I started off as a violinist when I was 11, but I didn't like it too much, so I switched to double bass at 13 years old. I immediately feel in love with it and I still love it to this day! :-)
Why do you have the smiling Nepalese man at 5:08 when you remark about sound projection being tested in a lab? What is this absurd use of stock video footage?
The only really important characteristic about his good violins are that the trees were grown in a very cold area without much growth per year. This made the individual layers of the tree very thin, so there were multiple thin layers very close to each other. This made the wood very dense, which proved well for the sound. The f-holes don't really matter that much. It's probably just the antiqueness and the fact it was made by a famous violin maker that makes them so famous.
Also, the wood for the Strads was pre-industrial age, so no pollutant absorption compared to anything made today unless grown in a biosphere or something. Hmmm...
A very (like days ago) study shows that the chemical treatment of the wood might also have made a difference. Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del gesu both seem to have used the same treatment
When I was young, I told my violin teacher (the legendary George Bornoff) that I was unhappy with my instrument and wanted to get something else. He handed me his instrument and said to try it. It was the best instrument I had ever played. I said, "Yeah, I want one like this." He laughed. I looked inside. The label said Antonio Stradivari 1704. Years later, after he died, I was told that it wasn't in fact a Strad but a Vuillaume, a famous violin repairman and builder in 19th century France who built exquisite replicas of Strads. So, it might have "just" been a copy but it was still pretty amazing.
Your experience seems to lightly support my suspicions that the methods used to make the violin was what gave Stradivarius its distinctive sound. I think the issue is how they put the parts together, not just the kind of wood and varnish.
Amen to that! And they shouldn't be so expensive so musicians could afford them. It is auction houses and the rich elite who have driven the price out reach of even the best violinists.
Most of them are Loaned out or rented out.......it's quite rare for an owner to be some dude in an orchestra someware,it's reasons are self explanatory really.....I 100% agree with you though that ALL Stradivarius's should be played and enjoyed by as many people as possible rather than sitting in some rich persons glass cabinet as some " Party piece" or some way of them saying "That's Rare,Its mine! and Nobody else can touch it!".....Sadly that happens all to often with historical instruments but luckily when it comes to Stradivarius's people have realised that doing just that won't win you ANY friends or respect rather the opposite!.......I think that if you really do your research you will find that most of the "Virtuosic" players using a Stradivarius are playing somone else's because the odds of being born into a family rich enough to buy you one is more remote than winning the lottery!.....As a few people have stated though when these instruments were actually "New" there really wasn't much fuss about them at all.Having said that though there MUST be somthing about them for them to have survived for over 200 years!......In such quantities,(not that there's that many left but there's really no other examples of exquisite workmanship in instruments of similar age and prestige as a Stradivarius).....We lost so many great church organs in WW2 and other conflicts......war is an enemy of Music as much as it is humanity!......very sad indeed!
@@NeverTalkToCops1 Well to be clear old violin sounds better than a freshly made unused one since the wood is old and dry and can vibrate much better to exert a force of clear eco type of sound . That s why if u are a musician u will know that old instruments are more expensive than new made ones . Just a heads up , have a good day !
True, just like the music that is played on them. It is literally impossible to quantify artistic expression, and everyone has at least slightly different ears, for some it is a drastic difference. But, if there are that many of them still around, it is testament at the very least to the quality of their building, and the materials they were made from. And if they hadn't been at least very good sounding instruments, the company would most likely never have been a company, let alone stayed in business. But the fact they are made from woods that were cut in _The Little Ice Age,_ (the grain of the wood is denser during colder years, this increases the woods resonance) and that the wood has aged for so long (woods that have aged are almost always far more stable and harder still), they are made from better materials than we have access to today. Other than the odd stash of lumber one _might_ come across.
@@aylbdrmadison1051 ~ Scientifically speaking, all things in the material world are quantifiable if you know the rules of the game, which we often do not.
The reason why a Strad is so expensive is plain and simple because of the name. There is only about 300 of them in the world, and there will NEVER be new strads because Mr. Stradivarius is dead. Honestly, there is no reason to be paying $1.6 million for a violin. Even the bad Strads command such prices! (yes, there are bad strads also). You want a good quality hand-made violin with a good sound? Anywhere from $5000 to $10,000 can get you one. Cheaper if you look into the Chinese market for the same quality intrument. Obviously, this involves buying from relatively unknown, but good, makers. But if you go in the $10,000-$50,000 range, it's because the makers are famous (like Mr. Burgess and other contemporaries), so a big part of that price range goes into the name.
Gucci. The Waldorf. Hamptons. Park Avenue. However ... Aristotle was a giant intellect. Rembrandt was without a shadow of doubt the greatest artist who has ever lived. Michelangelo is head and shoulders above any sculptor. J.S. Bach resonates to Heaven. Levi Strauss does make better jeans. A Ferrari ...? They have some little quirks to them (like you can't really drive them anywhere much, especially not over speed bumps). I like the story of the investor who asked Picasso for a $30,000 painting. Picasso dipped a round into black paint, put a dot on a blank canvas, signed his name, and collected $30,000. "Strads" seem to have become a collector's item, and like a man above here hinted, they won't necessarily improve your playing. I'm off to find a $15,000 handbag for my mistress. Jeeves, the Phantom today, please.
Its probably like any musical instruments. Its up to the player to decide what kind of sound they like. I've been a guitar player most of my life and have played guitars worth thousands that I didn't care for the sound and or feel of.. and I've played some lower priced instruments that I would have rather owned.
@@HCBMD Not true. High-quality newer violins consistently get rated as better than Strads in all blind tests that have ever been done. Stradivarius violins simply don't sound better than newer instruments, according to science.
@@Alexilbello1993 If you buy a multi-million dollar instrument for the sound of it, you're delusional. High-quality modern instruments are just as good and cost a tiny fraction of the price of a Stradivarius. He was a good violin maker, obviously, but there are better violins around so buying one for its supposed "richness of tone" or whatever is ridiculous.
I have played on at least 6 Stradivari that were in the Library of Congress, American Museum of the Smithsonian, and several owned privately. Not only did they all sound better than my Johannes Gagliano made in 1781 which I always loved, they were beautifully made. In the American Museum I played on the Hellier which is a decorated violin. I was playing softly towards the back of their hall and my 2 friends who were sitting at a table near the front stopped me and told me that they could not hear each other even though they are sitting right next to one another. The sound of an instrument makes is highly dependent on the quality of the bow being used and on the way the violinist plays. Strads do not like being playing harshly with the violinist pressing with the bow.
I have a strad copy which i believe was built in Germany around 1890. My aunt played violin all her life with this one instrument. She absolutely loved it and I look after it now. I've had a go with it but I can only make it scream! I'll stick to the guitar!
My violin was a Johannes Gagliano made around 1780. His grandfather was one of the last students of Nicolo Amati but overlapped Stradivarius. My bow, which makes a huge difference in sound quality, was a François Tourte, probably made in the 1790s, and considered by a large percentage of players to have been the greatest bow maker. I got the chance to play on at least 8 or 9 Stradivarius violins, mostly at the Library of Congress and the American Museum of the Smithsonian including the Hellier Stradivarius. It not only sounded fantastic, it is a decorated instrument. Look it up, it is quite beautiful. It also has the largest inside volume of any Stradivarius. . I was also able to play on a number of Guarneri del gesus, which some violinists consider to be as good or better than the Stradivarius. Every aspect of the great violins and bows are important. The quality of the wood, the treatment, the outline, the arches, the thicknessing of the wood, even the scroll. There is no "secret" to the Stradivarius, there were many aspects that added up to their greatness.
Yes- the quality of Bows being hugely responsible for the quality of your Violin's tone is an entirely other Subject adding to the complexity of this Instrument.
I play too. But I'm not worthy to even gaze at a Stradivarius directly or to look it up on the net, let alone playing one or even holding it in my hands. You are lucky,,, favored by the gods.
My life has been blessed in many ways but I am certainly not favored by the gods. In 2000, I had a bicycle accident that left me a quadriplegic. This summer I broke my hip. I was not doing as well as 2 to 5 years after my accident and now I am not doing that well. I have lots of good support which makes up for a lot.@@humanbeing1429
Salt water (brine) heat treated maple added to the shaping, preserving, and bending. Does it have "gills?" I can't play violin, but ... when I turn 90, I will play. Thank you for your reply.
What I find disturbing about the (b)rightside "video" is the TOTALLY inane inclusion of the random clips and stills that have no connection to the subject at hand nor respect deserved to the viewers. Probably assembled by staffers who have never actually been to any concert featuring the violin.
When the content of the "video" purports to be a authoritative source of information and is addressing the viewer who, not knowing that field, may rightly assume that information accurate until presented with apparently more credible facts. If not disturbing, at least misleading and irresponsible.
AND stating better information has nothing to do with snobbery. It's incumbent the one making their point be willing to be able to defend that position.
The violin in my profile pic was appraised by two different luthiers as being about 250 years old. One said it was german, the other said it was Italian. It was a wonderful violin to play.....very rainbowy and I had a professional violinist whisper in my ear, after having played the instrument....that I should sell everything I owned to buy it. Unfortunately, it didn't belong to me but to a friend who allowed me to play it for about 14 years....but sadly I had to give it back. I keep waiting for Antique's Roadshow to come around so we can bring it and get it appraised by folks who know for sure. It has no label so ..who knows ! It would be fun to get some info on it.
My understanding of the awesome sound quality of the Strads is because of the closeness of the wood grains in the instruments due to the Little Ice Age of Antonio's time period. Trees grew slower because of the colder temperatures, and with the close wood grains, sound was able to pass through the instrument more efficiently.
A chemistry professor attributes the superior sound due to age, due to the wood being dragged in the canals of Venice and wood varnishes placed on the instruments at the time of construction. The professor tested his theory and makes violins that have been rated superior to Stradivarius.
I played the violin for 10 years and I knew it was only modeled after a Stradivarius because of the interior labeling. My parents bought it for me in the late 1960's as a new violin. It had lovely tone quality! To this day, I am sorry I sold it in the late 1970's in favor of pursuing professional voice training. I hope whoever may own it now is enjoying it even more than I did!
I had the honor of testing out a Strad (courtesy of my teacher who had one on loan) and it was definitely quite a unique sound and feel, at least compared to other (read: plebeian) violins I have played. In some aspects I felt other violins were better but overall I was very pleased, even after accounting for the starstruck emotions. The bow and strings make almost as big a difference as the violin itself so that makes it quite hard to judge which pairing would really strike its chord. Trivia: My own is a 1901 modeled after Amati.
How the instrument is played affects the sound quality as much as the craftsmanship of the manufacturing. A pianist I met could make an average piano sound like a concert grand in spite of the fact the piano hadn't been tuned in over two years. Technique and style count.
