Measurable Characteristics of Violin-Family Instruments in Relation to the Sound of a High-Quality Violin

Abstract

The extreme variations in the mechanical as well as acoustical properties of wood, not only within a given species, but even within the same tree, have plagued violin researchers for nearly 100 years and violin makers for more than 300 years. The lore of violin making tells us that a spruce tree growing on the north side of a mountain should be cut in the spring when the water is moving up in the wood cells, and that the first six or eight feet of the trunk should be discarded because the twisting and the weight of the big trunk cause increased density in the wood with a less even grain structure. The wood should then be cut into lengths, free of knots and sap cracks, and split into so-called flitches that can be used for various violin-family instruments, depending on size. When a flitch is properly cut and joined for a violin top, the annual-ring spacing, or grain, ideally should be narrow in the center of the violin top, gradually becoming wider toward the edges. Also, the grain should be vertical to the bottom surface of the top plate. The more researchers study the desirable parameters of spruce for the proper tuning of violin top and back free plates and the effects they have on the finished instrument, the more the seemingly unsupported lore of violin making makes very good sense.