I've been thinking about the science of mandolins a lot since I started a thread about the function of the body of the instrument. It has drawn a lot of views, comments from real and self-appointed experts, and some controversy. Nothing surprising there. This is the internet.
I've been told to read up on the subject and I have done some of this. I've had it suggested that I really cannot understand some of this. Be that as it may, my reaction to all the talk about nodes, impedance coupling, amplification, string dimensions, differential equations, string theory (a bit of a joke here), and other very technical issues leaves me with just one response. So What?
Don't get me wrong here. I am not doubting the value of the science. What I am trying to say is that it seems to me that the value of the science is for the scientists, not the luthier and player of mandolins except in a very indirect way.
For those of us who are not (as the self-proclaimed and real scientists among us delight in pointing out) scientists, the issues addressed by these scientific studies seem to me to be almost wholly irrelevant.
I don't care what node is being excited, or whether energy is being introduced into the system, or whether a string is a one, two, or multi-dimensional object except for the curiosity and intellectual interest of these subjects.
As a player and builder of mandolins, my thoughts are wholly on other questions, questions that seem to annoy scientists because they are not easily reduced to an equation, and are not easily the subject of experiment.
Questions like:
1) How do I get consistent tone from one instrument to another?
2) What arching pattern for the top will produce the best combination of sweetness and loudness?
3) Where is the best place to position the tone bars?
4) What does changing the body shape do to the sound of an instrument?
5) How will placing soundholes on the perimeter of the top affect the sound of the instrument?
6) I like walnut; will using it in an instrument negatively affect the sound?
7) What is the best way to hold the pick?
8) How do I get the best sustain without getting an echoey instrument?
9) If I make the body a half inch deeper, what will happen?
And so many other, similar questions.
Many of these and other such questions are quite vague in both their formation and in the answer sought. Still such matters are what are important to me. The address the real-world issues of producing and playing the mandolin. They don't require that I go back to university.
Let the scientists do their thing and when their efforts produce results that are truly useful to luthiers and players, we'll surely hear. Right now, though, I would much prefer a simple list of the 20 most important things to do in building your instrument, and the 20 most effective ways to play the instrument to 1) avoid injury, and 2) get the most and best sound from it.
I'll read your scientific comments and articles. I'll gather what I can from them. But, for now, I won't really understand or care much about their relevance or import.
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