BACKGROUNDWhat is taught in different violin making schools and has reached to our times comes from a few treaties, documents, measurements made in the nineteenth century in the best instruments and some molds made by those who were the biggest Cremonese violin makers of the XVI-XVIII centuries. Thanks to the new technology and the efforts of luthiers interested in science and scientists fully involved in violin making, today many of the "secrets" of these instruments has emerged, with respect to its tonal quality. Still, there are some mysteries to be discovered in order to build with considerable control high quality instruments. One of the least investigated topics is the direct correlation between the properties of materials, the perceived tonal quality and performance characteristics. While the sound radiation is the result of vibration of the structure this can be used directly (?) The perfect coupling properties of the top and bottom woods has not yet been investigated although this is one of the crucial questions that violin makers ask themeselves. The excellent sound of some instruments depends on the first three or four vibration modes of the complete box, in wich the bottom, with top and garlands, fully conditions the formation of these modes.Jesus Alonso Moral made a first investigation in 1984, in Sweden, as part of his PhD, combining three different tops with three different ribs and three different backs -soft, normal and stiff- to try to understand the interaction between them related to the tonal quality of the instrument. Today precision in measurements is greater. The theories about the behavior of the violin are more accurate and a we have a more rigorous perceptual evaluation protocol based on the psychology of perception. Andrea Ortona conducted a similar experiment along with 20 students in Cremona but it was no possible to control correctly the parameters.OBJECTIVESThe key objective is double: on the one hand the control of the violin maker on the construction parameters, so that the demands of performers and listeners on the tonal quality of the instruments are satisfied, and on the other hand the implementation in the Study Plan (Curriculum) of a methodology to widen the capabilities of the students and also increase the prestige of the school, increasing in this way the employability of the students attending the studies.PARTICIPANTSThe members have been selected by their experience in each of the different phases of the project: Roberto Jardón Rico for his experience in handling CNC, George Stoppani for his experience in the creation of the revolutionary modal analysis method and subsequent interpretation. Andrea Ortona for his experience in managing a similar educational project in Cremona school, and finally Claudia Fritz for her experience in the assessment of the perceptual quality.DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIESFive Violins will be built, using woods with carefully selected properties. First, three violins with identical tops and different backs and later two violins with different tops on three identical backs will be made. Both tops and backs will be built by CNC to a pre-selected form to accurately control this variable. Then they will be tuned and measured in different stages: thicknesses, frequencies and masses, in the Violin Making school of Bilbao by the students, with supervision and collaboration of the project members. Finally a double-blind perceptual quality test will be performed with the collaboration of professional musicians and specialized audience. Once this phase is finished the intellectual products and their dissemination will be created.PLANNED IMPACTIf the results are conclusive and they respond to the working hypothesis, the impact on the violin maker community will be very important regarding to the control and quality level of the products that will be obtained.Also, the skills acquired by the students and by future generations will increase their employability and the quality of their products. Moreover, the Study Plan (Curriculum) will be adapted to the new teaching methods.LONG TERM BENEFITS-Increase of the skills in the (Curriculum) Study Plan.-Better training of the students.-More prestige for the school with a consequent increase of the students employability.-More Control of materials and processes, and better quality products made by violin makers.-Satisfaction of the music sector.
The tonal quality of the excellent violins was until recently a mystery. Although many secrets are already known, there are still unanswered questions. Violin makers try to recreate these tonal qualities choosing the materials, creating shapes and taking wood off in order to optimize the sound. The balance between the thicknesses of the soundboard and the back is still an unresolved issue. The technological progress nowadays offer accessible tools that were previously very restricted. In this context we have carried out this project to try to resolve this issue combining research and educational. Our students have taken part in the complexities of a scientific investigation, controlling each and every one of the variables, and seeing the different approach one has to take when making a violin departing from the traditional methods. We have had the opportunity to work with innovative measurement methods applied to violin making. The acquisition of these skills and those that will acquire the future students are a solid base of employability. The teaching staff, witness and participant, also widens their knowledge and experience on the subject, with the consequent effect on the abilities of the students. Another of the achieved objectives is an updated Curriculum in contents and competences, which is already put into practice at school. Although it is very soon some interesting conclusions are being drawn on the question. The overall experience has been very positive for the students and teaching staff of both BELE, the violin making school and the Bilbao Conservatory, which has taken an active part in the Psychoacoustic and Free Categorization tests. This experience also extends to the University of the Sorbonne with the LAM laboratory to which Claudia Fritz belongs, an expert worldwide in perceptual evaluation protocols. She will have the oportunity to use the intellectual products generated on these tests in future projects. In the same way, the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge will make good use of the conclusions that are being obtained, and although Jim Woodhouse has just retired, his experience and knowledge will continue to add academic value to doctoral students related to musical instrument acoustics. In this sense, George Stoppani and Jim Woodhouse complement a good team to carry out an investigation, Stoppani with his experience in innovative methods of measurement and capacity of analysis and synthesis with Woodhouse´s experience in the scientific method related to the acoustics of musical instruments. Finally, we highlight the Bilbao Conservatory of Music, a place where education, research and innovation converge for this project, always seeking to improve the quality of education that increases training and as a result the employability of students. The main activity has been the construction and assembly of 6 violins, combining different soundboards and backs, performing modal analysis in each phase, and controlling each variable. In parallel it has been monitored, the making, by other European luthiers of other seven violins, following the same external shape used for the project. The perceptual evaluation, through Psychoacoustic and Free Categorization tests of these 13 violins was, along with an exhibition, another important activity carried out in Bilbao. The students participated in the creation of everything necessary to carry out these activities. The obvious achievement is the building under controled parameters of 6 violins, which are available to anyone who wants to evaluate them. But the greatest achievement is the experience acquired by the participants in each of the processes: the learning of new methods of measurement, understanding the building of the violin in a novel way, experience of teamwork in usually individual processes, having the experience in the programming and carrying out of an event and an exhibition, etc. Protocols have been created to perform psychoacoustic and Free Categorization tests along with the design of reference data tables. In the need of more perceptual assessments, some basic conclusions have already been obtained on this Psychoacoustic field. Another significant result is the adaptation of our curriculum. The impact is not immediate, even though has changed some of the working ways, but we believe that it will be seen in a few years when the participating students leave for their professional life. The conclusions are helping and in the future will help violin makers to improve their products and will also help to similar violin making schools interested in the scientific method. Widening the skills training is the great benefit of this project. The increase in the quality and control of the sound of the instruments leads to the greater satisfaction of the whole sector. We also value the creation of a culture shared research and science to understand and improve our work.