An experimental study of the upper and lower bow force limits for bowed violin strings is reported. A bowing machine was used to perform bow strokes with a real violin bow on steel D and E strings mounted on a rigid monochord and on a violin, respectively. Measurements were systematically performed for 24 values of bow force and 11 values of relative bow-bridge distance at four bow velocities (...

This paper describes a method that estimates the appropriate violin fingering pattern according to the player’s skill level. A violin can produce the same pitch for different fingering patterns, which generally vary depending on skill level. Our proposed method translates musical scores into suitable fingering patterns for the desired skill level by modeling a violin player’s left hand based on...

Playing a violin requires precise patterns of limb coordination that are acquired over years of practice. In the present study, the authors investigated how motion at proximal arm joints influenced the precision of bow movements in novice learners and experts. The authors evaluated the performances of 11 children (4-12 years old), 3 beginning-to-advanced level adult players, and 2 adult concert...

This paper focuses on the bridge mobility of violins. The mobility, or mechanical admittance, quantifies the efficiency of the instrument body to vibrate when a force is applied to the structure. The computation of the mean mobility, after the Skudrzyk’s mean-value theorem, enables a global characterization of the bridge mobility. The choices made by the luthier, when he builds, restores, or ad...