Thomas Ewing, VERY true that. The same even applies to sports cars. I've seen people buy a Ferrari and moan that they were unimpressed with the performance. Then they take it to Maranello (the home of Ferrari) and pay a test driver to get the fastest lap possible from it. They were shocked to see him drive with their cars almost 3-4 mph quicker per lap. It's all about skill and technique. Another interesting example was Ferrari's greatest driver Michael Schumacher. He left his old team Benetton to drive for them. The man given his old car was Gerhard Berger, who certainly had more than enough experience to perform well with the car. Berger tried setting up the car suspension, transmission and steering to his preferences and hit the track. He crashed after only a few laps! It took him all winter to understand how the car functioned some of the engineers couldn't believe Schumacher won 9 races and a world title with that same car. But he did. Berger nearly won a race with it but the mechanics lacked the magic touch of those that Schumacher took with him to Ferrari including Ross Brawn. As a result, it was horribly unreliable and it broke down when he was headed for a surefire win in Germany in 1996. The team improved the following year and at the same track where he had that heartbreaking failure, Berger crushed his rivals in majestic style and swept home to one of the most amazing wins I've ever seen in my lifetime. I was very honored to witness it on TV. I still consider it among the 10 greatest races in the last 50 years.
A violin and a radio antenna have one thing in common: they are insanely effective at turning one type of vibration into another. Vibrating strings lead to vibrations in the air we call music, alternating current in the transmitter circuits lead to electromagnetic vibrations in the air we call radio waves. But while the radio antenna is fantastically sensitive to a narrow range of frequencies, a violin broadcasts over a very wide range. A well balanced instrument doesn't favor or diminish any frequency in a bad way but rather closely matches the human ear and its 'built in' pitch distortions. Many violins are made that have good voices, the master-class machines project their sound loudly without distortion. I have heard a side-by-side demonstration...hard to believe they were both violins! Strads and others command such high prices for their voice, yes, but when you factor in how few instruments from the 1700's still exist, the price-tag seems more reasonable. Indy would say "this belongs in a museum", but these things were made to be played! One sad day the last few examples of the truly great instruments will be museum pieces, but for now they sing!
As one of my day gigs between teaching jobs, I co-managed a Music store. If you want a thumbnail for the perceptual acuity of the consumer, count how many people come in with a yard sale Violin (only $20.00!) that says "Stradivarius Cremona", made in Czechoslovakia, Korea (before N. or S.), China, Taiwan or Hong Kong, with all those things on white paper labels, written in ENGLISH inside the F-holes. We were always polite, because (in addition to being an Educator in the retail business) I believed we are/were an extension of the Education Profession ourselves. Some of them took the news really hard. I HOPE their kids went on to play and use the Violins because it was still very likely that at THAT price they were a bargain. But I did see more than one wind up in the parking lot recycle bin. Even if you have to put $50.00 into a violin that cost you $20.00 (bridge, strings, microtuners, peg/bow rosin) you made out like a bandit. Forget the labels...make some Music...
a 20 dollar violin, if it holds up is perfect for a beginger or even a kid. if they break it no biggy. my first violin came to around $600 that was like back in 2002 i want to say.
They are expensive because an item is worth what a person will pay for it. And we have people who have so much money that collecting such items is more about them saying look what I can pay for this, rather than what the item is actually worth to most people with common sense.
No violinist who owns a Strad does so for boasting purposes. Violinists who play a Strad more often than not use one given to them on long-term loan because of their talents, or go into deep debt to acquire one. Saying that buying an expensive item is "more about them saying 'look what I can pay for this', rather than what the item is actually worth to most people with common sense [i.e., people who can't afford the item]…" , it's pretty clear you don't know any serious collectors.
@Paul Zink. But there are also collectors who buy expensive paintings and then hang them upside down. Many, who are really rich, doesn't know about arts, they buy things because they can. If it is expensive, it must be good, right? I don't think many violinists who play a Strad owns their instrument. Most are a loan from a museum or investor who have bought the instrument so they can let musicians play it. Same as horses, not many riders own the horse they ride.
Stradivarius also produced baseball bats for the old Italian League in Italy. Joe DiMaggio had a collection of Strad bats but was unable to use any of them in MLB games because of the pressure from American bat manufacturers. Tests showed that the Strad bats could make a baseball go almost 1.25 times farther when hit with the same amount of power.
I have a very old violin. So old it has often been mistaken for a Stradivarius. Every time I took it to have a glue job, or get some new pegs, some one would always cut little snips off of it. To own a real Stradivarius would require, finding someone to maintain it, without harming it, have it under lock and key with alarm systems over the whole house, and paying huge insurance premiums. Too much for me. Mine is Old and plays well, I always said that it was enchanted, as the first time I picked it up it just started to play beautifully almost on its own. The reason for that is the previous owner played it often and well before dieing. Which allowed the cells in the wood to remain open. At least that's what I was told. When I was 12 or 13, I met Isaac Stern. He let me play a little song on his. It was a great treat. And his encouragement on my playing has lasted me all the rest of my life.
I would prefer a new violin. Not because it's better or worst, since the difference is small, but because of the pressure of having that much of a responsibility. I believe it would cripple my playing and enjoyment. These violins belong in museums as part of history, and for the study of violin perfection.
All musicians are cringing before viewing the video to see how much is just basic knowledge that many go WOOOOOOOWWWW! And the length of the quote 'f' holes doesn't just make more 'sound', But changes its strength and many more factors in its texture. The main reason wasn't just quantity of volume released but many other factors that make creating violins an extremely respected art form. Also the reason for the preference to the new violins is likely to any type of instrument. The ergonomics can really be the dominant factor in making the musician prefer it as it is mostly more comfortable which mentally affects many things. This sounds like s**t but for musicians in anything ever the weight ratio of a drumstick can affect EVERYTHING!
The subject test says it all. A great deal of magical sound quality hype has been affixed to the Stradiuarius throughout the last century, which mostly has to do with the way humans twist quality with high price, ie. "It has a million dollar price tag, therefore it is the best in the world". No. The summary of the subject is as follows; It's a quality violin with the highest antiquity value in the world. That is all.
My violin is about US$ 70 and comes with case and bow. Stradivarius model. Mass produced. I'm satisfied with it. The musician is what makes the difference.
Yes. You are correct. The musician is what makes the difference. But think about it, if the musician is really good and professional Ray Chen for example. They do kind of need a better violin and bow. They wouldn't be as good with a 80 dollar violin than a 5k - 10k violin. Like you said the musician is what actually makes the difference but in the long run you will need a better violin. That does not mean you need to buy a Stradivarius or some other expensive violin. You will just need to buy a good quality violin.
An instrument will never will never make beautiful sounds on its own. The musician is the transmission. I played a game of billiards with a cue i purchased. With all the bells and whistles, 600.00 investment. Got beat with a broom handle. Lol
The most interesting statement falls at 5:40. Someone who was concerned about the subject would take those three players and test them further to see if they could consistently differentiate. If so, that would establish that there is a difference, whether or not the others were competent enough to recognize it. Using the Fritz method I can prove that humans cannot run a 4-minute mile by taking 50 people off the street and having them try. I pretty much guarantee that they will fail, proving my point. What the average violinist, violin maker, or audience member thinks he hears is as irrelevant as my ability to run a 4-minute mile.
Name a better feeling than waking up in the middle of the night and thinking to yourself “please don’t be 6 am” and then when you look at the clock you realize that it’s only 234 am and you still have like 4 hours to SLEEP
Strads are extremely expensive because of the value of the name that is placed on the instrument. Are they absolutely amazing? Some of them, yes, others not really. You can find Amatis, Guarneries, and others old-school makers that are better than some Strads. Nowadays you can also find modern instruments that compete with Strads and are much more affordable, with some as low as $20,000 (which is definitely on the affordable side for professional-quality violins). You just have to look in the right places for them.
Yes, absolutely. Work with your luthier and work together to see what your instrument is capable of doing. It is amazing to do that, but it takes time and an investment in strings and luthier fees for bridge and sound post work, but you can get the best out of your instrument, without resorting to buying a much more expensive one..
Correction: The video says the Messiah violin has never been played. That's simply not true. It has been played but not often at all. And of course we aren't really sure if the Messiah violin is a Strad or if it is a copy by the French violinmaker Jean Baptiste Vuillaume.
My Father had a Stradivarius. A wonderful instrument that he played till he had open heart surgery in 1980. The scar from the surgery never healed right, and was so painful that he wasn't ever able to play again. I don't play the violin, but I am very good keyboardist Even though my keyboard does do a fairly good on imitation of a violin being able to approximate 20 sounds of the violin, a good violinist is able to create 47 tones from it. I really miss hearing Dad play. He was a remarkable artist.
I am a violinist. I would love to own one of these. You wouldn't understand about playing music unless you know how to play an instrument! For all you people who think this is boring until you get a hobby you won't understand this!!
I play violin, a little bit. Isn't there something about the wood used, that it has a unique hollow-cell structure. I remember a story about a luthier that got dozens of hardwood logs that were found in the muck of a drained lake, the wood was almost petrified. But it was still wood. He used this wood to make violins and it produced amazing sounding instruments. An electron-scanning microscope verified that the found wood was unique, -and very closely matched the unique qualities of Strats...
This is like the difference between a MOSFET amplifier against the valve amplifier. Too much hype over traditional items over perfectly great modern designs.
All hype, BUT i have to say that the first (and only) time i saw a Strad in person it gave me the goosebumps! But you know...its like the electric guitars from the 50s and 60s...they are good, but 90% of it is hype...ive played a 56 Telecaster and a newer Tele, and as nice as the 56 "feels" (emotionally) to play, it wasnt any better than the new Tele..
I used to visit Master Stradivarius at his workshop in Cremona back in the early eighteenth century. One day he surprised me by taking me fully into his confidence about his favourite choice of wine. For truth’s sake I had to declare an entire lack of interest in the subject - but he was jesting at my expense! It turned out that he poured the wine into pans which he left on a cill to evaporate in the strong Italian sun. When all was reduced to a viscous paste he would then rub the stuff into the wood forming the inside back of a new violin. This he would do several times not quite letting the first application dry before applying the second and thus building up layers to an integral effect. The wood so treated he also would let dry though not in direct sunlight and the end result was that the ‘wine-paste’ set like iron and doing so reflected sound waves with greater precision and vivacity. But he didn’t stop there. Before assembling individual pieces he would rub on top of the surface so treated a preparation of copper sulphate further to increase the responsive élan of the Cremona pine-wood to sound waves. Unfortunately I was not particularly interested in violins either but we generally had a nice chat and he didn’t mind charging my glass a few times with the selfsame wine! Nice chap - I remember him well.
