Mouthpiece characteristics

[peterbas]

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[bloke]

looks like an interesting little article, but there was a paywall after the first paragraph

[peterbas]

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[bloke]

I've heard some remarkably-fine not-old fiddles.
I have wondered if the 18th century instruments sound (not denying their *exceptionalism) is just as much due to whose hands they're in, as anything.
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*wow...I just double-checked to make certain that I was using that word correctly, and there is e̶x̶c̶e̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ extraordinary bias against the word, in the googawiki-Newspeak-groupthink universe.

[peterbas]

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[Mary Ann]

I've heard some remarkably-fine not-old fiddles.
I have wondered if the 18th century instruments sound (not denying their *exceptionalism) is just as much due to whose hands they're in, as anything.

up to a point, yes, it matters whose hands are playing it. But any competent player can get one of those to put out. Some better than others, but you can hear it.

[bloke]

I've heard some remarkably-fine not-old fiddles.
I have wondered if the 18th century instruments sound (not denying their *exceptionalism) is just as much due to whose hands they're in, as anything.
______________________________
*wow...I just double-checked to make certain that I was using that word correctly, and there is e̶x̶c̶e̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ extraordinary bias against the word, in the googawiki-Newspeak-groupthink universe.

It is stated that the new ones project better.
First rule in audio comparison of speakers, cd players, amps... is that both must sound just as loud, less then 1 dB difference, because the loudest one just about always sound better.
Maybe that is happening here also, the new violins are louder so they sound better.

yeah...Personally, I'm past that audio deception. I've heard enough (well-preserved and well-played) 1930's/1940's top-tier bassoons, 1950's/1960's top-tier saxophones, (etc., etc., etc...) - vs. modern-era instruments (maximized for decibel output) to listen for color, rather than volume...and the same certainly goes with tubas.

[donn]

From Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Listener evaluations of new and Old Italian violins

Old Italian violins are widely believed to have playing qualities unobtainable in new violins, including the ability to project their sound more effectively in a hall. Because Old Italian instruments are now priced beyond the reach of the vast majority of players, it seems important to test the fundamental assumption of their tonal superiority. A recent study found that, under blind conditions, violin soloists generally prefer new violins and are unable to distinguish between new and old at better than chance levels. This paper extends the results to listeners in a hall. We find that they generally prefer new violins over Stradivaris, consider them better-projecting, and are no better than players at telling new and old apart.
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In two separate experiments, three new violins were compared with three by Stradivari. Projection was tested both with and without orchestral accompaniment. Projection and preference were judged simultaneously by dividing listeners into two groups. Results are unambiguous. The new violins projected better than the Stradivaris whether tested with orchestra or without, the new violins were generally preferred by the listeners, and the listeners could not reliably distinguish new from old. The single best-projecting violin was considered the loudest under the ear by players, and on average, violins that were quieter under the ear were found to project less well.
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Selection of the Violins for the New York Experiment.
New violins were chosen from a pool of 15 violins (including N5) submitted by their makers. A preselection took place in the same venue as the experiment. J.C. and the distinguished violin maker Sam Zygmuntovicz played the violins under blind conditions and selected what they considered the best eight violins. The selection of three new instruments was made by a blind test similar to the preselection in Paris (7). Three blindfolded soloists (the two participating in the experiment along with Karen Gyomo) each played eight violins behind an acoustically transparent screen for a small audience (J.C., F.-C.T., Sam Zygmuntovicz, and the two soloists who were not playing). Three violins (including N5) were chosen via an informal discussion of the player and listener preferences. There was good agreement among all parties.

Of course there's lots more. If you wanted to stick up for the old violins, you might be able to make a case that not every old instrument is of equal potential. I don't seen anything about selection of the old ones, they may have just settled for the three Stradivari examples they could lay their hands on.

Anyway, tuba players need to rise the level of importance of the violinist, so research like this can happen with the tuba. Can the listener hear the difference between tubas of the same model with yellow and gold brass? Etc.

[peterbas]

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[donn]

Though of course, it would be of only tangential interest. Musicians are artists, not engineers. If a rose brass bell does it for you, it's what you need. The point of the debunking experiment is to protect the overly credulous from people like us, wasters of time on the internet, and of course from teachers.

[peterbas]

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