Player preferences among new and old violins.

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Musicology
• Psychoacoustics

Background:

• Violinists often believe antique violins by makers like Stradivari and Guarneri possess superior tonal qualities compared to new instruments.
• Proposed explanations for this perceived superiority often cite mechanical and acoustical factors, but the core assumption remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the premise of tonal superiority in antique violins versus new ones.
• To determine if player judgments are biased by historical significance and monetary value.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one experienced violinists participated in a double-blind study.
• Participants compared violins by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesu against high-quality new instruments in a controlled acoustic environment.

Main Results:

• The most preferred violin in the study was a new instrument.
• The least preferred violin was a Stradivari.
• A weak correlation was found between an instrument's age/value and its perceived quality.
• Most players could not accurately identify whether their preferred instrument was new or old.

Conclusions:

• The study challenges conventional wisdom regarding the inherent tonal superiority of antique violins.
• Individual player preferences and instrument-specific qualities appear more significant than age.
• Future research should focus on player evaluation criteria and measurable instrument attributes.