Study of the effects of different endpin materials on cello sound characteristics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of changing a cello's endpin material and boundary conditions on the sound and vibration characteristics of a cello. It was hypothesized that an endpin made of a denser material than stainless steel, which is traditionally used, would improve the tone quality of the cello. In terms of endpin boundary conditions, it was hypothesized that using a shorter endpin with fixed end conditions might also improve the vibration characteristics and sound radiation efficiency of the cello. Objective and subjective tests were conducted to examine the effects of the different endpin materials. Sound power level output and vibration measurements of a cellist playing on different endpins were obtained following ISO 3741. In general, sound power levels and measured vibrations were consistent for all endpins for all notes tested. For the subjective study, volunteer cellists played selected excerpts with the different endpins, not knowing which endpin they were using. This testing showed that the tungsten endpin gives the cello a tone quality with similar warmth to the stock endpin but makes the cello less responsive. The results of both the objective and subjective tests for all endpin materials will be presented.