Violins made from Mycowood have to proof their potential under scientific conditions
Do violins made of wood that had been treated with fungi sound the same as a fine, antique instrument? Acoustics experts at Empa are currently studying the body and soul of instruments made of "mycowood". Precision structure-borne sound measurements and psycho-acoustic tests with volunteers should reveal whether a fungal treatment can really improve an instrument. Exactly why certain violins, such as a Stradivarius, sound so special remains a mystery. Global warming is one explanation, says Francis Schwarze from Empa's Applied Wood Materials lab in St. Gallen. "Nowadays, trees grow more rapidly and unevenly than during a very particular cold spell in the 17th century, when the wood for Stradivari's instruments was felled," explains the wood researcher. Apparently, today's timber has less favorable properties for violin-making. And so Schwarze set out in search of a way to modify wood to resemble its antique counterpart.
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