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Influence of Bow Pretension Force on Violin Performance
- 1 Shanghai Pinghe School, Shanghai, China
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study investigates the influence of bow pretension force on the performance and tone of the violin through theoretical modeling, finite element analysis, and experimental verification. Theoretical modeling was used to establish the initial shape and bending characteristics of the bow. Through a multi-objective genetic algorithm, the material properties of the bow, particularly the Young's modulus, were optimized to closely match actual measurements. Experimental tests were conducted to analyze the effects of different pretension forces on the violin's sound quality, showing that higher pretension increases harmonic amplitude and alters the timbre. However, both excessive and insufficient pretension forces negatively impact bow controllability and performance stability. The research concludes that a moderate pretension force balances timbre and playing stability, ensuring optimal performance. This study provides valuable insights into the acoustic characteristics of the bow and offers a scientific basis for players when selecting and adjusting their bows
Keywords
Violin bow, Pretension force, Modal analysis, Playability
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Cite this article
Zhao,X. (2025). Influence of Bow Pretension Force on Violin Performance. Theoretical and Natural Science,87,71-81.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Computing Innovation and Applied Physics
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