The E string of a modern violin is usually made of steel or a steel
with gold alloy. I checked with my violin and the E string reacted on
a magnet. Buy a cheap string, they have the most amount of steel!
Michel Havenith,
Netherlands
--- In motm@y..., "sucrosemusic" <sucrosemusic@y...> wrote:
> OK, I don't know what violin strings are made of, BUT if they're
> ferrous, I'd wire up an electromagnet, just a coil of some sort,
and
> put in in the 'sweet spot' on the strings where either of the
pickups
> on an electric guitar are placed. Placing it at different position
> will affect the sound, because certain harmonics will be easier to
> get into motion in certain spots.
>
> Find out if you can get violin strings that are ferrous, though.
> That's the key. Also, you're going to probably need to amplify
your
> signal quite a bit before your electromagnet will wiggle the
strings
> noticably (estimate around 20 watts, but who knows) since you're
> basically making a speaker, but without a cone... or a permanent
> magnet... etc etc. It'll be weak. It'll work. It won't work
with
> nylon strings.
>
>
> --- In motm@y..., elhardt@a... wrote:
> > I've always thought that transducers were another name for
pickups,
> and doing
> > an internet search that seems to be what they are. They convert
an
> acoustic
> > vibration into an electrical signal. But when reading about the
old
> Ondes
> > Martenot keyboard instrument, they say that one of the speakers
(or
> diffusers)
> > uses a transducer to drive the strings on one of these diffusers.
> Is there a
> > device that I can use that takes an electronic signal and
converts
> it into an
> > acoustic vibration for setting a string in motion or driving the
> bridge of an
> > acoustic instrument? Something other than a speaker that is. I'm
> still thinking
> > about setting a violin in motion using a synthesizer.
> >
> > -Elhardt