Acoustics/Acoustics in Violins For a detailed anatomy of the
violin, please refer to Atelierla Bussiere. How does a violin
make sound? When a violinist bows a string, which can produce
vibrations with abundant harmonics, the vibrations of the
strings are structurally transmitted to the bridge and the body
of the instrument through the bridge. The bridge transmits the
vibrational energy produced by the strings to the body through
its feet, further triggering the vibration of body. The
vibration of the body determines sound radiation and sound
quality, along with the resonance of the cavity. The vibration
pattern of the strings can be easily be observed. To the naked
eye, the string appears to move back and forth in a parabolic
shape (see figure), which resembles the first mode of free
vibration of a stretched string. The vibration of strings was
first investigated by Hermann Von Helmholtz, the famous
mathematician and physicist in 19th century. A surprising
scenario was discovered that the string actually move