The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin

The different mechanical properties of the materials from which the tailpieces are made have a noticeable effect on the acoustic performance of the violin. These elements are made today from ebony, rosewood, boxwood, aluminium, or plastic. The aim of this study was to check the exact impact of tailp...

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Main Authors: Adam ŁAPIŃSKI, Ewa Barbara SKRODZKA, Andrzej WICHER
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institute of Fundamental Technological Research Polish Academy of Sciences 2024-01-01
Series:Archives of Acoustics
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Online Access:https://acoustics.ippt.pan.pl/index.php/aa/article/view/3904
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author Adam ŁAPIŃSKI
Ewa Barbara SKRODZKA
Andrzej WICHER
author_facet Adam ŁAPIŃSKI
Ewa Barbara SKRODZKA
Andrzej WICHER
author_sort Adam ŁAPIŃSKI
collection DOAJ
description The different mechanical properties of the materials from which the tailpieces are made have a noticeable effect on the acoustic performance of the violin. These elements are made today from ebony, rosewood, boxwood, aluminium, or plastic. The aim of this study was to check the exact impact of tailpieces made of different materials on the frequency response function (FRF) of a violin’s bridge and the timbre of the instrument’s sound. For this purpose, the bridge FRF measurement was carried out, and a psychoacoustic test was conducted. The material from which the tailpiece is made to the greatest extent affects the modal frequencies in the range 530–610 Hz (mode B1+), which mainly manifested itself in a change in the instrument’s timbre in terms of the brightness factor. The study showed that the lighter the tailpiece, the darker the sound of the violin. It was also revealed that the selection of accessories affects factors such as openness, thickness, and overall quality of the sound.
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publisher Institute of Fundamental Technological Research Polish Academy of Sciences
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spelling doaj-art-d75cd35c615647159123a5e5b3c1477c2025-08-20T02:51:14ZengInstitute of Fundamental Technological Research Polish Academy of SciencesArchives of Acoustics0137-50752300-262X2024-01-0149110.24425/aoa.2024.148774The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a ViolinAdam ŁAPIŃSKI0Ewa Barbara SKRODZKA1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8479-4009Andrzej WICHER2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4332-6564The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in PoznanAdam Mickiewicz UniversityAdam Mickiewicz UniversityThe different mechanical properties of the materials from which the tailpieces are made have a noticeable effect on the acoustic performance of the violin. These elements are made today from ebony, rosewood, boxwood, aluminium, or plastic. The aim of this study was to check the exact impact of tailpieces made of different materials on the frequency response function (FRF) of a violin’s bridge and the timbre of the instrument’s sound. For this purpose, the bridge FRF measurement was carried out, and a psychoacoustic test was conducted. The material from which the tailpiece is made to the greatest extent affects the modal frequencies in the range 530–610 Hz (mode B1+), which mainly manifested itself in a change in the instrument’s timbre in terms of the brightness factor. The study showed that the lighter the tailpiece, the darker the sound of the violin. It was also revealed that the selection of accessories affects factors such as openness, thickness, and overall quality of the sound.https://acoustics.ippt.pan.pl/index.php/aa/article/view/3904tailpieceviolinacoustical propertiesexotic materialsviolin-makingluthiery
spellingShingle Adam ŁAPIŃSKI
Ewa Barbara SKRODZKA
Andrzej WICHER
The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin
Archives of Acoustics
tailpiece
violin
acoustical properties
exotic materials
violin-making
luthiery
title The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin
title_full The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin
title_fullStr The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin
title_full_unstemmed The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin
title_short The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin
title_sort influence of violin tailpiece material on acoustic properties of a violin
topic tailpiece
violin
acoustical properties
exotic materials
violin-making
luthiery
url https://acoustics.ippt.pan.pl/index.php/aa/article/view/3904
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