Lutherie

Violin modal analysis – part two: Good vibrations

2021-08-02T10:17:00

047 table1

In the second of a two-part article from July 2009, Joseph Curtin continues his investigation of the low-frequency resonances that influence a violin’s acoustic behaviour

In 1680, the year that Stradivari moved into his shop on the Piazza San Domenico, the English scientist Robert Hooke dusted a plate of glass with flour and then drew a violin bow across its edge. The bow set the glass into vibration, and the flour migrated to the areas that were moving least, making visible the patterns of vibration in the plate…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.