Air and top-plate resonances dominate violin low-frequency response

Evidence

Two acoustic resonances dominate the sound modification due to the body of instruments in the violin family at low frequencies: the resonance of the air contained within the body of the instrument or the “air resonance,” and the main resonance of the top plate or “top resonance.” Hall (2001) summarizes the important resonance features of a typical violin as follows: ■ practically no response below the first resonance at approximately 273 Hz (air resonance); ■ another prominent resonance at about 473 Hz (top resonance); ■ rather uneven response up to about 900 Hz, with a significant dip around 600 to 700 Hz; ■ better mode overlapping and more even response (with some exceptions) above 900 Hz; ■ gradual decrease in response toward high frequencies. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1116

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘air resonance’ and ‘top resonance’ as the two dominant low-frequency resonances of the violin family.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1116
• XREF: connects to: Changing internal gas density shifts the violin’s Helmholtz resonance frequency.; The violin body is a Helmholtz resonator responsible for its tone.; Helmholtz air resonance extends violin support below its lowest body mode — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1796 (+5 more)