Some sound good some don't. Some sound poorly because they are rarely played. But, basically they are expensive because they are old and rare and have been hyped for the last 200 years or so. Plenty of great sounding violins have been made since 1700.
@@ohwell2790 I read an article a long time ago that said the varnish had powdered gemstones in it. It attributed the wood quality to being soaked in the water as they floated it down the river from the forest after cutting.
@@jeffragar3493 Stradivarius had a wife with an incurable skin disease. The flakes of dry skin wafted onto the wood and underwent a unique chemical reaction with the chewing tobacco that Stradivarius spat onto the wood to enhance the color. Apparently, this is responsible for the remarkable sonorous quality of the typical violin that Stradivarius produced.
I inherited a true baroque period cello a few years ago. Some small workshop job with an illegible signature engraved on the underside of the neck right before the scroll. It's styled like French, but it's too beat up to read it properly. Oh, and the neck is mounted with triangular iron nails, which were fairly common among French workshops of the period. Hardly a storied cello by any account, but an interesting look at how they were traditionally manufactured. It also sounds wonderful. I'm no expert, but I reckon the resists used when treating it soaked into the grains pretty thoroughly. It has some ply that dampens the projection, but as a cellist I'm looking for an effortless dulcet, and my cello delivers. Now the most important part of my cello is my bow. I've manufactured my own ever since learning the hard way what happens to expensive bows when you leave them taut. Unlike typical mass produced bows, I prefer to use Tasmanian Oak and... ahem... "borrow" my brumby's hair. The thicker strands work beautifully with this cello's natural character. A Stradivarius is cool, but the best instruments are those you feel comfortable with. Only then can you take full advantage of their potential.
Technique used by Strad - bottom of the bridge should be slightly rounded at contact with the instrument. This allows for maximum string vibration into the body of the instrument. This works for all moveable bridge instruments.
A friend of mine, a violonist, lately bought a 20.000 euros violin. I don't say the brand because i think it would not be fair. The fact is that, my friend directly came to my home with a bottle of very good champagne. This was a great day for him. However, i felt some shade in his voice as he was opening the case of his new instrument...He was not totaly convinced he had made a good deal in buying the violin. That i could feel in his voice. As a former cello student, i timidly asked him if i could play some notes out of the ( disppointing) marvel... He said : I don't know why, but i can hardly " trigger it". That is certainly because of the weather, the room, the fact is i don't yet have it in hands and so on... I was sorry for him, according to the sacrifice he had made to get the marvel. I took the violin and put it on my shoulder ; then I tried some shy and slow notes, playing with a vibrato. The sound seemed to come from everywhere in the room. My friend said " you trigger it ! " How do you do that ? I don't know, I said. I dared not add a word but I said to myself " There is something of magic with an instrument. You are the one that fits or not...I often noticed the same case with other musicians. Can science explain that ? Maybe some day...
it is like a wand from harry potter the wand chooses the wizard. the instrument choose the musician. and when you find your match you never let it go. you name it and it becomes a part of you.
I recently went violin shopping and settled for a cheaper instrument because it played much better and had similar sound quality than the others I was trying. Violins are not always worth their price and many instrument dealers are ready to up sell someone. Get to know all of your local stores and find people you like dealing with! If you find all of the things you are looking for in a violin, that is what's really important (and PRACTICE...lots of it.)
as a guitar player I agree. It doesn't matter how much the instrument cost, the brand, etc but how it sounds and how it feels to you is most important. I acquired an old student violin at a school and gave it to my Uncle- he told me that the violin was way better than the one he owned lol
In the 70s, I went to buy my lifelong guitar. I chose an Ovation Glen Campbell (a buddy had one). Dude at the guitar store talked me into a Martin for half the price. I've never regretted that decision.
Rarity and collectability always affect the pricing. I submit that "Stradivarius" is also a much cooler and memorable name then Guarnerius or Amati. You hear it once and remember it forever. So many subjective elements at play. You see other comments on here about vintage guitars & such - same thing.
@@buckosoft Oh gosh, wise choice. I can't say I've ever played a Glen Campbell model, but every Ovation I've heard live (especially acoustic/electric when plugged in) has sounded horrible. The rounded back also makes them slip off your lap if you're playing sitting down w/no strap. Constantly annoying. They were loud, that was about it.
I play B flat clarinet, played it in high school, just recently started playing again at my church. I came across this video because I am very interested in learning to play the violin. Thanks for this very informative video. I do have some friends who play, violin - 2 of them, one mandolin, one cello - I shared the stage with them a few years back in something we had going at the local community college called, "Country Music Showcase", check out The Hall Sisters! But right now, I am just checking things out, trying to learn, hoping to get a good violin to start with soon.
I saw production of the couple of things that Antonio did to his violins that aren't done today. He pre-treated the wood, though when asked he said, "Never pre-treat the wood." Preserving one of this craftsman secrets. Another is the varnish he used. It was make by boiling shrimp shells in turpentine. Because it was all organic, unlike today's varnishes, it didn't seal the individual wood cells of the instrument and allowed for more and truer vibration of the instrument down to the cellular level of the materials used. Interesting theory. There's a Strad 'Cello in the Smithsonian on display. It's worth millions.
if the strad can behave like a placebo and cause via its mystique better all around playing including intonation, then ultimately your comment is invalid. if the strad caused a violinist to play better in the same way medical placebos can cause wellness, then the strad is still the better violin, just obviously not only 4 the structural reasons.
Stradivarius violin was created by Antonio Stradivarius. He was born in 1644. The size of the violin is larger and longer than any other violins and today's modern violins. The first great violin was made in 1700, and the others are betts was made in 1704 and Alard 1715 and this violins are very expensive due to its unique manufacturing so its sounds better than other violins and no one knows how it was made and everyone said different things about Stradivarius. This violin costs about 2 million US dollar to 15 million US dollar. Antonio Stradivarius made about 1100 different types of musical instruments before his death at 93 & only half of instruments are existed today sorry I forgot the numbers haha....and the Stradivarius violin market are very small but it is competitive against other markets because of its cost by its value etc, etc
@@johnpossum556 Hahaha.... You're right by the way I'm not talking about me but headbangers are actually very discipline and calm in nature and for your information study says people who listen to metal, rock, classic, blues, etc etc are very knowledgeable and creative in their own way specially in the case of metal and classics :p haha....
Actually, a blind study was done, and the professionals and the average players both preferred the newer violins versus the Stradivarius (not "strad").
It isn't just a matter of the instrument on its own, or its maker... not all instruments by the same maker will necessarily sound great.A friend of mine had a Bergonzi that sold for £250,000 at auction and she said it was very difficult to play and she didn't like it, but she had inherited it. I also played a Thomas Kennedy cello and it was less that nice. Another one I played was beautiful! It has been shown that the quality of wood that was used in Strads and the closeness of the grain from cold winters have enabled the instruments to produce their sound, but then it has to have the right set-up on top, bridge, sound post, etc and strings and a bow that will draw the sound out. The bow is really important and can make or break a decision to buy an instrument. I am looking at it from a cellists viewpoint, but it is the same- If the bow isn't right, or the set-up is wrong, then that instrument won't sound great, regardless of its maker. Endless string combinations, gut, different metal combinations, high tension, low tension, different gauges, shaving wood to thin down bridges, new sound posts, moving sound posts, changing tailpieces, changing the wood on tailpieces, opening the instrument up and shaving down the thickness of wood etc, etc will affect the sound and will open the sound or tighten it up. The finest instruments are often very difficult to play because each note has to be played with a different arm weight or bow speed, etc. It is amazing what you can get out of affordable fine old cellos, like mine, an English 1780 Hill school, and if the set-up is right and you work with your luthier, you can create your own sound canvas- yes it takes time and is expensive. I must have got through £1000 of cello strings in the last year, but I know now that it responds best to lower tension gut core strings to release the sound and loosen it up. Remember that we only ever hear Strads played by very fine players and with the ultimate set-up that has cost thousands of pounds, We don't hear them played by Fred Bloggs with a set of beginner strings and a basic bow. :) when Fred's cello would sound good if he got his own ultimate set -up and had his cello played by a pro, which is why you aren't comparing like with like!
I want a strad but I am happy with my Clifton Strassus and it actually sounds pretty well! 😊 So just a friendly reminder that even if you don't own a strad, if you just practise playing and playing no matter what violin you play, it will sound amazing! 😉😊
I want one. I’m a beginner, but even as a beginner... I want one. There’s just something magical about the tone. Scientists may never figure it out, but it’s there. You have to hear one played. It’s truly a unique quality of sound.
Sorry to burst your dream bubble but as someone who has been playing 55 years now, it's not the instrument but the player. There is NO exception to hours and hours of practice and years of experience in playing any instrument and if you are truly a good player, you should be able to play a student model violin and make it sing like a Strad.
It's called 'mystique'. As time goes on, those who own them or have played them only want the mystique to continue and increase, thereby benefiting those owners and players. As this video points out, very few can tell the difference, and even those who could may have merely been lucky guesses. That being said, any violin that can survive for 300 years must be well made, and of quality materials!
My Nephew has an 18th century violin and it does sound amazing. I don’t know the maker, but it’s not a Strad. He has taken a number of workshops with Itzak Perlman who does own and play a Stradivarius.
It's my understanding that part of the quality of the sound is the due to the desnsity of the wood, which was cut from the Swiss Alps and sent to Stadavari. These trees had grown during the mini-ice age of the middle ages, which was brought on by the eruption of Krakatoa, which cooled the planet with thick ash in the atmosphere that lingered for many years, making tree rings tight and thus the wood denser than normal. His varnish was important to the sound as well. He included in the mixture ground up fragments of precious stones.
I can't really comment on violins but I can tell you that with classical guitars there is a lot of B.S. circulating around famous instruments. Many, many modern luthiers produce instruments every bit as good (or better) than Hauser, Ramirez, Tatay, Smallman, Romanillos Estesso etc.
I'm a really happy person as I own a Strad which actually belonged to my grand pa. Surely can tell a huge difference between a normal violin and the strad as I've heard my grand pa say that a real strad can put a person is not at all sleepy to deep sleep. the strad produces a tone which is most pleasing to the ears and to the mind and surely this is one quality that separates it from all the other violins. One more thing what ive heard from him is that the strad does not sound that loud at all to the person playing but it has the capability to over rule all the other instruments in the chamber and it surely is the world's best violin without any doubt!!
I don't play violin and can't tell the difference. What I know is that the man was an innovater who stressed quality and detail to the extreme. This man has earned my respect. Modern society needs people like him.
Thanks! One feature of Strads you didn't mention is that they can be more difficult to play well than a modern fiddle. Each fiddle requires a different touch.
