MOTM

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