Can Technology Improve The Sound Of 300-Yr-Previous Violins?
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David Segal Violins is situated just some blocks from Lincoln Center and the Juilliard Faculty in New York Metropolis. I stopped by the showroom to learn the way the expertise of violin making has modified, but that wasn't the main story. Right this moment's violins could look much like the ones made 300 years in the past by Stradivarius or Guarneri, but they get utilized in alternative ways. Where earlier than violins were only performed in live shows, now they're additionally recorded. Segal tells me that a great concert violin may not work all that well to accompany a vocalist.
The "expertise" of violin making hasn't changed all that a lot over the past 300 years. Segal makes it seem so easy: you're taking a bit of wooden, air dry it, carve it with a chisel, then glue it with disguise or rabbit bone glue. And every violin maker has his personal varnish. As we talked, Segal did say the design of the tuning pegs on fashionable violins have been improved so they're easier to tune, but he would not use them on his personal instruments. He additionally repairs violins, violas, and cellos.
バイオリン教室 練馬区 -produced violin costs begin around $1,000, and Segal acknowledges that a few of them may even sound respectable. Right this moment's hand-made violins begin around $8,000 and go up to $60,000. Violas and cellos are costlier. Segal's instrument prices are nearer to the top end of that range, but he puts round 200 hours of labor into constructing one violin. If the sound isn't to his liking, he rejects the instrument and tosses it in a fireplace. "It takes less than 2 minutes to burn a violin," he said.
Musicians are welcome to return to Segal's showroom to try out his violins, violas, and cellos, and play a collection of devices. It's not just a matter of discovering the perfect instrument they can afford; it is one of the best one for his or her fingers, bow pressure, and how the instrument might be used. Some musicians might need to borrow an instrument to play it in a setting with different musicians to know for certain. Segal normally has a Stradivarius or two in house.
When i requested Segal what makes one violin sound higher than one other, he said, "It's quality, projection, and energy." It is a matter of beauty and how loud it performs, and Segal explained, "You can have a sound, and you'll have a sound; it's the palette of colours you can get from an instrument -- or not."
It is not simply the violin that has a sound; the bow is sort of as important. "First you buy a violin, then we match a bow to the violin," he said. The curve of the bow and the balance of the bow in hand are crucial.
I also chatted with Normal Supervisor Diane Mellon at the store, and i cherished the way in which she described the distinction between a violinist and a musician. She stated, "You could be a very positive violinist, however not such an important musician."
In different words, the technique is all there, intonation is great, phrasing is sweet, but you do not really feel like they're saying something to you. With an excellent musician you're feeling like you are listening to Mozart or Beethoven; you really hear the music, not just the notes. There are quite a lot of great violinists, however not many great musicians.
Segal was born in Israel and is a second-technology instrument maker, the son of Mendel Segal who made mandolins and guitars. David Segal is a graduate of the International Faculty of Violin Making in Cremona, Italy.
This brief YouTube documentary shows David Segal at work.
The "expertise" of violin making hasn't changed all that a lot over the past 300 years. Segal makes it seem so easy: you're taking a bit of wooden, air dry it, carve it with a chisel, then glue it with disguise or rabbit bone glue. And every violin maker has his personal varnish. As we talked, Segal did say the design of the tuning pegs on fashionable violins have been improved so they're easier to tune, but he would not use them on his personal instruments. He additionally repairs violins, violas, and cellos.
バイオリン教室 練馬区 -produced violin costs begin around $1,000, and Segal acknowledges that a few of them may even sound respectable. Right this moment's hand-made violins begin around $8,000 and go up to $60,000. Violas and cellos are costlier. Segal's instrument prices are nearer to the top end of that range, but he puts round 200 hours of labor into constructing one violin. If the sound isn't to his liking, he rejects the instrument and tosses it in a fireplace. "It takes less than 2 minutes to burn a violin," he said.
Musicians are welcome to return to Segal's showroom to try out his violins, violas, and cellos, and play a collection of devices. It's not just a matter of discovering the perfect instrument they can afford; it is one of the best one for his or her fingers, bow pressure, and how the instrument might be used. Some musicians might need to borrow an instrument to play it in a setting with different musicians to know for certain. Segal normally has a Stradivarius or two in house.
When i requested Segal what makes one violin sound higher than one other, he said, "It's quality, projection, and energy." It is a matter of beauty and how loud it performs, and Segal explained, "You can have a sound, and you'll have a sound; it's the palette of colours you can get from an instrument -- or not."
It is not simply the violin that has a sound; the bow is sort of as important. "First you buy a violin, then we match a bow to the violin," he said. The curve of the bow and the balance of the bow in hand are crucial.
I also chatted with Normal Supervisor Diane Mellon at the store, and i cherished the way in which she described the distinction between a violinist and a musician. She stated, "You could be a very positive violinist, however not such an important musician."
In different words, the technique is all there, intonation is great, phrasing is sweet, but you do not really feel like they're saying something to you. With an excellent musician you're feeling like you are listening to Mozart or Beethoven; you really hear the music, not just the notes. There are quite a lot of great violinists, however not many great musicians.
Segal was born in Israel and is a second-technology instrument maker, the son of Mendel Segal who made mandolins and guitars. David Segal is a graduate of the International Faculty of Violin Making in Cremona, Italy.
This brief YouTube documentary shows David Segal at work.
