Player preferences among new and old violins

Fritz, Claudia; Curtin, Joseph; Poitevineau, Jacques; Morrel-Samuels, Palmer; Tao, Fan-Chia

doi:10.1073/pnas.1114999109

Cited by 60 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…Analyses of intra-individual consistency and inter-player agreement in the (nonverbal) preference and attribute judgments showed that while violinists generally agreed on what particular attributes they look for in an instrument, the perceptual evaluation of the same attributes varied dramatically across individuals, thus resulting in large interplayer differences in the preference for violins. A third experiment [58] and studies by Fritz et al [26,27] and Wollman et al [66,67] reached similar conclusions.…”

Section: Touch and The Conceptualization Of Violin Quality By Musicianssupporting

confidence: 67%

The Role of Haptic Cues in Musical Instrument Quality Perception

Saitis¹,

Järveläinen²,

Fritz³

2018

Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems

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We draw from recent research in violin quality evaluation and piano performance to examine whether the vibrotactile sensation felt when playing a musical instrument can have a perceptual effect on its judged quality from the perspective of the musician. Because of their respective sound production mechanisms, the violin and the piano offer unique example cases and diverse scenarios to study tactile aspects of musical interaction. Both violinists and pianists experience rich haptic feedback, but the former experience vibrations at more bodily parts than the latter. We observe that the vibrotactile component of the haptic feedback during playing, both for the violin and the piano, provides an important part of the integrated sensory information that the musician experiences when interacting with the instrument. In particular, the most recent studies illustrate that vibrations felt at the fingertips (left hand only for the violinist) can lead to an increase in perceived sound loudness and richness, suggesting the potential for more research in this direction. IntroductionPracticing a musical instrument is a rich multisensory experience. As explained in Chap. 2, the instrument and player form a complex system of sensory-motor interactions where the sensory feedback provided by the instrument as a response to a playing action

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Section: Touch and The Conceptualization Of Violin Quality By Musicianssupporting

confidence: 67%

The Role of Haptic Cues in Musical Instrument Quality Perception

Saitis¹,

Järveläinen²,

Fritz³

2018

Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems

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“…Old Italian instruments are commonly believed to have the advantage over new ones in this regard. "What made the old instruments great was their power in a hall," wrote the distinguished violinist Earl Carlyss (1) in response to a 2010 blind study (2). Somewhat paradoxically, Old Italian violins are also commonly described as being relatively quiet under the ear of the player compared with new instruments.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Listener evaluations of new and Old Italian violins

Fritz

Curtin²,

Poitevineau

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Old Italian violins are routinely credited with playing qualities supposedly unobtainable in new instruments. These qualities include the ability to project their sound more effectively in a concert hall-despite seeming relatively quiet under the ear of the playercompared with new violins. Although researchers have long tried to explain the "mystery" of Stradivari's sound, it is only recently that studies have addressed the fundamental assumption of tonal superiority. Results from two studies show that, under blind conditions, experienced violinists tend to prefer playing new violins over Old Italians. Moreover, they are unable to tell new from old at better than chance levels. This study explores the relative merits of Stradivari and new violins from the perspective of listeners in a hall. Projection and preference are taken as the two broadest criteria by which listeners might meaningfully compare violins. Which violins are heard better, and which are preferred? In two separate experiments, three new violins were compared with three by Stradivari. Projection was tested both with and without orchestral accompaniment. Projection and preference were judged simultaneously by dividing listeners into two groups. Results are unambiguous. The new violins projected better than the Stradivaris whether tested with orchestra or without, the new violins were generally preferred by the listeners, and the listeners could not reliably distinguish new from old. The single best-projecting violin was considered the loudest under the ear by players, and on average, violins that were quieter under the ear were found to project less well.iolinists generally agree that individual violins vary considerably in their ability to project-projection referring to how well an instrument can be heard at a distance, especially over a background of competing musical sound. The paradigmatic test for projection is the violin concerto, where a soloist is expected to carry over a full orchestra, often in a very large hall. Old Italian instruments are commonly believed to have the advantage over new ones in this regard. "What made the old instruments great was their power in a hall," wrote the distinguished violinist Earl Carlyss (1) in response to a 2010 blind study (2). Somewhat paradoxically, Old Italian violins are also commonly described as being relatively quiet under the ear of the player compared with new instruments. According to concertmaster Frank Almond (who plays a Stradivarius), "a peculiar (and sublime) aspect of great old Italian instruments is that the sound somehow expands and gains more complexity from a distance, especially in a concert hall." He contrasts this with many modern instruments, which seem to have a large sound under the ear but may not "carry past the sixth row" (www.insidethearts.com/nondivisi/they-blinded-mewith-science/, accessed April 10, 2017). Similarly, renowned cellist Steven Isserlis (who plays a Stradivarius cello) wrote "[a] famous (and curious) feature of Stradivarius instruments is that their tone seems...