I was a non-professional concert Violist for 9 years. And worked during the summer & Christmas season at a Viololin shop for several years. My Viola is a German made instrument of unknown maker. It was made when the maker was still apprenticing & I bought it new in 1990. I have been her only owner lol At the time my family paid a good price for her, which was still a few thousand dollars! I've handled 1 Strad violin in my days & a violin by a maker I can't recall (I think Giovanni maybe) that in 1992 was worth around $250,000! My point to all this I know some things about stringed instruments. In all my years of experience & all the musicians I've met (beginner, amateur & professional) there were few Violas that I, and many others, felt had the quality of sound or volume my Viola produced! I knew a professional Violist who had re-morgaged their house to buy their instrument & had paid $80,000 for....but even she admitted that my Viola sounded noticeably better! My point? I do not personally care what name is in an instrument, nor who made it or the cost. I only care how it sounds & performs. I have always recommend folks, if they can, go play as many instruments as they can to get a feel for what they want. Then play EVERYTHING you can in the price range you can afford. Sound, performance & handling are what matter.
Brite Side--- You barely even tried to answer the question you posed. "Because the F-holes are bigger" according to one laboratory is hardly an answer. And since the assessment "best sound in the world" is completely subjective, making it unanswerable, why not just title this basic info for what it is: "Beginner's Info about Stradivarius Violins".
If you are unaware, Bright side is one of the many scumbags on UA-cam who are only after money. They know NOTHING about the topic they talk about. Just pure reworded plagarism from other websites
What's the mystery? their not only really well made; their 300-year old antiques. You can expect to pay a lot of money for anything that old that still works.
It truly amazed me to discover some history about the Stradivarius. My question is, who conceived the idea of using a bow to play the violin? What is it made of, who was the inventor, and how was the length determined for its use? I'd prefer the answers from someone who knows, such as, a professional violinist. Or if they are too busy, anyone else.
There's an interesting story about a Stradivarius Violin that belonged to UCLA, it's called the Alcantara. The lead violinist lost it - apparently he drove off with it still sitting on the trunk of his car. Then an older lady found it and eventually gave it to her middle aged son. His wife started taking violin lessons with it but because there are so many copies her instructor didn't think much of it. Eventually the instructor played it and suggested that an expert should take a look at it, and the expert discovered that it was the missing Srad from UCLA. Long story short, there was a lawsuit where UCLA ended up settling out of court and the Strad was returned. UCLA had a special concert featuring the Alcantara Strad but eventually sold the violin considering that one instrument could pay for several new instruments for their music department... I read this story in the news paper about 30 years ago and that's the best I can remember it.
The secret is: there's no secret. They're just violins, and many other modern violins are just as good, and some are probably quite a bit better. It's just mythology built up around the name.
I have a simple student violin that I bought from a local shop that specializes in violin sales construction and repair. It has a mellow sweet tone and serves my needs. Buying an instrument because of the name is empty and rather egotistical. Buying it because you like its quality of sound has more meaning. I don’t think that I’d ever need a Strad.
Why is a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Standard worth $20,000-$50,000 and a 2000 Les Paul Standard worth $1,000? Because it is a collectible.... It's not a better guitar. The same goes for a Stardivarius or any other masterbuilt violin. That's it.
Actually the older Gibsons ARE better just like the strads. The quality of wood that was used is no longer available. The 50s and early 60s Les Paul's used different tenon joints for the necks than now, the dimensions were different, the glues were different, each guitar back then was made by one guy, not assembly line like now, the cold in Kalamazoo is very different than the heat and humidity in Memphis, they used nitrocellulose laq rather polyurethane finish which allows the wood to breathe better and age and vibrate more. The angle of the head stock and strings over the nuts is different, the way the bridges were anchored we're different. All these small differences make those guitars significantly superior to modern guitars. A company called Heritage (founded by a Kalamazoo Gibson employee) makes guitars spec'd like the old ones and are a very amazing connection to the past. Pearly Gates is a prime example. You can't just buy that anymore.
Often it is not about sound quality alone. Issues of touch, balance, playability, feeling and expression form the basis of enjoying a fine instrument. I am a pianist. Once I was allowed to try several of the world's great grand pianos at a prestigious music store. One of the Yamaha grands had a tremendous base and wonderful tone. I played a Bosendorfer but found it less comparable to the Yamaha. But then I tried an old 9' Steinway. I will never forget the delightful touch and uniformity of regulation, the softness of expression, the wonderful reasoneance of the sound board of that lovely piano. That Steinway piano actually magnified and enhanced my abilities many fold. I wish I could have afforded it's $38,000 price tag (early 1980's) but it was impossible. I am sure that fine violins have similar qualities!
*Why in bold letters for a perfectly normal comment? lol you're indirectly attracting likes and you know it. It's a common technique. So how about you stop being a hypocrite, THEN ask that question again?*
Here is the secret. The back of the instrument is harder wood than the front allowing the vibration to bounce off the back and through the front. The back wood of hard maple is from the little ice age in Europe. Since the trees grew much slower in cold weather the tree rings are very tight thus impacting the vibration of sound.
I have a quick Stradivarius story for you my mother told me. Back in the 1950's, my parents were part of some kind of music society or something. My father, being a doctor, may have had something to do with it, I don't know. At any rate the story is: Issac Stern came to town and played a concert here in San Diego, Ca., probably with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. My mom told me that they had a small after concert get together at our house and of course Issac Stern brought his violin with him. We had a baby grand piano, and she told me he put the violin on top of the piano, so he could keep an eye on it. I don't blame him. I wouldn't leave my Stradivarius out in a car either, even though we lived in a nice neighborhood. Marc Trainor.
Hi, Bright Siders! Do you play any musical instruments? 😊
I started off as a violinist when I was 11, but I didn't like it too much, so I switched to double bass at 13 years old. I immediately feel in love with it and I still love it to this day! :-)
Yes I play the Piano!!!!!!
BTW YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT :)
Piano ;)
I play violin for a living. It’s the only occupation I’ve ever had. I’ve been playing for 43 years.
I have a feeling twoset is gonna criticize this video
I hope they do!!!
ssme goes here 😂
bruh bright side should start citing their information. i bet more than half is wikipedia.
Ling ling does not approve.
Yi Song Ding and? There’s no problem with that
Ling ling doesn’t need this violin to make a beautiful sound
That's because Ling Ling practices instead of watching click bait videos on youtube
@@Kwaalt haha true and you aren't practicing u need the 40hrs
HAHAHAHHAHAHA TRUE
LING LINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
Ling ling can make viola sounds as good as violin
I played a Strad once, and it sounded terrible. But then again, I had never played a violin before, so that might have had something to do with it.
PointyTailofSatan v
Sure you did
Yeah, violins are really hard to make sound good if you don’t know what you’re doing. It awesome that you got to play one though.
You are more than lucky that someone let you touch a Stradivarius without being a violinist.
@@marffvmarffv5438 exactly
Why do you have the smiling Nepalese man at 5:08 when you remark about sound projection being tested in a lab? What is this absurd use of stock video footage?
Probably because it projected into Nepal, seems self evident to me 🤣
I am the proud owner of a Stradivarius and a Picasso. Unfortunately Stradivarius couldn't paint and Picasso made terrible violins!
Wow u r ritch and wow but what about a viola tgo?
Very funny!
Sounds like a Jack Benny joke.
JohnCurry, Stradivarius painted with sound and Picasso played with paint!
Very good. That joke made it into our Christmas Panto.
Standard joke: of 1100 Stradivarius instruments, only 3000 have survived 😄
BAHAAHA
655
The only really important characteristic about his good violins are that the trees were grown in a very cold area without much growth per year. This made the individual layers of the tree very thin, so there were multiple thin layers very close to each other. This made the wood very dense, which proved well for the sound. The f-holes don't really matter that much. It's probably just the antiqueness and the fact it was made by a famous violin maker that makes them so famous.
Also, the wood for the Strads was pre-industrial age, so no pollutant absorption compared to anything made today unless grown in a biosphere or something. Hmmm...
A very (like days ago) study shows that the chemical treatment of the wood might also have made a difference. Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del gesu both seem to have used the same treatment
We have cold weather areas today.
@@urbosasfurry2126
You aint got nothing on Ben Lee's 24K gold violin with 5 strings
inTRESting
@@willhunt2456 AMAZING!!!!
@@willhunt2456 *B natural to B flat*
@@user-yr5yl6zt5l LING LING 40 HOUR
Its not a violin if it has 5 strings lol
When a video says "keep watching to find out blah blah blah" you can tell the whole thing is clickbait!
you can tell it's clickbait when you see it's brightside
You know instead of getting money from clicks on UA-cam videos it’s watch time
And ads
When I was young, I told my violin teacher (the legendary George Bornoff) that I was unhappy with my instrument and wanted to get something else. He handed me his instrument and said to try it. It was the best instrument I had ever played. I said, "Yeah, I want one like this." He laughed. I looked inside. The label said Antonio Stradivari 1704.
Years later, after he died, I was told that it wasn't in fact a Strad but a Vuillaume, a famous violin repairman and builder in 19th century France who built exquisite replicas of Strads. So, it might have "just" been a copy but it was still pretty amazing.
Your experience seems to lightly support my suspicions that the methods used to make the violin was what gave Stradivarius its distinctive sound. I think the issue is how they put the parts together, not just the kind of wood and varnish.
AnTonio SsTradivari was born
in The CiTy of Cremona ITaLy
Keeping à Stradivarius in a museum or library is a crime! They should be loaned out to orchestras or solo artists and played!
Amen to that! And they shouldn't be so expensive so musicians could afford them. It is auction houses and the rich elite who have driven the price out reach of even the best violinists.
Most of them are Loaned out or rented out.......it's quite rare for an owner to be some dude in an orchestra someware,it's reasons are self explanatory really.....I 100% agree with you though that ALL Stradivarius's should be played and enjoyed by as many people as possible rather than sitting in some rich persons glass cabinet as some " Party piece" or some way of them saying "That's Rare,Its mine! and Nobody else can touch it!".....Sadly that happens all to often with historical instruments but luckily when it comes to Stradivarius's people have realised that doing just that won't win you ANY friends or respect rather the opposite!.......I think that if you really do your research you will find that most of the "Virtuosic" players using a Stradivarius are playing somone else's because the odds of being born into a family rich enough to buy you one is more remote than winning the lottery!.....As a few people have stated though when these instruments were actually "New" there really wasn't much fuss about them at all.Having said that though there MUST be somthing about them for them to have survived for over 200 years!......In such quantities,(not that there's that many left but there's really no other examples of exquisite workmanship in instruments of similar age and prestige as a Stradivarius).....We lost so many great church organs in WW2 and other conflicts......war is an enemy of Music as much as it is humanity!......very sad indeed!
