The Sound Post in the Violin

by John E McLennan PhD

Overview

A sound post is fitted in several different bowed instruments, namely, the violin family and the viols. It is a separate spruce dowel with the grain running along its length that is fitted snugly between the top and the back of the instrument, below, but not directly beneath, the treble foot of the bridge. John E. McLennan, Ph.D., who has been researching violin acoustics for thirty years, dispels the mystery surrounding the sound post of the violin. In six papers, he explores why the violin is such an important musical instrument - as well as the sound post's function in maximizing the monopole action of the violin's body, which radiates the sound, instead of restricting this to the top plate as with earlier bowed string instruments. The papers, written from 1996 to 2015, attempt to quantify the function of the sound post and remove the mystery that has surrounded it from the beginning. Discover why the sound post is so critical to enhancing the sound output of the violin and gain a deeper appreciation of the instrument as a whole with this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504321327
Publisher:	Balboa Press Au
Publication date:	06/15/2020
Pages:	94
Sales rank:	928,386
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.23(d)

About the Author

John E. McLennan, Ph.D., has been researching violin acoustics for thirty years using experimental methods. He is an accomplished engineer, skilled violin craftsman, and an independent researcher. He graduated with a Master of Science from UNSW (1964) and with a Ph.D. in violin acoustics from UNSW (2008).

Editorial Reviews

2020-12-22
A scholarly work explores the nuances of the violin sound post.

Most agree that the sound post is an essential organ of the violin. Indeed, it has been called “the soul of the instrument.” But what is so important about it? As McLennan notes in his introduction, the sound post maximizes “the monopole action, also known as the breathing action,” which “allows the body to radiate sound in all directions.” This development, which was missing from earlier bowed instruments, gives the violin its distinctive resonance. But there has long been some confusion as to exactly how the post affects the instrument’s sound. Tradition has it that the sound post can be shifted in diverse directions to achieve various effects, but more recent scientific studies have revealed that its primary purpose is to lift the output of the lower strings—a job that it cannot do if improperly placed. This book collects six scholarly papers representing McLennan’s three decades of sound post study, making it perhaps the most comprehensive work on the subject. He explores issues of sound post stiffness, position, and the way it interacts with the other structural elements of the violin. Who would have thought that a little piece of spruce—which should never ever be glued in place—could have such a tangible effect on the sound of the instrument? The work is an academic one, and the prose is suitably technical: “An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of varying the stiffness of the sound post on the position of resonance peaks in the tap response. The sound output resulting from these changes was determined using a modified Saunders loudness test as an easily realisable method.” The author offers a history of the sound post as well as a summary of the work that previous scholars have done regarding its position and function. General readers will likely find his arguments difficult to follow, though the inclusion of many charts and diagrams is helpful. But for those who are specifically interested in the violin or in sound resonance in musical instruments, this should prove a worthwhile and insightful book.

A dense, comprehensive, and valuable work on the violin’s essential sound post.

Kirkus Reviews