Go back
Can a violin be played underwater?

Can a violin be played underwater?

Science

Vote Up
Vote Down

Would the pitch be the same? If not what would it sound like? Has anyone ever heard of it being tried? Shouldn't be too hard, just take your strad, the worse one in the collection and try it...

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by sonhouse
Would the pitch be the same? If not what would it sound like? Has anyone ever heard of it being tried? Shouldn't be too hard, just take your strad, the worse one in the collection and try it...

2 edits
Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62zjlrAruZk
Well that was interesting! Too bad the dude can't play! I would like to see instrumentation in place to measure the pitch, I didn't see hydrophones, only the sound of the violin that escaped the surface of the water, at least that's what it seemed like. I would like to see hydrophones record the sound and to demonstrate the actual pitch as perceived underwater. The pitch as heard in the video was the same as the sound of it underwater which pretty much proves it was sound recorded above the surface where you would hear normal air frequencies, the pitch should change a lot because of the increased speed of sound underwater. These were just kids trying an experiment. I would like to see a real scientific project with real instrumentation. Still interesting though, also would like to have a translation from whatever language that was, Swedish? Dutch? At the very least, it proved a violin can produce sound underwater.
I would like to see this girl play underwater:
&feature=related

Vote Up
Vote Down

&feature=related

It appears to sound similar underwater.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by mlprior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlpxoi8lyUc&feature=related

It appears to sound similar underwater.
You are naive.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by sonhouse
Would the pitch be the same? If not what would it sound like? Has anyone ever heard of it being tried? Shouldn't be too hard, just take your strad, the worse one in the collection and try it...
Is this really the most imporntant thing you have to think about?? 🙄

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by mlprior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlpxoi8lyUc&feature=related

It appears to sound similar underwater.
I don't think so.

I think the viscosity and density of the medium in which the violin is played has an important role how the sounds is generated.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by sonhouse
You are naive.
😠

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by FabianFnas
I don't think so.

I think the viscosity and density of the medium in which the violin is played has an important role how the sounds is generated.
Indeed, for one the increased viscosity will make the vibrations stop more quickly, also resulting in a timbre change because the higher frequency modes will die out almost instantaneously.

Vote Up
Vote Down

The sound will not resemble the acoustical sound of a violin. Obviously, the resonator box will not have a hand in the sound generation. The sound produced in the air by a violin is complex, with undertones and overtones surrounding the fundamental note. That is why a guitar sounds different from a cello - they are similar size and pitch but the guitar is producing much more of the fundamental tone without the overtones and undertones.

What would be heard from a violin being played under water would be sound that is much more fundamental. It would be the same as if one were using a transducer pickup on the violin bridge or playing a mute violin. The pitch, however, would not be changed. Water does not alter sound in and of itself. It is a far better conductor of sound than air is, though.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Everyone inhaling helium and hear himself talk knows that the pitch changes with the density and viscosity of the medium in which the sound is produced...

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by mlprior
😠
You didn't see that whole thing as a stunt? They were not playing those instruments underwater, some of them would never have made a sound at all, thought you would have noticed that.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by Badwater
The sound will not resemble the acoustical sound of a violin. Obviously, the resonator box will not have a hand in the sound generation. The sound produced in the air by a violin is complex, with undertones and overtones surrounding the fundamental note. That is why a guitar sounds different from a cello - they are similar size and pitch but the guitar is p ...[text shortened]... oes not alter sound in and of itself. It is a far better conductor of sound than air is, though.
I deg to biffer with you on the guitar. The reason it sounds like it does is because it is a percussive instrument, anything that plucks strings from mandolin to guitar to harpsichord are all percussive and anything bowed is more continuous toned obviously both have overtones (harmonics) and such but the main difference in plucked instruments is the percussive effect, a tone that starts and stops more abruptly than the cello/violin bowed instruments.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by sonhouse
I deg to biffer with you on the guitar. The reason it sounds like it does is because it is a percussive instrument, anything that plucks strings from mandolin to guitar to harpsichord are all percussive and anything bowed is more continuous toned obviously both have overtones (harmonics) and such but the main difference in plucked instruments is the percussive effect, a tone that starts and stops more abruptly than the cello/violin bowed instruments.
There's only one way to settle this...get Noodles to play her cello with a pick and record it for us. Actually, I'm going to ask her right now!

2 edits
Vote Up
Vote Down

I go and ask my neighbors kid if he knows how his drums sound like under water.
Then I perhaps will have some peace and quiet around... 😞