On eigenmodes of the violin—Electronic holography and admittance measurements

The present experimental investigation, using recently assembled advanced electro-optical equipment for vibration analysis of three violins, was conducted to seek answers to three questions. A general or global question: Which parts of the violin body are vibrating the most? And two questions related to tonal quality: Are basic low-frequency vibration modes of a musically superior instrument different from those of an inferior violin? Can some special vibration properties be found to support the ‘‘bridge hill?’’ Optically obtained vibration modes were recorded as well as frequency responses in the form of admittance measurements. The investigation showed that the vibration modes found earlier are representative both for the inferior violin and the musically superior instruments, although discrepancies can be seen, both in eigenmode shapes and admittance responses. The experimental results are also in quite good agreement with published results of the modal analysis of a violin. Further, the experimental results indicate that the transversal vibrations are mainly within the plates, but at low frequencies, the vibrations of the edges and of the ribs can be large and in-plane as well as transversal. At higher frequencies, the transversal vibration amplitudes are small at the plate edges and larger inside. The top plate tends to have the largest amplitude of vibrations. In the 2.5-kHz range the violin with the most clear ‘‘bridge hill’’ tends to have the largest vibrations of the plates.