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An experimental study of changes in the impulse response of a wood plate that is subject to vibrational stimulus
Abstract
It is a well-known dictum among players of stringed instruments that the tone of a new instrument improves with playing and that a fine instrument needs to be played if it is to maintain its optimum sound quality. This process is sometimes referred to as ``playing in'' an instrument. There is scant mention in the scientific literature, however, of a quantitative analysis of this phenomenon. As a first step in rigorously testing this hypothesis, measurements were made of tap tones of rectangular pieces of thin spruce before and after they were subjected to vibrational stimulus. Four spruce rectangles (20x28 cm) were cut from a single sheet obtained from a luthier supplier; three of these were stimulated at different amplitudes, while the fourth was a control plate. The stimulus (provided by a harmonically driven guitar string connected to the plate via a bridge) lasted approximately 10 weeks, during which time tap tones of all four plates were periodically recorded. Spectrograms of the tap tones are compared among the plates and over time. A preliminary analysis of the data does not reveal any significant changes in the acoustic response of the plates.
... According to a jury of players and listeners prolonged vibration of violins has led to improvements [3,4] and to measurable variations in vibrational and acoustic properties related to better tone and violin playing qualities [2,5]. Though, not all the studies detected a measurable change of mechanical properties of violin wood after extensive excitation [6], and again the improvement of string instruments, due to these changes does not appear clear and unmistakeable, since sound quality is a subjective characteristic, extremely complex to quantify. In the past decades several automatic violin playing devices were patented to enhance their sound quality. ...
Professional players claim that stringed musical instruments exhibit better acoustic behaviour if they are frequently played. Although in literature there is no clear relationship between these phenomena, this work aims to develop a device capable of ”making a violin sound” autonomously, so that it can always be kept in optimal conditions. The paper shows the design aspects of the magnetostrictive actuator, its operating principle, the prototype development and the experimental characterization. The prototype is then mounted on a new violin, simulating its continuous use for a week. During the test the acoustic measurements showed a large change in the acoustic response of the instrument, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the magnetostrictive actuator in the training of a stringed instrument.
... Außerdem zeigt sich, dass diese Effekte abhängig von der Feuchtigkeit [5, 6, 7] oder sogar durch Feuchtigkeitsschwankungen umkehrbar sind [5]. Allerdings gibt es auch eine Untersuchung, die trotz 10-wöchiger Vibration keine signifikante Veränderung bei Fichte fand [8]. ...
Zusammenfassung: Unter kontrollierten experimentellen Bedingungen konnte bisher keine subjektiv empfundene Klangverbesserung von Musikinstrumenten durch Einspielen nachgewiesen werden. Auch die bloße Unterscheidbarkeit zwischen viel und wenig gespielten Instrumenten misslang auf subjektiver Ebene. Spielabhängige Veränderungen in der Frequenzkurve können anscheinend messbar sein, wurden aber nicht in allen Untersuchungen gefunden. In diesem Artikel werden empirische Befunde zu natürlichem und künstlichem (maschinellem) Einspielen sowie verschiedene Erklärungsansätze für einen möglichen Einspieleffekt vorgestellt.
... Also these effects are dependent on the humidity [5,6,7,] or can even be reversed during humidity fluctuation [5]. Yet one experiment showed no significant changes in spruce, despite being subjected to vibrations over a ten-week period [8]. ...
Perceptual enhancement of the sound of musical instruments due to long-term playing has not been found yet in experiments under controlled conditions. Subjects were even unable to make a mere differentiation between much and less played instruments. Constant playing may lead to changes in the frequency curve, but are not found in all studies. This review article presents empirical findings concerning natural and artificial (mechanical) breaking-in. Different explanations for a possible breaking-in effect are discussed.
... Extended mechanical vibration of violins has produced improvements as judged by listeners and players [5,6] as well as measurable changes in the vibro-acoustic properties that are associated with improved tone and playing qualities [5,7]. However, not all studies have shown a measurable mechanical change of violin wood upon extensive mechanical excitation [8], and there is again no simple a priori reason to suggest that these changes will improve the instrument. However it might be argued that mechanisms that produce mechanical loss could be affected by sufficiently vigorous excitation. ...
This is a report on the fi rst three years of a long-term experiment designed to measure how two very similar violins change with time. After being constructed'in parallel,'one is stored under controlled conditions in a museum and is played infrequently, while the other is played regularly by a professional musician. Vibro-acoustic measurements were performed on the instruments and parts thereof during and after construction. Playing and listening tests by a panel of experienced violinists were conducted at completion, after three years with no adjustment, and then after minor adjustments were made to the played violin only. Panels of players and listeners rated the two violins at all stages, and all results are consistent with the null hypothesis: at present there is no signifi cant preference for either instrument over a range of categories.
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