Coupled-oscillator energy sloshing causes the cello’s notorious wolf tone

Evidence

A variant of the energy sloshing scenario applies to a bowed violin, cello, and the like. The string mode may be driven by bowing and yet suffer similar sloshing back and forth of the vibrational energy, which continues as long as the bowing does. The result is the notorious wolf tone in many cellos and a few violins, as discussed later, in section 18.7. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1022

Categorization

• XREF: Names a concrete instrument phenomenon answering ‘why we hear what we hear’ in string-family instruments. — connects to: Piano strings and soundboards can exchange energy producing audible loudness shimmer; Coupled oscillators trade energy back and forth, creating audible beating; Coupled oscillators barely interact when their natural frequencies differ greatly — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1032 (+1 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1022

Broader Connections

• Coupled oscillators trade energy back and forth, creating audible beating #expands (0.95)
• High-Q resonances are rarely heard but catastrophically audible when music hits their exact frequency #expands (0.85)
• Coupled oscillators barely interact when their natural frequencies differ greatly #complicates (0.80) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1032