from the perspective of listeners in a hall. Projection and preference are taken as the two broadest criteria by which listeners might meaningfully compare violins. Which violins are heard better, and which are preferred? In two separate experiments, three new violins were compared with three by Stradivari. Projection was tested both with and without orchestral accompaniment. Projection and preference were judged simultaneously by dividing listeners into two groups. Results are unambiguous. The new violins projected better than the Stradivaris whether tested with orchestra or without, the new violins were generally preferred by the listeners, and the listeners could not reliably distinguish new from old. The single best-projecting violin was considered the loudest under the ear by players, and on average, violins that were quieter under the ear were found to project less well.
Journal Article
Research on Violin Audio Feature Recognition Based on Mel-frequency Cepstral Coefficient-based Feature Parameter Extraction
This paper focuses on the feature recognition of violin audio. After introducing the preprocessing method, the common feature parameters, linear predictive cepstral coefficient (LPCC) and mel-frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC), were explained. Then, MFCC + △MFCC was used as the feature parameter. The parameters of support vector machine (SVM) were optimized using the firefly algorithm (FA). The FA-SVM method was used to recognize different violin audios. It was found that the identification rate of the FA-SVM approach was above 95% for different violin notes. The recognition effect was better when using MFCC + △MFCC as the feature parameter compared with LPCC and MFCC. The FA-SVM method achieved the highest recognition rate of 97.42%. The results demonstrate the reliability of the FA-SVM method based on MFCC feature parameter extraction. This method can be applied in practical audio recognition.
Journal Article
Effects of Violin Back Arch Height Variations on Auditory Perception
One of the quintessential goals of musical instrument acoustics is to improve the perceived sound produced by, e.g., a violin. To achieve this, the connections between physical (mechanical and geometrical) properties and perceived sound output need to be understood. In this article, a single facet of this complex problem will be discussed using experimental results obtained for six violins of varying back arch height. This is the first investigation of its kind to focus on back arch height. It may serve to inform instrument makers and researchers alike about the variation in sound that can be achieved by varying this parameter. The test instruments were constructed using state-of-the-art methodology to best represent the theoretical case of changing back arch height on a single instrument. Three values of back arch height (12.1, 14.8 and 17.5 mm) were investigated. The subsequent perceptual tests consisted of a free sorting task in the playing situation and three two-alternative forced choice listening tests. The descriptors “round” and “warm” were found to be linked to back arch height. The trend was non-linear, meaning that both low- and high-arch height instruments were rated as possessing more of these descriptors than their medium-arch height counterparts. Additional results were obtained using stimuli created by hybrid synthesis. However, these could not be linked to those using real playing or recordings. The results of this study serve to inform violin makers about the relative importance of back arch height and its specific influence on sound output. The discussion of the applied methodology and interpretation of results may serve to inform researchers about important new directions in the field of musical instrument acoustics.
Journal Article