As with most "tests" of this kind, some very important factors are conveniently overlooked. What makes some instruments (not just violins) great are characteristics that are not uncovered by a minutes-long playing session. Ironically, sometimes a great vintage instrument feels more difficult to play when a player unfamiliar with it first plays it than a "more responsive" modern instrument. These old instruments can have such strong sonic personalities (a good thing) that the player needs to live with it for some time in order to learn how to coax the very complex, beautiful, and potentially superior sound that it is capable of. Not to mention that how an instrument feels/sounds in a small room is a completely different thing than how will project in a concert hall.
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An interesting followup by a leading violinist to this "experiment": me-with-science/>http://www.insidethearts.com/nondivisi/they-blinded-me- with-science/ |