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Musicians are meddling in "OUR" arguments...........

Posted by Roger Hill (A) on April 13, 2007 at 09:08:31

Read the link below regarding Stradivarius violins. Then this:

http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/13/4/8

Seems that violinists think that they can hear things that can't be measured. While I come down squarely against "obvious" snake oil, I have to believe that the musicians may know whereof they speak. Two anecdotes are of interest: When I was beginning my career as a physicist (long since over) I worked for Kaman Sciences. It was owned by Kaman corporation, a major manufacturer of helicopters. The founder, Charles Kaman was an engineer and guitar aficionado. He decided that his flutter and vibration engineers could surely build as good a guitar as any of the luthiers. He set them about measuring and duplicating the finest acoustic guitars available. The outcome was the the Ovation roundback. Only problem was that they simply couldn't sell them until they paid Glen Campbell to play them on his TV show. Seems that the engineers had done all of their acoustic measurements along an axis perpendicular to the face of the guitar, i.e. of the forward lobe, while the guitarists listen to a sidelobe. What the guitarists heard simply didn't sound right to them.

Second anecdote: Some years ago there was a segment on the CBS evening news about Stradivarius violins vs. new instruments. Featured Samuel Zygmuntowicz and his modern instruments. One of the musicians interviewed was Isaac Stern, who related a story of his "backup" violin, made by Zygmuntowicz. Stern, Izthak Perlman and YoYo Ma were practicing for some upcoming chamber recording..........neither Perlman nor Ma noticed that Stern was not playing his Stradivarius. Stern was then asked if Sam's violin was as good as the Strad. Stern's reply was (to the effect) that "it certainly sounds as good, but we won't know if it is as good until we see how it ages. Another 300 years or so and we will know."

Enjoy

Roger Hill

• Wll Street Journal article regarding Stradavarius violins.........   (Open in New Window)

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