Objectivity (YouTube Show) - Modifications on the Violin

February 6, 2022, 9:48 AM · In my undergraduate days, there was a YouTube channel I used to watch daily called Objectivity. On this show, filmed at the Royal Society in London, they look at the histories of various scientific objects, books, and other documents and how they might apply to us today. Some of my favorite episodes discuss astronomy and telescopes, forgotten films, weird clocks, and a log from Newton's tree.

Today's episode was one I just happened to catch just as I was closing up my computer for the morning - it was all about strange musical instruments! What's more, two of these objects were modifications of the violin I had not heard of before! Both of these violins did not have the standard wooden box resonator we all know, and instead opted to use something different as an experiment. The first used a horn so it looks like a cross between a violin and a trumpet. The resultant sound has a metallic taste to it that isn't nearly as nice as the warm wooden sound to my ears, but is still quite interesting. (I also can't imagine playing the instrument for long periods of time, either!) The second is more of a practical teaching experiment, to show students what would happen if the wooden resonator box wasn't there. It's just as you'd expect, a bit like an electric violin without all the electrics. Its modern-day application might be to practice at midnight without disturbing the neighbors!

You can watch the episode here, and click their channel to check out all their previous episodes. It's wild it started right around 2015, when I remember first discovering it through Numberphile and falling in love with it!

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Objectivity (YouTube Show) - Modifications on the Violin

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