Technique: A scientific approach to violin resonance

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How a basic knowledge of acoustical physics can help us to produce a richer, more ringing tone

I usually spend one whole lesson introducing each of these ideas to a student; then I give them a week to process each idea while working on a scale and an etude. If they need more of an incentive, in the next lesson we’ll use solo Bach instead. I once had a nine-year-old achieve a fantastic, resonant sound in just a week, but I’ve had college students take a whole year. If a student is struggling to make a good sound, be sure to check their instrument set-up: a badly carved bridge, a misplaced soundpost or an open seam can really affect the instrument responds…

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