+@korrespondenz lübeck There is no scientific evidence for this, at all.
@@NeverTalkToCops1 Well to be clear old violin sounds better than a freshly made unused one since the wood is old and dry and can vibrate much better to exert a force of clear eco type of sound .
That s why if u are a musician u will know that old instruments are more expensive than new made ones . Just a heads up , have a good day !
@korrespondenz lübeck true
Strads are expensive because of the history. The sounds and playabilty are subjective.
True, just like the music that is played on them. It is literally impossible to quantify artistic expression, and everyone has at least slightly different ears, for some it is a drastic difference. But, if there are that many of them still around, it is testament at the very least to the quality of their building, and the materials they were made from. And if they hadn't been at least very good sounding instruments, the company would most likely never have been a company, let alone stayed in business. But the fact they are made from woods that were cut in _The Little Ice Age,_ (the grain of the wood is denser during colder years, this increases the woods resonance) and that the wood has aged for so long (woods that have aged are almost always far more stable and harder still), they are made from better materials than we have access to today. Other than the odd stash of lumber one _might_ come across.
@@aylbdrmadison1051 ~ Scientifically speaking, all things in the material world are quantifiable if you know the rules of the game, which we often do not.
The reason why a Strad is so expensive is plain and simple because of the name. There is only about 300 of them in the world, and there will NEVER be new strads because Mr. Stradivarius is dead. Honestly, there is no reason to be paying $1.6 million for a violin. Even the bad Strads command such prices! (yes, there are bad strads also). You want a good quality hand-made violin with a good sound? Anywhere from $5000 to $10,000 can get you one. Cheaper if you look into the Chinese market for the same quality intrument. Obviously, this involves buying from relatively unknown, but good, makers. But if you go in the $10,000-$50,000 range, it's because the makers are famous (like Mr. Burgess and other contemporaries), so a big part of that price range goes into the name.
Gucci. The Waldorf. Hamptons. Park Avenue. However ... Aristotle was a giant intellect. Rembrandt was without a shadow of doubt the greatest artist who has ever lived. Michelangelo is head and shoulders above any sculptor. J.S. Bach resonates to Heaven. Levi Strauss does make better jeans. A Ferrari ...? They have some little quirks to them (like you can't really drive them anywhere much, especially not over speed bumps). I like the story of the investor who asked Picasso for a $30,000 painting. Picasso dipped a round into black paint, put a dot on a blank canvas, signed his name, and collected $30,000. "Strads" seem to have become a collector's item, and like a man above here hinted, they won't necessarily improve your playing. I'm off to find a $15,000 handbag for my mistress. Jeeves, the Phantom today, please.
Its probably like any musical instruments. Its up to the player to decide what kind of sound they like. I've been a guitar player most of my life and have played guitars worth thousands that I didn't care for the sound and or feel of.. and I've played some lower priced instruments that I would have rather owned.
The Stradivarius is expensive because 1: They are old, 2: There are very few of them, 3: There is a market.
@Martin Turner Indeed. (Included in ”The Market”.)
5. The sound is sooooo great
@@HCBMD Not true. High-quality newer violins consistently get rated as better than Strads in all blind tests that have ever been done. Stradivarius violins simply don't sound better than newer instruments, according to science.
@@kylehart8829 They sound great, it's true. He didn't say "they sound better than every violins ever created".
@@Alexilbello1993 If you buy a multi-million dollar instrument for the sound of it, you're delusional. High-quality modern instruments are just as good and cost a tiny fraction of the price of a Stradivarius. He was a good violin maker, obviously, but there are better violins around so buying one for its supposed "richness of tone" or whatever is ridiculous.
How Strads are expensive.
Thumbnail: *the corners of the f-holes*
Me: *[visible confusion]*
I have played on at least 6 Stradivari that were in the Library of Congress, American Museum of the Smithsonian, and several owned privately. Not only did they all sound better than my Johannes Gagliano made in 1781 which I always loved, they were beautifully made. In the American Museum I played on the Hellier which is a decorated violin. I was playing softly towards the back of their hall and my 2 friends who were sitting at a table near the front stopped me and told me that they could not hear each other even though they are sitting right next to one another.
The sound of an instrument makes is highly dependent on the quality of the bow being used and on the way the violinist plays. Strads do not like being playing harshly with the violinist pressing with the bow.
I have a strad copy which i believe was built in Germany around 1890. My aunt played violin all her life with this one instrument. She absolutely loved it and I look after it now. I've had a go with it but I can only make it scream! I'll stick to the guitar!
My violin was a Johannes Gagliano made around 1780. His grandfather was one of the last students of Nicolo Amati but overlapped Stradivarius. My bow, which makes a huge difference in sound quality, was a François Tourte, probably made in the 1790s, and considered by a large percentage of players to have been the greatest bow maker. I got the chance to play on at least 8 or 9 Stradivarius violins, mostly at the Library of Congress and the American Museum of the Smithsonian including the Hellier Stradivarius. It not only sounded fantastic, it is a decorated instrument. Look it up, it is quite beautiful. It also has the largest inside volume of any Stradivarius. . I was also able to play on a number of Guarneri del gesus, which some violinists consider to be as good or better than the Stradivarius. Every aspect of the great violins and bows are important. The quality of the wood, the treatment, the outline, the arches, the thicknessing of the wood, even the scroll. There is no "secret" to the Stradivarius, there were many aspects that added up to their greatness.
Yes- the quality of Bows being hugely responsible for the quality of your Violin's tone is an entirely other Subject adding to the complexity of this Instrument.
And if I may add with the exception of antique Collectibles the bow often cost more than the violin.
I play too. But I'm not worthy to even gaze at a Stradivarius directly or to look it up on the net, let alone playing one or even holding it in my hands. You are lucky,,, favored by the gods.
My life has been blessed in many ways but I am certainly not favored by the gods. In 2000, I had a bicycle accident that left me a quadriplegic. This summer I broke my hip. I was not doing as well as 2 to 5 years after my accident and now I am not doing that well. I have lots of good support which makes up for a lot.@@humanbeing1429
Salt water (brine) heat treated maple added to the shaping, preserving, and bending. Does it have "gills?" I can't play violin, but ... when I turn 90, I will play. Thank you for your reply.
What I find disturbing about the (b)rightside "video" is the TOTALLY inane inclusion of the random clips and stills that have no connection to the subject at hand nor respect deserved to the viewers.
Probably assembled by staffers who have never actually been to any concert featuring the violin.
Too Campy.
Too campy ..........?
"Disturbing?" Isn't that a bit strong? It makes you sound like a snob!
When the content of the "video" purports to be a authoritative source of information and is addressing the viewer who, not knowing that field, may rightly assume that information accurate until presented with apparently more credible facts.
If not disturbing, at least misleading and irresponsible.
AND stating better information has nothing to do with snobbery. It's incumbent the one making their point be willing to be able to defend that position.
Because they are old, rare and extremely well made.
Your welcome.
Same as burying a 20 dollar pocket watch and digging it up 200 years later and is now worth 20 dollars.
The violin in my profile pic was appraised by two different luthiers as being about 250 years old. One said it was german, the other said it was Italian. It was a wonderful violin to play.....very rainbowy and I had a professional violinist whisper in my ear, after having played the instrument....that I should sell everything I owned to buy it. Unfortunately, it didn't belong to me but to a friend who allowed me to play it for about 14 years....but sadly I had to give it back. I keep waiting for Antique's Roadshow to come around so we can bring it and get it appraised by folks who know for sure. It has no label so ..who knows ! It would be fun to get some info on it.
My understanding of the awesome sound quality of the Strads is because of the closeness of the wood grains in the instruments due to the Little Ice Age of Antonio's time period. Trees grew slower because of the colder temperatures, and with the close wood grains, sound was able to pass through the instrument more efficiently.
LOL!!!!!
A chemistry professor attributes the superior sound due to age, due to the wood being dragged in the canals of Venice and wood varnishes placed on the instruments at the time of construction. The professor tested his theory and makes violins that have been rated superior to Stradivarius.
I played the violin for 10 years and I knew it was only modeled after a Stradivarius because of the interior labeling. My parents bought it for me in the late 1960's as a new violin. It had lovely tone quality! To this day, I am sorry I sold it in the late 1970's in favor of pursuing professional voice training. I hope whoever may own it now is enjoying it even more than I did!
I had the honor of testing out a Strad (courtesy of my teacher who had one on loan) and it was definitely quite a unique sound and feel, at least compared to other (read: plebeian) violins I have played. In some aspects I felt other violins were better but overall I was very pleased, even after accounting for the starstruck emotions. The bow and strings make almost as big a difference as the violin itself so that makes it quite hard to judge which pairing would really strike its chord.
Trivia: My own is a 1901 modeled after Amati.
Excuse me but the term "Strad" is reserved only for people that own one.
"Yo Yo Ma" .. the most gangsta Asian name ever..
How the instrument is played affects the sound quality as much as the craftsmanship of the manufacturing. A pianist I met could make an average piano sound like a concert grand in spite of the fact the piano hadn't been tuned in over two years. Technique and style count.
Thomas Ewing I’ve been playing guitar for almost 50 years and I can make a cheap junker sound pretty good because I know how. You’re right.
Yes the musician playing it makes a huge difference, after all the musician uses the instrument to channel one's soul.
Thomas Ewing, VERY true that. The same even applies to sports cars. I've seen people buy a Ferrari and moan that they were unimpressed with the performance. Then they take it to Maranello (the home of Ferrari) and pay a test driver to get the fastest lap possible from it. They were shocked to see him drive with their cars almost 3-4 mph quicker per lap. It's all about skill and technique. Another interesting example was Ferrari's greatest driver Michael Schumacher. He left his old team Benetton to drive for them. The man given his old car was Gerhard Berger, who certainly had more than enough experience to perform well with the car. Berger tried setting up the car suspension, transmission and steering to his preferences and hit the track. He crashed after only a few laps! It took him all winter to understand how the car functioned some of the engineers couldn't believe Schumacher won 9 races and a world title with that same car. But he did. Berger nearly won a race with it but the mechanics lacked the magic touch of those that Schumacher took with him to Ferrari including Ross Brawn. As a result, it was horribly unreliable and it broke down when he was headed for a surefire win in Germany in 1996. The team improved the following year and at the same track where he had that heartbreaking failure, Berger crushed his rivals in majestic style and swept home to one of the most amazing wins I've ever seen in my lifetime. I was very honored to witness it on TV. I still consider it among the 10 greatest races in the last 50 years.
