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Wood Density May Explain Stradivarius Secret

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the don't-sit-on-it dept.

Whorhay writes "A Dutch doctor and a violin maker from Arkansas have compared five classical and eight modern violins in a computed tomography (CT) scanner. Apparently the 300-year-old violins are made of wood with a more consistent density than the modern violins. They aren't saying for sure that this is what gives the Stradivarius violins their unique sound, but it's the first scientific explanation I've heard for it that seems to have merit." Unfortunately science has yet to explain how how all three chords I know ROCK on my SG.

6 of 318 comments (clear)

  1. Harmonics by Bandman · · Score: 5, Funny

    It might go a log way to preventing them from producing undesirable harmonics.

    Anyone know of any studies which looked at the waveforms to find unique qualities?

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    1. Re:Harmonics by An+ominous+Cow+art · · Score: 4, Funny

      It might go a log way

      Nicely played. :-)

    2. Re:Harmonics by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 4, Funny

      This is all too complicated. I'm just going to wait for "Violin Hero" to come out. The delux package comes with a kettle drum, brass and woodwind section, conductor's baton, etc.

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    3. Re:Harmonics by lastchance_000 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Great! Let's destroy them to build crappy guitars!

  2. Re:This has been known for years by zippthorne · · Score: 4, Funny

    So.. you blame Global Warming?

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  3. I wonder how long it will take nanotech to win? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Obviously we aren't there yet, not even close; but in principle the future(possibly even a future some of us will live to see) will hold nanolevel assembly techniques that will allow us to construct objects out of pretty much any material or mixture of materials that plays well with existence. I find it extraordinarily unlikely that the best possible violin is made of some sort of naturally occurring wood, finished with simple hand tools and crude chemistry. How long, though, will we resist such a conclusion?

    The same could be asked of wine. In principle, a team of analytical chemists with the right equipment and no reverence for the past could characterize(and possibly, at some future time, economically duplicate) whatever vintage has the experts drooling this week.