Dr D's Blog: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Electric Violin: Experiments With Sound | Electric Violin

Electric Violin: Experiments With Sound | Electric Violin

Music, like everything else, marches on. The violin is no different. In our never-ending quest for the new and different or at least improved, modern luthiers have developed the electric violin, the electronic violin and the electro-acoustic violin, all producing different sounds and combinations. Shockingly, electric violins have actually been around for some 90 years, having first been introduced in the 1920s, languished for years and then gradually gained popularity after Fender started producing them in the 1950s.

So, what is an electric violin? Today’s electric violins are a far cry from the first electrified violins, still very common. It’s easy to electrify a regular violin simply by installing a pickup, either a piezoelectric bridge or String pickup. Depending on the tone desired and the feedback issues developing, most violinists who “go electric” will choose one or the other of these two.

Today’s all-electric violins come in many versions, depending on the style of music and the sound desired. Rock electric violins, for instance, are frequently solid body violins, foregoing the traditional hollow body of the classical acoustic violin. When electrified, depending on the method, the hollow body is highly susceptible to feedback. Interestingly, some musicians like the sharp sound this produces, but most opt, instead, for either a solid or semi-solid body.

The material of the body of an electric violin, no longer dependent on the acoustically pliable soound of different varietes of wood, can be made of any of a wide variety of materials. Some of these materials include carbon fiber, glass, even kevlar. Always seeking new sounds, musicians also experiment not only with material but also with the shape of the electric violin. Cut-out shapes and outline shapes look strange, but the purpose is to cut down on the weight the violinist must carry around. In this way, electric violinists can jump all over the stage without consequent back or neck pain.

Besides the material and the shape, electric violins increasingly now have five strings or even six or seven, creating sounds never before heard from a violin. Because the body of the electricviolin can be solid, it can accomodate the extra tension created by the extra strings without breaking or bending. Other electric violin innovations include variations in the frets and in the strings.

Electric violins have even become electronic with the inventionof the MIDI violin which can control systhesizers. Jean-Luc Ponty has played this kind of electric violin as has Boyd Tinsely, theviolinist for the Dave Matthews Band, though it still remains quite rare. What has become commonplace, though, is the electric violin with a silent practice feature using a headphone jack and CD/auxiliary input. Much like the silent practice feature for drummers, this is a boon for the intermediate violinist striving for greater control over the instrument, but also a great relief for family and friends.

The violin has been a well-loved instrument for hundreds of years. It continues to evolve and to keep up with the advances in music technology. With the enormus variety of electric violins, musicians can now experiment with sound beyond the wildest dreams of yesteryear.

Most music stores carry several models of electric violins that you can choose from. If you are interested in them go try out some of them. You may have a particular manufacturer of musical instruments that you are loyal to. If that is the case then you should check to see if they make any types of electric violins. They are lovely instruments that will last a very long time.

Violin Bow: Carbon Fiber v. Pernambuco | Violin Bow

Violinists, always searching for the best sound, delivered in the best way, have differing opinions when it comes to the violin bow. The main argument concerns the relative merits of the syntheticviolin bow, typically made of carbon fiber, as opposed to the wood bow, traditionally made of pernambuco wood. These two bows differ in sound, durability and weight.

Of late, carbon fiber bows have become increasingly common. This is particularly true among the young, up-and-coming class ofviolinists since most beginning and intermediate violinists use them. Because of their superior durability--carbon fiber bows are virtually indestructible--most young players use carbon fiber. Once accustomed to the heft, feel and sound of the synthetic version, now-advanced violinists usually prefer to stay with what they have always used.

Just as wood bows are not all the same, varying from cheap, easily-breakable to heirloom-quality, so, too, carbon fiber bows are not all the same, differing drastically in quality and sound. Top-of-the-line Berg Bows, for instance, create custom carbon fiber bows, employing an entire team of engineers and technicians to do so. A violin bow is nothing if not a highly technical enterprise. The carbon material allows for constant innovation, especially in angling and in materials which now include Kevlar and Spectra.

Another famous synthetic violin bow maker, Arcus, innovated by hollowing out the bow, making it some 20% lighter than traditional wooden bows. The lightness, in consequence, allows theviolinist to play more intensely without fatigue, making Beethoven or Shostakovich quartets more frequent in the repertoire. Pernambuco bows are selected based on lightness as well, and by adjusting the stiffness and mass can be “tuned” but cannot match the Arcus violin bow in weight. .

Among the first carbon fiber bows, the Spiccato, now no longer produced, has a mechanism inside allowing the curvature to be adjusted. Creating the sound by altering the pressure on the bow, the violinist thus has some five or six bows in one. Yehudi Menuhin liked the Spiccato bow.

Besides its durability, the very lightness of the carbon fiber bow allows for a tremendously powerful sound, an aggressive sound, while the more mellow wooden bow allows for a wider range of tonal colors. The players using a carbon fiber bow must supply the power themselves, creating more articulated and fast-paced pieces. The players using the more fragile wooden bows have a more sensitive, delicate touch and can produce sound with far more depth and variety.