Ling Ling can make a $20 violin sound even more beautiful than a $2M Strad
A violin and a radio antenna have one thing in common: they are insanely effective at turning one type of vibration into another.
Vibrating strings lead to vibrations in the air we call music, alternating current in the transmitter circuits lead to electromagnetic vibrations in the air we call radio waves.
But while the radio antenna is fantastically sensitive to a narrow range of frequencies, a violin broadcasts over a very wide range.
A well balanced instrument doesn't favor or diminish any frequency in a bad way but rather closely matches the human ear and its 'built in' pitch distortions.
Many violins are made that have good voices, the master-class machines project their sound loudly without distortion.
I have heard a side-by-side demonstration...hard to believe they were both violins!
Strads and others command such high prices for their voice, yes, but when you factor in how few instruments from the 1700's still exist, the price-tag seems more reasonable.
Indy would say "this belongs in a museum", but these things were made to be played!
One sad day the last few examples of the truly great instruments will be museum pieces, but for now they sing!
As one of my day gigs between teaching jobs, I co-managed a Music store. If you want a thumbnail for the perceptual acuity of the consumer, count how many people come in with a yard sale Violin (only $20.00!) that says "Stradivarius Cremona", made in Czechoslovakia, Korea (before N. or S.), China, Taiwan or Hong Kong, with all those things on white paper labels, written in ENGLISH inside the F-holes. We were always polite, because (in addition to being an Educator in the retail business) I believed we are/were an extension of the Education Profession ourselves. Some of them took the news really hard. I HOPE their kids went on to play and use the Violins because it was still very likely that at THAT price they were a bargain. But I did see more than one wind up in the parking lot recycle bin. Even if you have to put $50.00 into a violin that cost you $20.00 (bridge, strings, microtuners, peg/bow rosin) you made out like a bandit. Forget the labels...make some Music...
a 20 dollar violin, if it holds up is perfect for a beginger or even a kid. if they break it no biggy. my first violin came to around $600 that was like back in 2002 i want to say.
They are expensive because an item is worth what a person will pay for it. And we have people who have so much money that collecting such items is more about them saying look what I can pay for this, rather than what the item is actually worth to most people with common sense.
No violinist who owns a Strad does so for boasting purposes. Violinists who play a Strad more often than not use one given to them on long-term loan because of their talents, or go into deep debt to acquire one.
Saying that buying an expensive item is "more about them saying 'look what I can pay for this', rather than what the item is actually worth to most people with common sense [i.e., people who can't afford the item]…" , it's pretty clear you don't know any serious collectors.
@Paul Zink. But there are also collectors who buy expensive paintings and then hang them upside down. Many, who are really rich, doesn't know about arts, they buy things because they can. If it is expensive, it must be good, right? I don't think many violinists who play a Strad owns their instrument. Most are a loan from a museum or investor who have bought the instrument so they can let musicians play it. Same as horses, not many riders own the horse they ride.
People paid thousands for Benny Goodman's clarinet(one of them) it was a stock Selmer
Stradivarius also produced baseball bats for the old Italian League in Italy. Joe DiMaggio had a collection of Strad bats but was unable to use any of them in MLB games because of the pressure from American bat manufacturers. Tests showed that the Strad bats could make a baseball go almost 1.25 times farther when hit with the same amount of power.
I have a very old violin. So old it has often been mistaken for a Stradivarius. Every time I took it to have a glue job, or get some new pegs, some one would always cut little snips off of it. To own a real Stradivarius would require, finding someone to maintain it, without harming it, have it under lock and key with alarm systems over the whole house, and paying huge insurance premiums. Too much for me. Mine is Old and plays well, I always said that it was enchanted, as the first time I picked it up it just started to play beautifully almost on its own. The reason for that is the previous owner played it often and well before dieing. Which allowed the cells in the wood to remain open. At least that's what I was told. When I was 12 or 13, I met Isaac Stern. He let me play a little song on his. It was a great treat. And his encouragement on my playing has lasted me all the rest of my life.
I would prefer a new violin. Not because it's better or worst, since the difference is small, but because of the pressure of having that much of a responsibility. I believe it would cripple my playing and enjoyment. These violins belong in museums as part of history, and for the study of violin perfection.
No, friend: they belong on the concert stage.
All musicians are cringing before viewing the video to see how much is just basic knowledge that many go WOOOOOOOWWWW!
And the length of the quote 'f' holes doesn't just make more 'sound', But changes its strength and many more factors in its texture. The main reason wasn't just quantity of volume released but many other factors that make creating violins an extremely respected art form.
Also the reason for the preference to the new violins is likely to any type of instrument. The ergonomics can really be the dominant factor in making the musician prefer it as it is mostly more comfortable which mentally affects many things. This sounds like s**t but for musicians in anything ever the weight ratio of a drumstick can affect EVERYTHING!
The subject test says it all. A great deal of magical sound quality hype has been affixed to the Stradiuarius throughout the last century, which mostly has to do with the way humans twist quality with high price, ie. "It has a million dollar price tag, therefore it is the best in the world". No. The summary of the subject is as follows; It's a quality violin with the highest antiquity value in the world. That is all.
My violin is about US$ 70 and comes with case and bow. Stradivarius model. Mass produced. I'm satisfied with it. The musician is what makes the difference.
Yes. You are correct. The musician is what makes the difference. But think about it, if the musician is really good and professional Ray Chen for example. They do kind of need a better violin and bow. They wouldn't be as good with a 80 dollar violin than a 5k - 10k violin. Like you said the musician is what actually makes the difference but in the long run you will need a better violin. That does not mean you need to buy a Stradivarius or some other expensive violin. You will just need to buy a good quality violin.
I'd say you're right. I saw Chet Atkins play a cheap guitar once. Didn't sound cheap at all.
An instrument will never will never make beautiful sounds on its own.
The musician is the transmission.
I played a game of billiards with a cue i purchased. With all the bells and whistles, 600.00 investment.
Got beat with a broom handle. Lol
The most interesting statement falls at 5:40. Someone who was concerned about the subject would take those three players and test them further to see if they could consistently differentiate. If so, that would establish that there is a difference, whether or not the others were competent enough to recognize it. Using the Fritz method I can prove that humans cannot run a 4-minute mile by taking 50 people off the street and having them try. I pretty much guarantee that they will fail, proving my point.
What the average violinist, violin maker, or audience member thinks he hears is as irrelevant as my ability to run a 4-minute mile.
Name a better feeling than waking up in the middle of the night and thinking to yourself “please don’t be 6 am” and then when you look at the clock you realize that it’s only 234 am and you still have like 4 hours to SLEEP
Legend Vlogs oh i luv that
Ikr
@legend....best day ever.
yes yes
Yeah buddy, I wake up at 4:15.
BRIGHT SIDE is the reason youtube needs a "block channel" button.
You got that right. I HATE these BRIGHT SIDE videos... pure trash.
ikr
@New Vines 2019 I clicked just to hate on it, TBH
There is a chrome extension that do this, it is called "Video Blocker" and I'm gonna add this channel right away.
@@crispycat7230 lol they used the same emoji bright side did in their comment
Strads are extremely expensive because of the value of the name that is placed on the instrument. Are they absolutely amazing? Some of them, yes, others not really. You can find Amatis, Guarneries, and others old-school makers that are better than some Strads. Nowadays you can also find modern instruments that compete with Strads and are much more affordable, with some as low as $20,000 (which is definitely on the affordable side for professional-quality violins). You just have to look in the right places for them.
Thank you for a slice of logical reality Jennifer!!!
Jennifer...with your last name being 'Ahn' I perceive you are a violinist.
Yes, absolutely. Work with your luthier and work together to see what your instrument is capable of doing. It is amazing to do that, but it takes time and an investment in strings and luthier fees for bridge and sound post work, but you can get the best out of your instrument, without resorting to buying a much more expensive one..
i prefer the sound of an Amati. Sounds much better than Strad.
Correction: The video says the Messiah violin has never been played. That's simply not true. It has been played but not often at all. And of course we aren't really sure if the Messiah violin is a Strad or if it is a copy by the French violinmaker Jean Baptiste Vuillaume.
My Father had a Stradivarius. A wonderful instrument that he played till he had open heart surgery in 1980. The scar from the surgery never healed right, and was so painful that he wasn't ever able to play again. I don't play the violin, but I am very good keyboardist Even though my keyboard does do a fairly good on imitation of a violin being able to approximate 20 sounds of the violin, a good violinist is able to create 47 tones from it. I really miss hearing Dad play. He was a remarkable artist.
I am a violinist. I would love to own one of these. You wouldn't understand about playing music unless you know how to play an instrument! For all you people who think this is boring until you get a hobby you won't understand this!!
Can you play bluegrass fiddle too?
I play violin, a little bit. Isn't there something about the wood used, that it has a unique hollow-cell structure. I remember a story about a luthier that got dozens of hardwood logs that were found in the muck of a drained lake, the wood was almost petrified. But it was still wood. He used this wood to make violins and it produced amazing sounding instruments. An electron-scanning microscope verified that the found wood was unique, -and very closely matched the unique qualities of Strats...
Not many body can hear the différence beetwen two violins ! even reconizing viola over violin !
I think most of the viewers aren't musicians. Yet here they are.
I play piano, cello, and violin
This is like the difference between a MOSFET amplifier against the valve amplifier.
Too much hype over traditional items over perfectly great modern designs.
All hype, BUT i have to say that the first (and only) time i saw a Strad in person it gave me the goosebumps! But you know...its like the electric guitars from the 50s and 60s...they are good, but 90% of it is hype...ive played a 56 Telecaster and a newer Tele, and as nice as the 56 "feels" (emotionally) to play, it wasnt any better than the new Tele..
My great-grandfather was played violin for over 100 years ago, so...
I GOT A VIOLIN!!! I'M SOOO HAPPY NOW! and yes i have to practice every time!
I used to visit Master Stradivarius at his workshop in Cremona back in the early eighteenth century. One day he surprised me by taking me fully into his confidence about his favourite choice of wine. For truth’s sake I had to declare an entire lack of interest in the subject - but he was jesting at my expense! It turned out that he poured the wine into pans which he left on a cill to evaporate in the strong Italian sun. When all was reduced to a viscous paste he would then rub the stuff into the wood forming the inside back of a new violin. This he would do several times not quite letting the first application dry before applying the second and thus building up layers to an integral effect. The wood so treated he also would let dry though not in direct sunlight and the end result was that the ‘wine-paste’ set like iron and doing so reflected sound waves with greater precision and vivacity. But he didn’t stop there. Before assembling individual pieces he would rub on top of the surface so treated a preparation of copper sulphate further to increase the responsive élan of the Cremona pine-wood to sound waves.
