MOTM

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