CT scans discover why Stradivarious instruments sound so good
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Musicians have always coveted the violins and other stringed instruments made in the early 1700s by Antonio Stradivari. To many ears, a Stradivarious just sounds better than an instrument made by anyone else.
The question, of course, is why that’s true.
Theories abound, but science has been at a loss — until now.
Dutch researchers who put five instruments through a CT scanner note that all five have exceptionally uniform wood density, probably because Stradivari lived during a particularly cool era known as the Little Ice Age.
Typically, trees grow much faster during warm summers than the do during cool winters. During the Little Ice Age, however, growth rates were much more consistent.
Consistent growth rates yielded consistent wood density which apparently yields incredible sound.
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