Unfortunately I was not particularly interested in violins either but we generally had a nice chat and he didn’t mind charging my glass a few times with the selfsame wine!
Nice chap - I remember him well.
Some sound good some don't. Some sound poorly because they are rarely played. But, basically they are expensive because they are old and rare and have been hyped for the last 200 years or so. Plenty of great sounding violins have been made since 1700.
"Some sound poorly because they are rarely played. " Myth.
The Stradivarius used wood aged in Volcanic ash and the varnish had crushed jem stones , possibly diamond.
Where is the proof of your comment, To write that there should be documentation. Do not worry I get the humor.
@@ohwell2790 I read an article a long time ago that said the varnish had powdered gemstones in it. It attributed the wood quality to being soaked in the water as they floated it down the river from the forest after cutting.
@@jeffragar3493 Stradivarius had a wife with an incurable skin disease. The flakes of dry skin wafted onto the wood and underwent a unique chemical reaction with the chewing tobacco that Stradivarius spat onto the wood to enhance the color. Apparently, this is responsible for the remarkable sonorous quality of the typical violin that Stradivarius produced.
6:24 the most expensive one is 15 millon dollars
6:33 some are valued to 2 millon dollars
Its still expensive
I inherited a true baroque period cello a few years ago. Some small workshop job with an illegible signature engraved on the underside of the neck right before the scroll. It's styled like French, but it's too beat up to read it properly. Oh, and the neck is mounted with triangular iron nails, which were fairly common among French workshops of the period. Hardly a storied cello by any account, but an interesting look at how they were traditionally manufactured.
It also sounds wonderful. I'm no expert, but I reckon the resists used when treating it soaked into the grains pretty thoroughly. It has some ply that dampens the projection, but as a cellist I'm looking for an effortless dulcet, and my cello delivers.
Now the most important part of my cello is my bow. I've manufactured my own ever since learning the hard way what happens to expensive bows when you leave them taut. Unlike typical mass produced bows, I prefer to use Tasmanian Oak and... ahem... "borrow" my brumby's hair. The thicker strands work beautifully with this cello's natural character.
A Stradivarius is cool, but the best instruments are those you feel comfortable with. Only then can you take full advantage of their potential.
Technique used by Strad - bottom of the bridge should be slightly rounded at contact with the instrument.
This allows for maximum string vibration into the body of the instrument.
This works for all moveable bridge instruments.
To the 1% of viewers who are actually going to read this,
I hope you have an amazing day!
Thank you
Same to you 💚
Thanks
1percent isn't very acurarate but... Sure👍.
Thank you, I wish you the same, with blessings!
A friend of mine, a violonist, lately bought a 20.000 euros violin. I don't say the brand because i think it would not be fair. The fact is that, my friend directly came to my home with a bottle of very good champagne. This was a great day for him. However, i felt some shade in his voice as he was opening the case of his new instrument...He was not totaly convinced he had made a good deal in buying the violin. That i could feel in his voice. As a former cello student, i timidly asked him if i could play some notes out of the ( disppointing) marvel...
He said : I don't know why, but i can hardly " trigger it". That is certainly because of the weather, the room, the fact is i don't yet have it in hands and so on... I was sorry for him, according to the sacrifice he had made to get the marvel. I took the violin and put it on my shoulder ; then I tried some shy and slow notes, playing with a vibrato. The sound seemed to come from everywhere in the room. My friend said " you trigger it ! " How do you do that ? I don't know, I said. I dared not add a word but I said to myself " There is something of magic with an instrument. You are the one that fits or not...I often noticed the same case with other musicians. Can science explain that ? Maybe some day...
it is like a wand from harry potter the wand chooses the wizard. the instrument choose the musician. and when you find your match you never let it go. you name it and it becomes a part of you.
I recently went violin shopping and settled for a cheaper instrument because it played much better and had similar sound quality than the others I was trying. Violins are not always worth their price and many instrument dealers are ready to up sell someone. Get to know all of your local stores and find people you like dealing with! If you find all of the things you are looking for in a violin, that is what's really important (and PRACTICE...lots of it.)
as a guitar player I agree. It doesn't matter how much the instrument cost, the brand, etc but how it sounds and how it feels to you is most important. I acquired an old student violin at a school and gave it to my Uncle- he told me that the violin was way better than the one he owned lol
What did you wind up buying, Flanowa? Am looking for a violin right now . . . the one I inherited from my piano teacher gave up the ghost . . .
In the 70s, I went to buy my lifelong guitar. I chose an Ovation Glen Campbell (a buddy had one). Dude at the guitar store talked me into a Martin for half the price. I've never regretted that decision.
Rarity and collectability always affect the pricing. I submit that "Stradivarius" is also a much cooler and memorable name then Guarnerius or Amati. You hear it once and remember it forever. So many subjective elements at play. You see other comments on here about vintage guitars & such - same thing.
@@buckosoft Oh gosh, wise choice. I can't say I've ever played a Glen Campbell model, but every Ovation I've heard live (especially acoustic/electric when plugged in) has sounded horrible. The rounded back also makes them slip off your lap if you're playing sitting down w/no strap. Constantly annoying. They were loud, that was about it.
I play B flat clarinet, played it in high school, just recently started playing again at my church. I came across this video because I am very interested in learning to play the violin. Thanks for this very informative video. I do have some friends who play, violin - 2 of them, one mandolin, one cello - I shared the stage with them a few years back in something we had going at the local community college called, "Country Music Showcase", check out The Hall Sisters! But right now, I am just checking things out, trying to learn, hoping to get a good violin to start with soon.
I saw production of the couple of things that Antonio did to his violins that aren't done today.
He pre-treated the wood, though when asked he said, "Never pre-treat the wood." Preserving one of this craftsman secrets. Another is the varnish he used. It was make by boiling shrimp shells in turpentine. Because it was all organic, unlike today's varnishes, it didn't seal the individual wood cells of the instrument and allowed for more and truer vibration of the instrument down to the cellular level of the materials used. Interesting theory. There's a Strad 'Cello in the Smithsonian on display. It's worth millions.
A another fine example of emotion defying reason.
if the strad can behave like a placebo and cause via its mystique better all around playing including intonation, then ultimately your comment is invalid. if the strad caused a violinist to play better in the same way medical placebos can cause wellness, then the strad is still the better violin, just obviously not only 4 the structural reasons.
Stradivarius violin was created by Antonio Stradivarius. He was born in 1644. The size of the violin is larger and longer than any other violins and today's modern violins. The first great violin was made in 1700, and the others are betts was made in 1704 and Alard 1715 and this violins are very expensive due to its unique manufacturing so its sounds better than other violins and no one knows how it was made and everyone said different things about Stradivarius. This violin costs about 2 million US dollar to 15 million US dollar. Antonio Stradivarius made about 1100 different types of musical instruments before his death at 93 & only half of instruments are existed today sorry I forgot the numbers haha....and the Stradivarius violin market are very small but it is competitive against other markets because of its cost by its value etc, etc
Who knew a heavy metal headbanger could be so knowledge filled?
@@johnpossum556 Hahaha.... You're right by the way I'm not talking about me but headbangers are actually very discipline and calm in nature and for your information study says people who listen to metal, rock, classic, blues, etc etc are very knowledgeable and creative in their own way specially in the case of metal and classics :p haha....
Stradivari
Whoa...dude...IMPRESSIVE!
Do you play heavy metal violin?
There is no way anyone would pick a new violin over a strad. But most will never know what it feels like to play one, just like me...
Tsk tsk....poor thing
If they know which one is the Strad, yes. If they don't, flip a coin.
Actually, a blind study was done, and the professionals and the average players both preferred the newer violins versus the Stradivarius (not "strad").
The sound difference is hardly noticeable to most people, which was also done in the study.
It isn't just a matter of the instrument on its own, or its maker... not all instruments by the same maker will necessarily sound great.A friend of mine had a Bergonzi that sold for £250,000 at auction and she said it was very difficult to play and she didn't like it, but she had inherited it. I also played a Thomas Kennedy cello and it was less that nice. Another one I played was beautiful! It has been shown that the quality of wood that was used in Strads and the closeness of the grain from cold winters have enabled the instruments to produce their sound, but then it has to have the right set-up on top, bridge, sound post, etc and strings and a bow that will draw the sound out. The bow is really important and can make or break a decision to buy an instrument. I am looking at it from a cellists viewpoint, but it is the same- If the bow isn't right, or the set-up is wrong, then that instrument won't sound great, regardless of its maker. Endless string combinations, gut, different metal combinations, high tension, low tension, different gauges, shaving wood to thin down bridges, new sound posts, moving sound posts, changing tailpieces, changing the wood on tailpieces, opening the instrument up and shaving down the thickness of wood etc, etc will affect the sound and will open the sound or tighten it up. The finest instruments are often very difficult to play because each note has to be played with a different arm weight or bow speed, etc. It is amazing what you can get out of affordable fine old cellos, like mine, an English 1780 Hill school, and if the set-up is right and you work with your luthier, you can create your own sound canvas- yes it takes time and is expensive. I must have got through £1000 of cello strings in the last year, but I know now that it responds best to lower tension gut core strings to release the sound and loosen it up. Remember that we only ever hear Strads played by very fine players and with the ultimate set-up that has cost thousands of pounds, We don't hear them played by Fred Bloggs with a set of beginner strings and a basic bow. :) when Fred's cello would sound good if he got his own ultimate set -up and had his cello played by a pro, which is why you aren't comparing like with like!
I want a strad but I am happy with my Clifton Strassus and it actually sounds pretty well! 😊
So just a friendly reminder that even if you don't own a strad, if you just practise playing and playing no matter what violin you play, it will sound amazing! 😉😊
I want one. I’m a beginner, but even as a beginner... I want one. There’s just something magical about the tone. Scientists may never figure it out, but it’s there. You have to hear one played. It’s truly a unique quality of sound.
Sorry to burst your dream bubble but as someone who has been playing 55 years now, it's not the instrument but the player. There is NO exception to hours and hours of practice and years of experience in playing any instrument and if you are truly a good player, you should be able to play a student model violin and make it sing like a Strad.
"There’s just something magical about the .....name." There. Corrected it for you. You thanks me later.
@@yohootylofitz I agree
yohootylofitz Why are modern master instruments 25-75,000 USD if a student level instrument is good enough?
@@notthatperson8179 you cant advance with a student violin
It's called 'mystique'.
As time goes on, those who own them or have played them only want the mystique to continue and increase, thereby benefiting those owners and players.
As this video points out, very few can tell the difference, and even those who could may have merely been lucky guesses.
That being said, any violin that can survive for 300 years must be well made, and of quality materials!
I was hoping to see a good commentary on Strads. Instead, I got a puerile, Millennial video on violins.
