Practical Acoustics of Instruments of the Violin Family: Bridging Science and Art

An enlightening book for the string musician as much as for the violin maker, it bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and practical experience. New insights on how string instruments work are clearly explained.

Scientific investigations into the significance of the bridge and soundpost, movements of the body, string vibration patterns, and the functions of bow hair have set aside many a sacred cow.

Many things that makers and players know from experience - adjustments, wolf tones, string characteristics - can be traced back to understandable physical phenomena. The optimization of tone and playability is no longer a matter of magic.

Jan James is a retired scientist (former Professor
of Histology at the University of Amsterdam),
who has been interested in the acoustics of
violins all his life, and has made various
contributions to the science of sound production.
His articles have appeared in the Journal of the
Violin Society of America, The Strad, etc. He is a
keen violinist and knows the problems of the
player firsthand.
All this comes together in this book in which
scientific data are confronted with everyday
problems of the player and maker of instruments.