Methods for understanding and reproducing classical cremonese woodwork. Focused on outline, purfling and edgework of Stradivari violins. Philip Ihle.
We are running the “Free Categorization Tests” for the BILBAO PROJECT, from last week until next Friday.
Last week we had some violin players who have taken part in this part of the experiment and have shared their opinion about the instruments.
Hello,
We get in touch because we want to invite you to the Psicoacoustic Test of the Bilbao Project. This test has two parts, the Free Categorization Test and the Listening Test. You can take part on one or both tests.
The Bilbao Project is an experiment developed in BELE, the Basque violin Making school in the J.C.Arriaga Bilbao Conservatory, along with the Cabridge and Sorbona Universities and some international violin makers. We have built in BELE six violins, identical all of them except only one controlled parameter which is different for each and the international violin makers have built their instruments following our instructions. More info here
Schedule:
1. Taking off the hairs; cleaning the stick, frog and button.
2. Checking the camber and straightness of the stick: straightening and realingning.
3. Lapping with wrapped silver, plain silver and leather. Correcting the weight and and controlling gravity center.
4. Refit and repositioning of the eyelet in the frog and its relation with the screw.
A new and different making methodology has been used in this project: we have taken into account not only the mass, nor the frequency, but we have used in all and every element of the violin the specific Impedance criterion Z which combines the two parameters, mass and frequency: Z = M x F
The specific impedance we have used for the tops and backs is an adapted formula by Evan Davis:
Density ρ=M/V
We have used two methods to measure the density ρ=M/V
Volume displacement
For this method we need a big plastic barrel with an adapted tap in the upper part, and another bucket to recover the displaced water.
We fill the barrel and let the water overflow till the last drop comes out.
Weight the dry wood wedge.
The least and the most dense wood commonly used in violin making are:
(kg/m3) Low Medium High
Spruce for the top: 320 – 380 – 470
Maple for the back: 500 – 600 – 700
The possibilities and combinations are huge.
Last February, from the 11th to the 18th we had Michele Dobner at BELE, teaching at the workshop entitled “Mineral Ground for contemporary makers”.
This italian violin maker told us how to prepare the wood prior to varnishing and the use of
