About the
Sound research
More than craft
Art &
Science
Violin making is more than craft; it combines physics, intuition, chemistry, geometry, passion and art.
The product of this symbiosis is an instrument that not only serves players and is intended to function, but an invisible work of sound art that touches, unites and moves people worldwide.
The basis for this is the basic material – individually hand-picked tone woods and accessories that meet the highest quality standards, combined with one of the prototype models:
- Guarneri (powerful, direct, rough)
- Amati (sweet, balanced, warm)
- Stradivari (clear, direct, radiant)
With your ideas and my handwriting, a real unique piece is created that suits you.
In the following sections you will find out what other considerations, details and work steps in the field of sound research flow into my work as a violin maker in Munich.
The science of
Frequency measurement
Nowadays, scientific measurements make it possible to very accurately represent the sound profiles of the most famous and sought-after instruments of all time.
Similarly, 3D laser scanners can measure each instrument to the nearest 100th of a millimeter, allowing certain similarities to be identified in empirical studies.
For the most part, a violin can now also be made by machine on the basis of this data, but an important aspect is then lost: each tonewood, even two pieces from the same tree, will never be 100% alike.
Density, weight, longitudinal and transverse stiffness, growth and sound conduction velocity, are essential to consider in machining to shape it to its full potential in construction.
To achieve this and to elicit the best sound characteristics from each piece is my passion.
The importance of
Material & Role model
This process begins with the choice of model and the appropriate tonewood. In order to get as close as possible to the desired result, I hand-pick each piece of wood so that I can have a major influence on the final result in terms of both appearance and sound.
The most exciting step for me, apart from giving the arching its outer shape and thus a certain sound character, is to work out the thicknesses of the top and back plates and to match them to each other. Thanks to my perfect ear and my knowledge of the sound profiles of Italian master instruments, I can tune the top and back by ear by influencing their own tones through the distribution of thicknesses.
If you compare CT scans of the old masters, certain similarities become apparent. The middle section is usually much stronger and tapers off harmoniously towards the edges. But how these thicknesses are distributed and what measure of maximum and minimum thickness is determined is very decisive for the sound and requires knowledge, sensitivity and various measuring techniques.
Every single part of the stringed instrument has an influence on the formation of sound, even those that at first glance seem to serve only a functional character (tailpiece, attachment string, chinrest, fingerboard, neck and scroll, etc.).
Bringing these individual resonance areas into balance is the art – and one of my core competencies.
At the same time, it is important to me to use materials that are as sustainable as possible and a gentle manufacturing process that is 100% handmade in my workshop in Munich.
Own tones from
Ceiling &
Floor slab
If a plate, such as the top or bottom of an instrument, is made to vibrate, it begins to oscillate in one of its acoustic modes, as a result of self-resonance.
The vibrations can be made visible by sprinkling the plate with dry black tea, for example. When excited in different frequency ranges, the tea collects at the nodal points due to the vibration. In this way, the nodal lines of the standing waves that form on the plate become visible.
The phenomenon of Chladni sound figures was discovered by Ernst Florens Friedrich Chladni in the 18th century.
Making the natural resonances of the top and back visible helps me as a violin maker to harmonize the frequencies by working out the top and back as far as the wood allows. To do this, I use the knowledge of the old masters by holding the top and back at one of the nodal points of the various main modes and tapping to hear the frequencies.
I can also feel the stiffness of the wood by bending it slightly lengthways and crossways. Not only can the top and the floor be matched to each other, but the ratio of the two boards and their weight is also crucial.
This gives me a great influence on the sound formation of my instruments and guarantees an exceptionally good sound quality.
Would you like to find out more about my history as a violin maker or my sustainability promise? Then I cordially invite you to do so further down the page.
Lisa Hellmich, violin maker in Munich