Down to earth presentation!!! Yes, we love to know the history of the strads and such, but at the end of the day, Sound is what matters. Modern Masters!!!
Interesting discussion. As an owner of a great modern cello (one of Sam’s teachers, Carl Becker jr.) I can attest to a bias from the public. If the instrument looks new they discount it. The join instruments made by the Becker’s were never antiqued. My cello is as good or better then many Italian cellos but because they look new the public doesn’t accord them the same respect as old instruments. That is why many fine modern makers spend so much time antiquing their instruments.
I have played three Beckers: two Srs and one Jr( from 1968) you are exactly correct they look completely plain and nondescript. And yet they are magnificent cellos. My own cello is a Caron, also just as boring as can be, and yet a great cello.
I liked the part about his cheap experimental violin and how it could be made to sound so good. I'm skeptical about the marketing about italian alp spruce, and feel its mainly marketing to bump up the prices merely from the wood rather than the skill of the violin maker which Mr Zygmuntowicz alludes to as the main factor
Why, in my opinion, the blind tests are not accurate: This is a bit colloquial but the difference between a great old italian and any other instrument is heard not by the player ear, but by those sitting beyond the 50th row in a hall. The difference is how those instruments PROJECT the sound far away into the cheap seats. I would be very curious if they had a blind test between modern and old instruments with the jury sitting as far away as possible!
There have been tests as to which instruments the audience prefers as well. The results were the same, with the audience perceiving the modern violins to project better. Granted, the sample size was still small, just like the test Zygmuntowicz mentioned in his presentation. www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/million-dollar-strads-fall-modern-violins-blind-sound-check
I am sure this experiment has been done, but one violin, with Mics set a foot away, five feet away, 25 feet away, and then 100 feet away. THAT would be an interesting experiment, but it would only gauge volume, not quality. Still I’d love to see the results of that kind of experiment.
Видеоклипы
Down to earth presentation!!! Yes, we love to know the history of the strads and such, but at the end of the day, Sound is what matters. Modern Masters!!!
Does anyone know where we can find the lecture with the slides included?
Sam, you are my hero.
Really enjoying the lecture but constantly frustrated by the desire to see his slides!
That was an hour well spent. I like to learn something new everyday, so now I can relax and take the rest of the day off.
Interesting discussion. As an owner of a great modern cello (one of Sam’s teachers, Carl Becker jr.) I can attest to a bias from the public. If the instrument looks new they discount it. The join instruments made by the Becker’s were never antiqued. My cello is as good or better then many Italian cellos but because they look new the public doesn’t accord them the same respect as old instruments. That is why many fine modern makers spend so much time antiquing their instruments.
I have played three Beckers: two Srs and one Jr( from 1968) you are exactly correct they look completely plain and nondescript. And yet they are magnificent cellos. My own cello is a Caron, also just as boring as can be, and yet a great cello.
An awesome presentation!
Regarding the six violin test in Indiana: what were the three modern violins?
I liked the part about his cheap experimental violin and how it could be made to sound so good. I'm skeptical about the marketing about italian alp spruce, and feel its mainly marketing to bump up the prices merely from the wood rather than the skill of the violin maker which Mr Zygmuntowicz alludes to as the main factor
It is mainly marketing bullshit
Why, in my opinion, the blind tests are not accurate:
This is a bit colloquial but the difference between a great old italian and any other instrument is heard not by the player ear, but by those sitting beyond the 50th row in a hall. The difference is how those instruments PROJECT the sound far away into the cheap seats. I would be very curious if they had a blind test between modern and old instruments with the jury sitting as far away as possible!
There have been tests as to which instruments the audience prefers as well. The results were the same, with the audience perceiving the modern violins to project better. Granted, the sample size was still small, just like the test Zygmuntowicz mentioned in his presentation.
www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/million-dollar-strads-fall-modern-violins-blind-sound-check
I am sure this experiment has been done, but one violin, with Mics set a foot away, five feet away, 25 feet away, and then 100 feet away. THAT would be an interesting experiment, but it would only gauge volume, not quality.
Still I’d love to see the results of that kind of experiment.