CT Scan Suggests that Wood Density is Responsible for the Unique Sound of Stradivarius Violin

By John Farrier in Music on Jul 2, 2008 at 4:23 pm

A CT scan of a Stradivarius suggests that its critical difference from other violins is the density of its wood:

Using an adaptation of a computer program developed to calculate lung densities in people with emphysema, they were able to analyze the physical properties of violins without risking damage to instruments worth millions of dollars.

They found no significant differences between the median densities of the modern and the antique violins but did discover far less variation between wood grains of early and late growth in the old ones.

Link (Photo: Brendan McDermid of Reuters)

Neat stuff from the NeatoShop:

CheeseDuck
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Does this mean they can clone me a Strad?
Goober
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
A lot of hard science has been applied to try to figure out *why* a Strad sounds better. But none has been used to prove it actually *does* sound better. Like all flavors of audiophiles, the people who worship these things are idiots. They sound better because you expect them to.
Lionheart
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Give me two! It´s happy hour.
CheeseDuck
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Not really, you can tell how different a Strad sounds compared to a cheap factory made violin.
kid_icarus
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
i wonder if that’ll change how the chicago school of violin making teaches…….
rob
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
perhaps i’m a time traveler and don’t know it but it seems this “news” came out like 20 years ago.
su.wei
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
i play the violin and i would kill to get my hands on that one!
Goober
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Can you point me to a double blind study that proves that anyone can tell the difference?
Thomas
Jul 3rd, 2008 at 1:16 am
Who would give a Stradivarius to a blind guy to test, let alone someone who’s double blind? That’s just asking to have it broken.
Nate
Jul 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I’m with Rob. They figured out a long time ago that trees harvested that were grown during the “little ice age” were more dense, and therefore sound better.

Keep track of the comments with

Comment RSS

Lijit Search

The latest from NeatoBambino: