A New Mounting System for String Instruments

Abstract: A new system for string instruments including an equilibrating mounting, a compensating path, and fixing devices and procedures is presented. The sensibility of vibrating strings to modification in contour conditions due to the proposed system is first evidenced. It is showed that the strings have a decreased attack time, a rich spectral quality, greater timbre uniformity, a longer decay time in plugged instruments and greater intensity in bow and plugged instruments, an increased amplitude and temporal dynamics, and a greater sound uniformity face to inversion in the bow movement in single or chord playing. Moreover, some mechanical advantages have also been observed; for example, the tuning of the instruments is more stable and durable in time, and the life of the strings is prolonged. All the system is based on the restoring of different symmetries through the mounting strategy, the compensation of tensions due to reaction in different supports through usual string paths, and the ensuring of maximum fixity of the string in the mounting points together with an uniform distribution of tensions in the tailpiece. Some observed phenomena, as the generation of smooth oscillations, can be put in relation with a nonlinear behaviour of the string. This point is under study and may lead to significant improvement in the overall performance of traditional string musical instruments.