Toccata and Fungi
How do you make a priceless Stradivarius play second fiddle?This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Scientists remain baffled by the unmatched acoustics of eighteenth century Stradivarius violins. But Swiss researchers have at least recreated it by soaking wood, for months, in a wood-invading fungus. The wood was then used to make two violins. Next, a concert violinist performed behind a screen for one-hundred eighty violin experts. He played on two ordinary violins, two fungus-wood violins, and one REAL Stradivarius. Rating each violin, half the audience said the BEST tone came from. . . Dunt duh duh duh! Fungus violin number two! The scientists speculate that the fungi changed the cellular structure of the wood, reducing its density, and lightening its tone quality. The resulting wood may be similar to wood from Stradivarius' time. It was known as the Little Ice Age, an era of cool summers and long winters. Those conditions made trees to grow more slowly and uniformly, producing wood with excellent acoustic qualities. And that's how you get to Carnegie Hall! Not practice, practice, practice, but fungus, fungus, fungus! Good to know.
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