What gives a violin made by Antonio Stradivari or Guarneri del Gesu its remarkable sound? Researchers have examined the wood preservatives, varnish, even the effects of the Little Ice Age on the ...

Tonewoods are wood species that possess certain desirable properties that make them suitable for making musical instruments, such as woodwind or string instruments - like a flute or a violin. Any good ...

In the world of violins, the names Stradivari and Guarneri are sacred. For three centuries, violin-makers and scientists have studied the instruments made by these Italian craftsmen. So far no one has ...

A good violin depends on the expertise of the violin maker, but also on the quality of the wood that is used. Professor Francis W. M. R. Schwarze of th Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science ...

Spiders might soon give you goosebumps in a good way. Strands of spider silk have been used to make violin strings that have a unique and thrilling sound, thanks perhaps to the way the strands deform ...