In sum, it seems fair to say that the carbon fiber violin bow is best for big sound and precise articulation. Carbon fibre bows are durable and very light. Pernambuco bows are beloved by virtuosos and master violinists for their delicate response and mellow sound. Musicians putting their bows and instruments to hard use as in in rock or jazz almost all choose carbon fiber while classical violinists remain divided between those who love violin bows made of carbon fiber and those who prefer the traditional wood.

Choosing Violin Strings | Violin Strings

Violin strings, like every thing else these days, it seems, come in a bewildering variety of materials and thicknesses. Depending upon the iinstrument, the kind of music played and the violinist’s particular touch, the choice of strings will be different. In general, violin strings are made of traditional gut, steel or sythetic materials.

The most popular today are the synthetic core strings, first introduced in the 1970s when Thomasiki-Infield began producing the revolutionary Dominants made of nylon perlon. Many more manufacturers have since entered the field and synthetic strings are now made of a wide variety of materials, but still today Dominants remain the most popular and sought-after strings.

Qualities of Types of Strings

Gut is, of course, the traditional material for violin strings, though not, as legend has it, cat gut, but, rather, sheep gut. Sheep gut strings held sway for so long primarily because of their rich, warm tone and variety of overtones. Sheep gut strings take a bit longer to stretch to the perfect place, and, once stretched tend to be very stable, though, like many natural fibers, they do react ot changing weather conditions. Today, gut is partially a misnomer as gut strings are wrapped with other materials, such as copper wire, to give the string added weight. Most classical musicians prefer gut strings, particularly those who specialize in Baroque or medieval music.

Steel core strings are more to the liking of pop, rock or jazz musicians who favor their durabillity as well as their bright, clear sound. Being made of steel, these strings are very durable and so are also favored by those beginning the study of the violin who tend to be rather rough on their instruments.

Then, the synthetic core violin strings have become extremely popular since they are durable, have good overtones and are quite stable. In sum, they combine for many violinists the qualities of both the steel and the gut strings.

Beyond the material of the violin strings, the violinist must consider the thickness of the string which come in stiff, medium and soft. Each manufacturer varies somewhat in its product and what that product can do. For a good discussion, violinist.com offers a very comprehensive review on its blog.

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Friday, June 24, 2011

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Monday, June 20, 2011

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Friday, June 3, 2011

Housing Prices: The Infamous Double Dip Is Here! « Diane’s Blog

Housing Prices: The Infamous Double Dip Is Here!

We’ve been expecting it for a year and hoping we were wrong, but the double dip is here as home prices are plunging again. It seems that last year’s uptick was a result of the Congressional tax credits for home buyers. That pumped some life into the otherwise moribund housing sector, but the air all leaked out this year.

How bad is it? Nationwide, home prices are down 5.1% from last year to levels not seen since 2002. Home prices have now lost an average of 32.7% since the highs reached in 2006. Almost 30% of homes with a mortgage are now underwater and many of the rest are hanging on by their fingernails. Here’s a graph from CNN Money that shows the decline from 2006, the uptick last year and the plunge again this year.

It’s starting to look like Niagara Falls, and it appears poised to get worse. What is actually causing this depressing negativity in real estate? Why can’t the nation and our Golden State seem to pick ourselves up and start all over again?

Causes of the Continuing Decline In Housing

Many factors are contributing to this stubborn stalemate–high unemployment, lack of consumer confidence and spending, outsourcing of jobs–but the major reason is the same as at the beginning of the recession–the big banks.

Most of us now understand that the push for deregulation of the banking industry which culminated in the lifting of the 1930s-era Glass-Steigal Act functioned like a giant gold rush for the so-called financial services industry or, better yet, a red flag to a bull. The Wall St boys almost literally went crazy dreaming up creative ways to make money [for themselves] without much consideration for the consequences.

In those heady days, intoxicated with the freedom from almost all regulation, the banks shoveled out loans. Almost anyone could get a loan. Bad credit scores, no down payment, low or no income–none of it mattered. The bankers had a loan for everyone and raked in the money doing refi after refi as everyone cashed out their new-found equity as the housing bubble grew.

When it burst, the first to explode were the sub-prime loans. That was back in 2007 and 2008. Those were the really terrible loans with horrendous interest rates given to completely unqualified buyers. That was the first wave of foreclosures and short sales.

Since then we have been dealing with the ARM loans, the adjustable rate loans that so many qualified buyers anxious to get into the hot housing market were advised by their lenders to undertake “to get into the property.” At the time lenders pitched these as “starter loans” because down the road, when they adjusted, buyers were told, with the rise in equity, you could easily refi when the rates went up.

Now we know better of course. Those ARM loans, so lucrative for lenders five years ago, are now time bombs exploding all over the place. Here’s another graph showing how all these 3- and 5-year ARMs are now adjusting. Owners can’t refi now due to plunging real estate values. On the other hand, they can’t pay $1500 more a month either. Naturally, the banks aren’t budging–no help for you, partner.

Thanks to Sean Chapman for the graph.

This year, as we can plainly see from the graph, we can expect a huge number of resets for these adjustable mortgages. Since the properties are usually now either underwater or nearly underwater, even those who could pay will quickly determine that it is not in their financial interest to do so. The result will be an even deeper crisis for the housing market as home values plummet ever downwards.

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