It won't be a Steinway anymore!

[Farrell]

> They don't play old violins BECAUSE they are old violins. They play old
> violins because what they feel are the best sounding violins are old.

I know that. Just had to get the last word in.

> I'd be curious to know what percentage of total
> Stradivarius production exists today vs the middle and low end violins.
> That little stat should tell an interesting tale.

I agree, that would be very interesting.

In conclusion to this thread, which I so foolishly jumped into: You guys
win. I withdraw anything I said about violins. I do know however that violin
bridges on pianos are not optimal. Just thought I would share that one.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Nossaman" <RNossaman@KSCABLE.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2001 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: It won't be a Steinway anymore!


> >Well, good grief. I thought I had a good point. I guess I'll just thank
my
> >lucky stars that I am not a violin technician.
>
> I'll say. Not many options for fretting in that field.
>
>
> >But tell me why some number
> >(many?) of top violinists such as Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, Issac Stern,
Gil
> >Shaham, Joshua Bell, and Nigel Kennedy pay top dollar for violins by
> >Stradivari and Guarneri that are hundreds of years old?
>
> They don't play old violins BECAUSE they are old violins. They play old
> violins because what they feel are the best sounding violins are old. The
> violins lasted long enough to BECOME old because they sounded good enough
> NEW that they were taken care of and maintained. Of all the violins made
> for the last 300 years, how many are in use today? Where are all those
many
> many thousands of lesser instruments today? Only the very best of the
> original lot has survived at all because they sounded good enough for
> someone to spring for repairs as necessary, and they very likely don't
> sound as good today as when they were new. We'll never know for sure, but
> if age enhances the sound of violins, why didn't all those lesser brands
> through the years age into a higher plane and finally sound good enough to
> be worth keeping around? I'd be curious to know what percentage of total
> Stradivarius production exists today vs the middle and low end violins.
> That little stat should tell an interesting tale.
>
>
> Ron N