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    The Sound Post in the Violin
    The Sound Post in the Violin
    The Sound Post in the Violin
    Ebook124 pages1 hour

    The Sound Post in the Violin

    By John E. McLennan Ph.D.

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    A sound post is fitted in several different bowed instruments, namely, the violin family and the viols. It is a separate spruce dowel with the grain running along its length that is fitted snugly between the top and the back of the instrument, below, but not directly beneath, the treble foot of the bridge.

    John E. McLennan, Ph.D., who has been researching violin acoustics for thirty years, dispels the mystery surrounding the sound post of the violin.

    In six papers, he explores why the violin is such an important musical instrument – as well as the sound post’s function in maximizing the monopole action of the violin’s body, which radiates the sound, instead of restricting this to the top plate as with earlier bowed string instruments.

    The papers, written from 1996 to 2015, attempt to quantify the function of the sound post and remove the mystery that has surrounded it from the beginning.

    Discover why the sound post is so critical to enhancing the sound output of the violin and gain a deeper appreciation of the instrument as a whole with this book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBalboa Press AU
    Release dateJun 15, 2020
    ISBN9781504321334
    The Sound Post in the Violin
    Author

    John E. McLennan Ph.D.

    John E. McLennan, Ph.D., has been researching violin acoustics for thirty years using experimental methods. He is an accomplished engineer, skilled violin craftsman, and an independent researcher. He graduated with a Master of Science from UNSW (1964) and with a Ph.D. in violin acoustics from UNSW (2008).

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      Book preview

      The Sound Post in the Violin - John E. McLennan Ph.D.

      Copyright © 2020 John E. McLennan, Ph.D.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

      graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

      any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

      except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      Balboa Press

      A Division of Hay House

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.balboapress.com.au

      AU TFN: 1 800 844 925 (Toll Free inside Australia)

      AU Local: 0283 107 086 (+61 2 8310 7086 from outside Australia)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

      this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

      expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

      views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any

      technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the

      advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer

      information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-

      being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your

      constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

      ISBN: 978-1-5043-2132-7 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-5043-2133-4 (e)

      Balboa Press rev. date:   06/05/2020

      CONTENTS

      Introduction

      I.   A BACKGROUND ON THE SOUND POST AND EARLY STUDIES OF ITS INFLUENCE AND ADJUSTMENT

      1.   A Brief History

      2.   The Literature Review

      II.   A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF STIFFNESS AND POSITION OF THE SOUND POST ON THE OUTPUT OF THE VIOLIN

      3.   Part 1: The Effect of Sound Post Stiffness on Peak Resonance and Sound Output

      4.   Part 2: The Effect of Sound Post Position on Peak Resonance and Sound Output

      III.   EXAMINATION OF THE SOUND POST AND THE VIOLIN’S RESPONSE CURVES

      5.   Violin Response Curves and What the Sound Post Does

      6.   The Effect of the Sound Post on Violin Sound

      7.   The Sound Post in the Violin: An Update

      A Final Word

      INTRODUCTION

      The sound post in the violin has been the centre of attention by makers and those setting up the instrument to optimum performance. This has included strength of output, evenness across the strings (i.e. over the range of the violin,) and subtle qualities of timbre and response. It is no wonder that it has been regarded as the soul of the instrument. Indeed, the French word for ‘soul’—l’ame—is also that for ‘sound post’.

      The following six papers on the sound post in the violin make up a reasonably complete description of its purpose in making the violin the most important musical instrument. Its main function is to maximise the monopole action of the body, which radiates the sound, instead of restricting this to the top plate, as occurred in earlier bowed string instruments.

      The monopole action, also known as the breathing action, allows the body to radiate sound in all directions. This is important for the fundamental note. All the resonances in the body supplement this by supporting the harmonics, the strengths of which vary in time as they interact with them.

      The strength of the lowest or main air resonance in the violin does not depend on the presence of the sound post. It acts as the air plugs in the sound holes, vibrating against the spring of the air volume in the violin, which means the body is performing a breathing action.

      The sound post has traditionally been placed behind the treble foot of the bridge, and its location has always been regarded as critical to the behaviour of the instrument. It was assumed that the sound post played a similar role as the bass-bar in supporting the top plate against the stresses of the string tension. Recent measurements may provide the reason for this mystery.

      Early violinists were known to move the bridge to a position below the sound holes, presumably to increase the sound output of the violin. The longer string length tuned to the same pitch would increase the level of tension in the instrument. It is not known if the sound post was also moved, but it is most unlikely.

      This series of papers, written over the years 1996 to 2015, attempts to quantify the function of the sound post and remove the mystery that has surrounded it from the beginning. Early experiments were made with the sound post behind the treble foot of the bridge with no recognition of the degree of sensitivity, although there was a tendency to avoid an ‘in board’ position.

      There is an opportunity for a more extensive survey of the effect of the sound post position on the stiffness of the body and the output of the violin.

      One aspect of the function of the sound post that has not been dealt with in this account, which is the reason for not gluing it in place, is the fact that it can become uncoupled—that is, the plates at the sound post position can become out of phase at higher frequencies. There are examples at resonance frequencies of 700 and 800 Hz. The sound of the violin is adversely affected if the sound post is glued in place.

      There is confusion by some in referring to the central region of the top as the ‘island’. Cremer’s ‘island’ was the small region surrounding the sound post near the treble f-hole.

      ‘The Literature Review’ was written in 2000 and covered published work up to that date. The other content in the book covers work done after 2010.

      I.   A BACKGROUND ON THE SOUND POST AND EARLY STUDIES OF ITS INFLUENCE AND ADJUSTMENT

      1.   A BRIEF HISTORY

      Sound post (French: l’ame; German: Stimmstock; Italian: anima)

      A sound post is fitted in several different bowed instruments, namely, the violin family and the viols. It is a separate spruce dowel with the grain running along its length that is fitted snugly between the top and the back of the instrument, below, but not directly beneath, the treble foot of the bridge. It is fitted vertically to the horizontal plane of the instrument, with the grain at the ends of the post placed at right angles to that in the plates, which run along the instrument, to prevent the post from embedding itself in the surface of the top. Its length is determined with an inside calliper specially made to pass through the treble f-hole. It is placed in the instrument through the same f-hole. It is not glued in place because the sound would be adversely affected. In the viol, which has a flat back, the post rests on a bar that strengthens the back; its main purpose appears to be as a support for the bridge in the otherwise lightly constructed instrument.

      In some early instruments (e.g. the crwth and chrotta), the bass leg of the bridge was longer and passed through a sound hole to rest on the back. This separated the action of the bass foot of the bridge, which would act on the back, from the action of the treble foot, which in turn would act on the top. The rocking action of the bridge would allow a simple source to

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