Very interesting series love learning about all of this. My great grandfather used to make violins and I have decided I want to pick and build them as well.. thank you for your great videos!
Thank you for making this great video. I would like to know why don't you think that the surface curvature and thickness of top/back plates are more critical for the sound?
This all has to do with harmonics supported in the shape (resonance) one millimeter will mean it resonates on different frequencies, so 4 millimeters is a lot. The thickness has to do with inertia. The lighter and thiner it is the easier it is to get it to vibrate so it will be louder with less effort. Thicker will sound more dampened. We even make super thick violins for practicing without being too loud. The arch has to do with rigidity and volume. The more space inside the more air you can move making it louder. The curves also make the shape stronger. With flat top instruments we have to put bracing in it to keep it rigid not so with arch top instruments. Of corse there are many many more variables than just thickness and shape.
What other dimensions of the violin make big differences? Do the masters rib widths differ much at all. Wonder if you could do a video on the top 10 ranked characteristics of the violin and setup that make the biggest differences in sound quality. Eric
The profiles appear very close, so I'm wondering if the difference in quality of sound comes from the choice of wood and or the difference in the carving depth.
First of all It’s the model; than comes the arching and thickness. The type of material has of course an impact, dramatic if it isn’t maple for the back and spruce for the top; but after all has the fewest impact compared to model, arching and thickness!
@@EdgarRuss Thank you so much for the reply. I hadn't thought about the difference in the arching. Does the tightness of the grain in the spruce play much of a part in quality of sound? I live outside of Seattle, Washington. There are still a few old homes, and some of the old buildings that were made of old growth timber, which was mostly fir. The wood has an interesting quality of sound when worked, or walking on it.
😂 Your comment made my day! Thank you and all the best! Edgar PS.: excersice for better Russ Clap Performance: Just when your first leg touches the floor next to your bed make a clap and say hallo allo, another great day!
Hi Happy, I just happened to have made up a set of drawings based on the 1573 Payne Gonley Amati. Amati's tend to run a little smaller when compared to strads G forma (but all the strads prior to the G forma were smaller). The big difference is in the archings. I had thought I measured it wrong at first when i saw the number. Strads golden period top arching is about 15mm. The Payne Gonley has a top arch of approximately 20mm (a lot of Strads early instruments, the so-called Amateized period, have this huge arch also. Bear in mind that Strads golden period archings were considered revolutionarily low in his time. Checking out other makers of the time, Stainer, most of the Bresicans, etc also made 20mm top archings.
Amati is very round and narrow in the C bouts; upper width is also narrow Stradivari is more equilibrated and more sifisticated, seems like it has been designed by using less the divider and more the personal drawing. Proportions are less extreme which gives a larger C bouts area. The main difference beside the shape is the sound: Amati is smaller in volume and more beautiful Stradivari is bigger and better in projection. Thats my personal experience. All the best Edgar
Thank You so very much for all that you do and for all of the information that you tell and show to us !!!!
Always nice to read your feedback!
Thanks a lot!
Glad you’re back! Missed your TH-cam videos - and a topic I have a lot of curiosity about
You are welcome, Ariel!
Thanks!
Always been fascinated by this quesiton. Thank you for this Edgar!
Thanks!
Very interesting series love learning about all of this. My great grandfather used to make violins and I have decided I want to pick and build them as well.. thank you for your great videos!
Great video, thank you!
Thank you so much!
All the best
Edgar
Thank you very much Edgar. Very good video. Very ilustrative!!!
Thank you Jim!
Thank you for making this great video. I would like to know why don't you think that the surface curvature and thickness of top/back plates are more critical for the sound?
Hello hello Edgar, Nice to see you again on this channel. As always very interesting and educative the topic you bring to us.
Thanks Marcello!
We will see us this week during our live March Q&A from Patreon,
I would think that the plate thickness and arching makes more of a tonal difference than the 1 or 2 mm shape differences.
Not to mention the wood used. Many variables.
This all has to do with harmonics supported in the shape (resonance) one millimeter will mean it resonates on different frequencies, so 4 millimeters is a lot. The thickness has to do with inertia. The lighter and thiner it is the easier it is to get it to vibrate so it will be louder with less effort. Thicker will sound more dampened. We even make super thick violins for practicing without being too loud. The arch has to do with rigidity and volume. The more space inside the more air you can move making it louder. The curves also make the shape stronger. With flat top instruments we have to put bracing in it to keep it rigid not so with arch top instruments. Of corse there are many many more variables than just thickness and shape.
Thank you for the great vid really appreciate it
You are welcome!
Thanks for your comment!
All the best
Edgar
What other dimensions of the violin make big differences? Do the masters rib widths differ much at all. Wonder if you could do a video on the top 10 ranked characteristics of the violin and setup that make the biggest differences in sound quality. Eric
The profiles appear very close, so I'm wondering if the difference in quality of sound comes from the choice of wood and or the difference in the carving depth.
Yes, I was wondering about wood thicknesses and arch shapes and their impact. Aren't these different between those models, too?
First of all
It’s the model; than comes the arching and thickness. The type of material has of course an impact, dramatic if it isn’t maple for the back and spruce for the top; but after all has the fewest impact compared to model, arching and thickness!
@@EdgarRuss Thank you so much for the reply. I hadn't thought about the difference in the arching. Does the tightness of the grain in the spruce play much of a part in quality of sound?
I live outside of Seattle, Washington. There are still a few old homes, and some of the old buildings that were made of old growth timber, which was mostly fir. The wood has an interesting quality of sound when worked, or walking on it.
I just love the Russ Clap (TM).
I tried it and it hurts!
😂 Your comment made my day!
Thank you and all the best!
Edgar
PS.: excersice for better Russ Clap Performance:
Just when your first leg touches the floor next to your bed make a clap and say hallo allo, another great day!
@@EdgarRuss Your answer made my day! I will wake up tomorow and CLAP!
Very nice 😊
Thanks Charalampos!
All the best
Edgar
Have you ever crafted a smooth violin with no edges? Or a violin with viola d’gamba features?
Ciao Escobar! No I haven’t but I would love to find the time to it! And you?
All the best
E
Key diffrences between Nicolo Amati and Stradivari?
Hi Happy, I just happened to have made up a set of drawings based on the 1573 Payne Gonley Amati. Amati's tend to run a little smaller when compared to strads G forma (but all the strads prior to the G forma were smaller). The big difference is in the archings. I had thought I measured it wrong at first when i saw the number. Strads golden period top arching is about 15mm. The Payne Gonley has a top arch of approximately 20mm (a lot of Strads early instruments, the so-called Amateized period, have this huge arch also. Bear in mind that Strads golden period archings were considered revolutionarily low in his time. Checking out other makers of the time, Stainer, most of the Bresicans, etc also made 20mm top archings.
Thanks!
Correct!
Edgar
Amati is very round and narrow in the C bouts; upper width is also narrow
Stradivari is more equilibrated and more sifisticated, seems like it has been designed by using less the divider and more the personal drawing. Proportions are less extreme which gives a larger C bouts area.
The main difference beside the shape is the sound:
Amati is smaller in volume and more beautiful
Stradivari is bigger and better in projection.
Thats my personal experience.
All the best
Edgar
Are violins always symmetric? According to my first thoughts I imagine that asymmetric designs have a broader resonance spectrum.
Oh yay!!!!!
🤩
Some look the same on the outside but sound horrid.
Clapping your hands at the start of a video, before anybody can adjust their volume level, is extremely tacky and rude.
Hahaha 😂 you must be a very sensitive soul , bless you.