Luthery & The Helmholtz Equation: An empirical approach

Why is it that in more than 250 years since the classical period so few Violins - even careful copies by accomplished makers - have been able to compete for the attention of distinguished players?Why is it that classical Violins, renowned for carrying power, have usually been at their best when set-up with lower Bridges and lower-tension strings than are fitted to most modern instruments?In this work, the author problematises the acoustics of the violin (and indeed those of other instruments in the string family) and suggests that many of the issues affecting performance and tone can be addressed through the analysis of capacity resonance and, in particular, with the re-examination of the relevance of Helmholtz. Read more