Innovation

Over the past half dozen years I've been looking for new directions in which to take my violinmaking. I am currently exploring new materials, such as graphite fiber, along with new ways of using traditional materials, and I very much want to incorporate fresh design elements based on contemporary rather than seventeenth-century aesthetics.

Why try and change something as highly evolved as the classical violin, viola, or cello? A great deal is now understood about how these instruments work at a physical and acoustical level. The picture that emerges suggests, at least to me, that they have by no means reached the end of their evolution. There are real possibilities, I think, for making instruments that are easier to play, faster responding, more powerful, and tonally richer. They could also be made more stable and easier to maintain. And why not rethink the way they look? I believe our best chance for creating instruments that might one day be regarded as classics is to imbue them with a beauty that is uniquely of our time.

Here are some articles about my work in this area, along with the work of some associates. I will be updating this section as research progresses. I welcome your ideas on the subject.

Joseph Curtin, October 2000

Articles

“Weinreich and Directional Tone Colour” by Joseph Curtin
Gabriel Weinreich, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Michigan and preeminent figure in musical acoustics, has developed some remarkable explanations for why the violin sounds the way it does. Originally published in The Strad, April 2000, as “The Violin Finally Speaks”

“New Directions in Violinmaking” by Joseph Curtin
French research scientist Charles Besnainou has pioneered the use of carbon fiber for lutes and guitars. Curtin introduces Besnainou's work and explores the potential of such new approaches for violinmakers. Originally published in The Strad, April, 1999, as “Space-age Stradivari”

“Project Evia” by Joseph Curtin
A report on the progress of “Evia,” Curtin's experimental viola. American Lutherie Report, No. 60, Winter 1999

“Innovation in Violinmaking” by Joseph Curtin
Joseph Curtin investigates the violin's resistance to significant innovation from an acoustical point of view. International Symposium on Musical Acoustics, June 26 - July 1, 1998

“The Reciprocal Bow as a Workshop Tool” by Joseph Curtin
This computerized method for evaluating the sound of a violin was developed in Gabriel Weinreich's laboratory. CAS Journal, 1999

Other Sites on Innovation

Catgut Acoustical Society