..Joe
Joe mama HahHahaHhahaHaAahahabaHaha
My Nephew has an 18th century violin and it does sound amazing. I don’t know the maker, but it’s not a Strad. He has taken a number of workshops with Itzak Perlman who does own and play a Stradivarius.
How can someone Identify a genuine Stradivarius?.
It's my understanding that part of the quality of the sound is the due to the desnsity of the wood, which was cut from the Swiss Alps and sent to Stadavari. These trees had grown during the mini-ice age of the middle ages, which was brought on by the eruption of Krakatoa, which cooled the planet with thick ash in the atmosphere that lingered for many years, making tree rings tight and thus the wood denser than normal. His varnish was important to the sound as well. He included in the mixture ground up fragments of precious stones.
I can't really comment on violins but I can tell you that with classical guitars there is a lot of B.S. circulating around famous instruments. Many, many modern luthiers produce instruments every bit as good (or better) than Hauser, Ramirez, Tatay, Smallman, Romanillos Estesso etc.
Agree....same with violins and violas.
A placebo effect....
Just like your favorite food from a specific region.
I never realize violens can be so expensive.
Violence can be even more expensive.
Frick fam you have no idea. A Strad could cost you a couple Million Dollars. A good beginner violin costs about 1200$.
99.9% of the violins on the market are NOT expensive!
@@fedup1940 Some violence is totally gratuitous too. Probably about 99.9% of it.
*viollens
I'm a really happy person as I own a Strad which actually belonged to my grand pa. Surely can tell a huge difference between a normal violin and the strad as I've heard my grand pa say that a real strad can put a person is not at all sleepy to deep sleep. the strad produces a tone which is most pleasing to the ears and to the mind and surely this is one quality that separates it from all the other violins. One more thing what ive heard from him is that the strad does not sound that loud at all to the person playing but it has the capability to over rule all the other instruments in the chamber and it surely is the world's best violin without any doubt!!
I don't play violin and can't tell the difference. What I know is that the man was an innovater who stressed quality and detail to the extreme.
This man has earned my respect. Modern society needs people like him.
meanwhile Andre Rieu is waltzing around with his strad ;p
Yes of course!!! The f holes are why stradivarious violins are so expensive!!
yeah, another junk content vomiter ... not worth busting electrons for.
bless u who is scrolling the comments
Yuzarsif Ion I only care about who is the guy in your profile pic, he hot
Thanks! One feature of Strads you didn't mention is that they can be more difficult to play well than a modern fiddle. Each fiddle requires a different touch.
I was a non-professional concert Violist for 9 years. And worked during the summer & Christmas season at a Viololin shop for several years. My Viola is a German made instrument of unknown maker. It was made when the maker was still apprenticing & I bought it new in 1990. I have been her only owner lol
At the time my family paid a good price for her, which was still a few thousand dollars! I've handled 1 Strad violin in my days & a violin by a maker I can't recall (I think Giovanni maybe) that in 1992 was worth around $250,000!
My point to all this I know some things about stringed instruments.
In all my years of experience & all the musicians I've met (beginner, amateur & professional) there were few Violas that I, and many others, felt had the quality of sound or volume my Viola produced!
I knew a professional Violist who had re-morgaged their house to buy their instrument & had paid $80,000 for....but even she admitted that my Viola sounded noticeably better!
My point?
I do not personally care what name is in an instrument, nor who made it or the cost. I only care how it sounds & performs.
I have always recommend folks, if they can, go play as many instruments as they can to get a feel for what they want. Then play EVERYTHING you can in the price range you can afford.
Sound, performance & handling are what matter.
6:14 look at the price. Then look at the “most expensive violin of all time.” 8:17
I also noticed that. Strange!
Brite Side--- You barely even tried to answer the question you posed. "Because the F-holes are bigger" according to one laboratory is hardly an answer. And since the assessment "best sound in the world" is completely subjective, making it unanswerable, why not just title this basic info for what it is: "Beginner's Info about Stradivarius Violins".
If you are unaware, Bright side is one of the many scumbags on UA-cam who are only after money. They know NOTHING about the topic they talk about. Just pure reworded plagarism from other websites
It’s all about what’s inside, and to find out you’ll have to stick your fingers in your F hole.
Mr. Indie *rat-a-tat*
What's the mystery? their not only really well made; their 300-year old antiques.
You can expect to pay a lot of money for anything that old that still works.
fartwrangler Exactly. Will the new ones last 300 years?
It truly amazed me to discover some history about the Stradivarius. My question is, who conceived the idea of using a bow to play the violin?
What is it made of, who was the inventor, and how was the length determined for its use? I'd prefer the answers from someone who knows, such as, a professional violinist. Or if they are too busy, anyone else.
There's an interesting story about a Stradivarius Violin that belonged to UCLA, it's called the Alcantara. The lead violinist lost it - apparently he drove off with it still sitting on the trunk of his car. Then an older lady found it and eventually gave it to her middle aged son. His wife started taking violin lessons with it but because there are so many copies her instructor didn't think much of it. Eventually the instructor played it and suggested that an expert should take a look at it, and the expert discovered that it was the missing Srad from UCLA. Long story short, there was a lawsuit where UCLA ended up settling out of court and the Strad was returned. UCLA had a special concert featuring the Alcantara Strad but eventually sold the violin considering that one instrument could pay for several new instruments for their music department... I read this story in the news paper about 30 years ago and that's the best I can remember it.
Who’s a violinist here?
Your mom 😂🤣😅
Me
I am
I play the Cello ( *Violin Cello* ) at my middle school
🎻😜
Thx for the like
I think you mean violoncello - yes, with three 'o's, the correct full name for 'cello.
The secret is: there's no secret. They're just violins, and many other modern violins are just as good, and some are probably quite a bit better. It's just mythology built up around the name.
No
Show me your research, and I hope it extends beyond this video
I have a simple student violin that I bought from a local shop that specializes in violin sales construction and repair. It has a mellow sweet tone and serves my needs. Buying an instrument because of the name is empty and rather egotistical. Buying it because you like its quality of sound has more meaning. I don’t think that I’d ever need a Strad.
I'm glad there are some really serious genuine comments that helps serious and genuine people looking for serious genuine information. 😎
Owned by investors who don’t play ☹️
But most are very generous about loaning them out to top performers for their concerts.
I play
Why is a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Standard worth $20,000-$50,000 and a 2000 Les Paul Standard worth $1,000? Because it is a collectible....
It's not a better guitar.
The same goes for a Stardivarius or any other masterbuilt violin.
That's it.
Actually the older Gibsons ARE better just like the strads. The quality of wood that was used is no longer available. The 50s and early 60s Les Paul's used different tenon joints for the necks than now, the dimensions were different, the glues were different, each guitar back then was made by one guy, not assembly line like now, the cold in Kalamazoo is very different than the heat and humidity in Memphis, they used nitrocellulose laq rather polyurethane finish which allows the wood to breathe better and age and vibrate more. The angle of the head stock and strings over the nuts is different, the way the bridges were anchored we're different. All these small differences make those guitars significantly superior to modern guitars. A company called Heritage (founded by a Kalamazoo Gibson employee) makes guitars spec'd like the old ones and are a very amazing connection to the past. Pearly Gates is a prime example. You can't just buy that anymore.
Thank you so much Sam for that insight.
@@davidcantwell2489 And, of course the Seth Lover pickups.
Can you say Humbucker .......... =^>
@@davidcantwell2489 Yes, they became known as that after Seth Lover invented them. ( Or so I believe )
My ancestor was the maker of violins Amati, so I’m partial to his instruments.
Liar
Often it is not about sound quality alone. Issues of touch, balance, playability, feeling and expression form the basis of enjoying a fine instrument. I am a pianist. Once I was allowed to try several of the world's great grand pianos at a prestigious music store. One of the Yamaha grands had a tremendous base and wonderful tone. I played a Bosendorfer but found it less comparable to the Yamaha. But then I tried an old 9' Steinway. I will never forget the delightful touch and uniformity of regulation, the softness of expression, the wonderful reasoneance of the sound board of that lovely piano. That Steinway piano actually magnified and enhanced my abilities many fold. I wish I could have afforded it's $38,000 price tag (early 1980's) but it was impossible. I am sure that fine violins have similar qualities!
I knew a guy that built violins for the Gibson Showcase. They sold for thousands. He passed away a few years back. But his legacy lives on.
*Stradivarius Violins are the best, that's true but why is everybody in the comments asking for likes?*
They are basically insecure sheeple.
They get on sights like this one because they are desperate to be liked! You know, these days some will commit suicide if they don't get enough likes!
That's true? Hmmmm
*Why in bold letters for a perfectly normal comment? lol you're indirectly attracting likes and you know it. It's a common technique. So how about you stop being a hypocrite, THEN ask that question again?*
Too the 0.01% of people that see this. Have a absolutely fantasic evening. From a smol youtuber :)
LudoLudicrous thanks you too
shameless plug ;)
@@SoundDrout but i did mean it mate, have an absolutely fantastic evening :)
Sneaking suspicion this is just begging for subs
@@missilemagnet1111 subby wubbby
Beginners violin can be $80, not $300. :P But yeah.
Here is the secret. The back of the instrument is harder wood than the front allowing the vibration to bounce off the back and through the front. The back wood of hard maple is from the little ice age in Europe. Since the trees grew much slower in cold weather the tree rings are very tight thus impacting the vibration of sound.
If I have the money, I'd NEVER hesitate to buy such gems !
The feeling of holding such a beauty is simply indescribable....
Violin is so frickin hard to play
Nop
Viola is worst
Despite being a beginner, i find the violin easy to play it just takes alot of your time
Thats because it is listed as the number one most difficult instrument to learn. Because of this the violin has the largest student dropout rate.
+Kawaaii Did you not see the monkey playing "Orange Blossom Special" at the start of this video?
I play the violin I'm in grade 2
I found a Ling Ling.
Ling ling
I never thought Kanna Chan would like violins
@@Mattvieir lol
A E S T H E T I C. B O I. 👍. But Ling Ling is playing a Guarneri del Gesu.
OK , I never even knew about this violin
Me neither
Its okay...really...please don't feel bad.
Me too
I have a quick Stradivarius story for you my mother told me. Back in the 1950's, my parents were part of some kind of music society or something. My father, being a doctor, may have had something to do with it, I don't know. At any rate the story is: Issac Stern came to town and played a concert here in San Diego, Ca., probably with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. My mom told me that they had a small after concert get together at our house and of course Issac Stern brought his violin with him. We had a baby grand piano, and she told me he put the violin on top of the piano, so he could keep an eye on it. I don't blame him. I wouldn't leave my Stradivarius out in a car either, even though we lived in a nice neighborhood. Marc Trainor.