Two Violins Compared by Acoustical, Optical, and Musical Methods
Carleen Maley Hutchins, Karl A. Stetson, P. A. Taylor · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1973
One violin constructed according to the best available violin-making practice, with its free plates tuned as well as possible by the Hutchins plate tuning method, is compared with another violin made to incorporate two intentional variations from such an optimum: the upper area of the black plate left 1.5 mm too thick, and the bass bar left about 4 mm too high. Two series of photographs made by hologram interferometry, one showing the vibration modes of the free plates before assembly, and another of the completed violins in playing condition displaying simultaneous modes in top, back, and sides will be discussed in comparison with response curves and musical performance.