Rienzi0711 0 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Or any stringed instrument, for that matter. I know that older instruments are supposed to have better sound than those newly-made. My question is, how many years does it take for there to be a noticable difference in a violin's sound quality?fsb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AI 0 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Two hundred and fifty years.No seriously, have you seen The Red Violin?, you can learn all you need to know from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 75 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I play the viola, but I'm no expert on the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_twinkle 48 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 There are many excellent new stringed instruments being made every year. However you probably want to buy European. Avoid anything made by suzuki (and Wal*mart!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodMusician 56 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I play viola... although I've recently bought a harp...does that count? lolas far as age...I think that it's simply that anything with age is better. Except people (You know that's societies view on it.)As far as instruments, the reason why strads and such are so great is because of the wood quality... It's interesting ebcause you're playing with an instrument that is in essence a history of itself. Wood contains a history of the tree and of the area it grew in. If the area had droughts and such, then the wood wouldn't be as great... In the same token, if the trees were healthy, nourished, and didn't have any strife, the wood grain can be superb.Also, wood age can help in other aspects. There is wood that has been found at the bottom of the great lakes... logs that had follen off of barges in the 1800's that the wood became water logged and sank. Then remained there untouched for over a hundred years. These trees are already hundreds of years old... this wood is amazing...I still havn't heard of an instrument being made from it but I've heard that it is quite possibly the best wood in existance.It's all about the wood really. If its made from wood that doesn't hold the sound well, it doesn't matter how well strung or old the instrument is.At least, this is myunderstanding of how it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg1138 3 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I play viola...There is now medication available over the counter from your local pharmicist for this.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Me = Violin PlayerIt depends on the condition of the old violin. A badly kept old violin, will be just that, bad.But if it's good condition, then it'll sound better and better with age, because as the wood and varnish age they become more resonant, and a 50 year old violin will sound better than a 2 year old violin, and by the same token, a Stradivari 300+ year old violin will sound better than both the 50 and 2 year old. I actually have a 14 year old violin (one I got brand new back when I was doing it in middle school orchestras), and my father has a violin that's a relic of his grandfather's 1900's. There is a distinct difference in sound quality. Now that doesn't mean the violin has to be ancient to sound good. You can also get violins that are brand new but use aged wood. It's not quite the same as a fully constructed violin that's been kept well and aged, but the difference isn't as big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Will this difference be audible in Garritan Personal Orchestra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I can only play the ear. But I can confirm that like all the other instruments - it gets better with age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 75 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I play viola...There is now medication available over the counter from your local pharmicist for this....How dare you insult the viola. The greatest instrument of all time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I love viola players. The most interesting characters I met in school were in the viola section of our string orchestras. Don't care much for the instrument though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodMusician 56 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Thank you. We are very interesting lol...I found most of the guy viola players are gay too... just calls em likes I sees em I guess I can see how the age would change the sound. I'd like to experience that myself though...I'm pretty good at picking up the sound difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,172 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I play the viola, but I'm no expert on the subject.Is that the shortest viola joke ever? LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scissorhands 16 Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 The JWFan.net Symphony Orchestra is still open for new members. We need a lot of strings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treat 0 Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Im a cello player and. i play on a Stohr which 20 years old and a great instrument. before purchasing it i was looking for a musch more older cello. So i went to a shop called William Gengakki Violins in atlanta. They have got a great selection of instruments. and a ton of cello. so i sat down and played every single one, some very cheap and some very, VERY EXPENSIVE. I Played some very old cellos that had popular names but just played terrible for me then i found mine which wasnt all that expensive compared to rest. So age does not matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,625 Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 We definatley need a JWFAN orchestra.Still ,lost of pieces need to be recorded.K.M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rienzi0711 0 Posted September 24, 2006 Author Share Posted September 24, 2006 Sorry it took a while to get back. Wow. Of course it makes sense that the age of the wood is what counts, and not necessarily the instrument. And that the instrument should be kept in good condition. I've had my current violin for almost eight years, though I don't know how old it is. It's certainly not that old, I'm sure. To the first response: No, I haven't seen The Red Violin, but I was reading about it (Wikipedia, haha) and it sounds interesting. Actually, there are way too many movies/shows/books that I haven't seen/read that I would like to see/read.Thanksfsb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg1138 3 Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 I play viola...There is now medication available over the counter from your local pharmicist for this....How dare you insult the viola. The greatest instrument of all time! Indeed - it is better than all leading brands of firelighters..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 75 Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Such dishonor.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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