Transients

Edited: January 21, 2023, 9:21 AM · Anybody here, or elsewhere, talk about transients and violin tone? I first learned about transients when studying studio engineering. My guess is they're a difference between poor or good tone.

edit: one contributing factor that occurs to me is how much flesh of the finger you have on the fingerboard and therefore which finger you use.

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Adrian Heath

Edited: January 21, 2023, 10:23 AM · Norman Pickering's very thorough book "The Bowed String" gives plots of A strings with different materials and different bow pressures. The first quarter-second or so are quite a mess while the overtones try to line up and stabilise!
I think the finger pad has a useful damping effect. I put a sliver of leather in the E-string groove of the nut to slightly damp the ghastly open E..
Not to forget the "shape" and dynamics of he bow-stroke..

Of course, in fast playing, our notes are shorter than an quarter-second, but probably also shorter than our perception allows?

Bud Scott

January 21, 2023, 12:21 PM · Yes, I was taught that 'mess' is the sound of the instrument. Pickering looks very interesting.

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