An Electronic Violin
J. Kohut, M. V. Mathews · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1972
The electronic violin described here was developed from data obtained in previous studies in which the resonances of a violin body were simulated electronically. The mechanical part of the electronic instrument consists of a violin without a body. Transducers, sensitive to string motions at the bridge, drive 28 electrical resonances which substitute for those of the normal violin body. The filtered, amplified voltages are applied to a loudspeaker. Violinists report the electronic instrument is easier to play than a conventional one because it responds faster and its strings are easier to bow. By changing the amplitudes of various resonances, the instrument can be quickly adjusted to produce a wide range of tone qualities. Nonlinear enhancements of responsiveness and tone quality are possible.