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“…It is only recently that well-controlled studies of player preference have appeared in the literature (4)(5)(6). In a 2010 doubleblind test held in a hotel room at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (4), 21 experienced violinists compared three new violins with two by Stradivari and one by Guarneri del Gesu.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soloist evaluations of six Old Italian and six new violins

Fritz

Curtin²,

Poitevineau

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Many researchers have sought explanations for the purported tonal superiority of Old Italian violins by investigating varnish and wood properties, plate tuning systems, and the spectral balance of the radiated sound. Nevertheless, the fundamental premise of tonal superiority has been investigated scientifically only once very recently, and results showed a general preference for new violins and that players were unable to reliably distinguish new violins from old. The study was, however, relatively small in terms of the number of violins tested (six), the time allotted to each player (an hour), and the size of the test space (a hotel room). In this study, 10 renowned soloists each blind-tested six Old Italian violins (including five by Stradivari) and six new during two 75-min sessions-the first in a rehearsal room, the second in a 300-seat concert hall. When asked to choose a violin to replace their own for a hypothetical concert tour, 6 of the 10 soloists chose a new instrument. A single new violin was easily the most-preferred of the 12. On average, soloists rated their favorite new violins more highly than their favorite old for playability, articulation, and projection, and at least equal to old in terms of timbre. Soloists failed to distinguish new from old at better than chance levels. These results confirm and extend those of the earlier study and present a striking challenge to near-canonical beliefs about Old Italian violins.subjective evaluation | music | perception T he violins of Stradivari, Guarneri "del Gesu," and other Italian makers of the 17th and 18th centuries are widely believed to possess playing qualities that are both immediately discernable to experienced players and not found in new instruments. Over the past two centuries, numerous playing and listening tests have challenged this belief by pitting new violins against old (1-3). Although results often favored new instruments, the tests typically lacked sufficient rigor for the results to stand as scientific evidence.It is only recently that well-controlled studies of player preference have appeared in the literature (4-6). In a 2010 doubleblind test held in a hotel room at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (4), 21 experienced violinists compared three new violins with two by Stradivari and one by Guarneri del Gesu. Results showed that the most-preferred violin was new, the least-preferred was by Stradivari, and players seemed unable to tell whether their most-preferred instrument was new or old. However, the small number of violins and brief evaluation periods (less than an hour for each player) left many questions unanswered, the most obvious being whether results would hold with a larger set of test violins, a different group of players, longer evaluation periods, and more true-to-life test conditions.Although the Indianapolis study focused on player preferences, violin quality can be judged from several other relevant points of view-including those of listeners, colleagues in an ensemble, recording engineers, and o...

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Player preferences among new and old violins

Cited by 60 publications

References 12 publications

The Role of Haptic Cues in Musical Instrument Quality Perception

The Role of Haptic Cues in Musical Instrument Quality Perception

Listener evaluations of new and Old Italian violins

Soloist evaluations of six Old Italian and six new violins

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