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This reminds me of a double-blind study where professional violin players were asked to select a Strad out of six violins that they played while wearing dark go

by austinl 12y ago

This reminds me of a double-blind study where professional violin players were asked to select a Strad out of six violins that they played while wearing dark goggles. Only three out of seventeen were able to do it. When asked which violin was their favorite: "[T]he only statistically obvious trend in the choices was that one of the Stradivarius violins was the least favorite, and one of the modern instruments was slightly favored." So while there were some brilliant violins produced at the time – certainly an accomplishment based on the resources available – we can also make some pretty good ones today. http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/01/02/144482863/double-blind-violin-test-can-you-pick-the-strad http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/01/02/1444828...

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
pazimzadeh 12y ago
Because the violinists were only allowed to try the violins for one minute, that study has the same flaw that the Pepsi Challenge had in 1975: "In his book, Blink, author Malcolm Gladwell presents evidence that suggests Pepsi's success over Coca-Cola in the "Pepsi Challenge" is a result of the flawed nature of the "sip test" method. His research shows that tasters will generally prefer the sweeter of two beverages based on a single sip, even if they prefer a less sweet beverage over the course of an entire can." In other words, a saturated sound could initially be more attractive but not as good for an actual concert. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Challenge#Criticism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Challenge#Criticism But I'm repeating myself https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7550378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7550378
- necubi 12y ago
  As a violinist, this is exactly right. Violins are not standardized, and are certainly not interchangeable. Everything from the dimensions of the body and fingerboard to the exact locations of the "sweet spots" where the instrument will respond most fully will differ. It takes weeks or months to really learn to play a particular instrument, and a test that only gives players a minute will not reflect how well the instrument can sound in the hands of an experienced player. Another issue is that the instrument will sound very different to the player than to an audience, due to the way the sound is projected out of the ƒ holes. That said, I think there is a growing consensus that the Cremona violins are a bit overrated, and that modern makers are making wonderful instruments for a tiny fraction of the price. When I bought my current instrument I ended up with a modern American violin, which I preferred to old Italian and French instruments that cost many times as much.
ternaryoperator 12y ago
Indeed. The generally held view in violin circles today is that we're living in a second "golden age" of violin making.

by austinl 12y ago

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

pazimzadeh 12y ago

Because the violinists were only allowed to try the violins for one minute, that study has the same flaw that the Pepsi Challenge had in 1975: "In his book, Blink, author Malcolm Gladwell presents evidence that suggests Pepsi's success over Coca-Cola in the "Pepsi Challenge" is a result of the flawed nature of the "sip test" method. His research shows that tasters will generally prefer the sweeter of two beverages based on a single sip, even if they prefer a less sweet beverage over the course of an entire can." In other words, a saturated sound could initially be more attractive but not as good for an actual concert. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Challenge#Criticism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Challenge#Criticism But I'm repeating myself https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7550378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7550378

necubi 12y ago
As a violinist, this is exactly right. Violins are not standardized, and are certainly not interchangeable. Everything from the dimensions of the body and fingerboard to the exact locations of the "sweet spots" where the instrument will respond most fully will differ. It takes weeks or months to really learn to play a particular instrument, and a test that only gives players a minute will not reflect how well the instrument can sound in the hands of an experienced player. Another issue is that the instrument will sound very different to the player than to an audience, due to the way the sound is projected out of the ƒ holes. That said, I think there is a growing consensus that the Cremona violins are a bit overrated, and that modern makers are making wonderful instruments for a tiny fraction of the price. When I bought my current instrument I ended up with a modern American violin, which I preferred to old Italian and French instruments that cost many times as much.

ternaryoperator 12y ago

Indeed. The generally held view in violin circles today is that we're living in a second "golden age" of violin making.