Can you pick out the Stradivarius violin?

[Mornats]

I tried this at work and got it right but have to admit there's not a massive amount between the sounds IMHO. Enough to rank them in the right order but when you think of the difference between a 1666 Stradivarius violin and a £39.99 Tesco one you have to wonder whether the monetary difference would be better spent on top-notch lessons. I think it's testament to the playing ability of [color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Cecilia Stinton that they sound quite alike.[/font][/color]

[url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10116919/Interactive-Challenge-your-musical-ear.html"]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10116919/Interactive-Challenge-your-musical-ear.html[/url]

[Muzz]

Listening through crappy earbuds, I spotted the Tesco one, but got the Strad and the other one mixed up. The clips could have been better recorded - sounded like they were being played in the Ashmolean khazis...

[ubassman]

The Tesco screecher was an obvious !!

Picked out the full bodied Strad from the very nice sounding 18th C German which was just a bit brighter . These two were in a different league to the Tesco offering!

[Ziphoblat]

The German one sounded far more like the Tesco one to me. I think the whole "subtle differences" thing is simply to do with how tuned in to that instrument you are. I suspect most of the "subtle" differences our ears pick up on as bass players (for instance being able to identify jazz basses, precision basses etc in a mix) would go just as easily over the heads of a violinist. Perhaps I'm wrong, though.

[lowdown]

I got the Tesco right, very abrasive, and she seemed to have more Intonation problems with that one [The first 15 secs are Horrible]
There seems to be Intonation problems on all three clips to be honest

I got the Strad & German clips the wrong way round.
She had more control and expression with the Strad, with it's darker sound.
That's why I thought it might have been her own tried and trusted Instrument.


Garry

Edited June 14, 2013 by lowdown

[Adrenochrome]

Yes, however I enjoyed the german violin almost as much as the Strad.

[uncle psychosis]

I used to study this kind of thing for a living. I think there's enough evidence now to be fairly confident that (good) modern violins sound and play just as good as the antique Strads etc (And remember that Stradivarius wouldn't even recognise his own instruments now, with their modified bridges, metal strings, etc). However, musicians are still a very conservative (small c) bunch and to "make it" as a concert violinist it is almost expected that you will play an old instrument. Its a kudos/prestige/tradition thing as much as a musical thing.

Edited June 13, 2013 by uncle psychosis

[LemonCello]

Basic rule of thumb for all stringed instruments (including basses), play as many as you can and pick the one that feels right in the hands and whose tone speaks to you the most. Then if it's a bowed instrument spend at least 10% of what you've spent on the instrument on a bow. That kinda rules out the Tesco violin, but it probably comes with a bow anyway. Cheap instruments can deter learners if they are nasty as well as cheap i.e. strings you can limbo under, sound post in the wrong position, crap strings etc all of which can make the whole thing a lot more difficult than it needs to be.

When I bought my current 'cello 20 odd years ago it was better (to me) at 6K than another I played in the same shop at £30K.

[Junkyard Rocket]

I liked the sound of the tesco one best so thought that was the strad. In fact I managed to get them all wrong. Then again I usually prefer to play my squier bass which was £165 new when I could be playing one of my much more expensive ones.

[Twigman]

3 out of 3

Easy

[icastle]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1371153339' post='2110677']
However, musicians are still a very conservative (small c) bunch and to "make it" as a concert violinist it is almost expected that you will play an old instrument. Its a kudos/prestige/tradition thing as much as a musical thing.
[/quote]

+1

My fiddle is an 18th century Scottish one.

I don't do it justice, but it does give me a sense of tradition to grow into.

[stevie]

I got them all right and only needed about 3 seconds for each track. But I have very good headphones and enjoy listening to the violin. I doubt very much if I could tell the difference between a 1961 P-Bass and a modern Squire though.

[Chris2112]

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1371148767' post='2110596']
Listening through crappy earbuds, I spotted the Tesco one, but got the Strad and the other one mixed up. The clips could have been better recorded - sounded like they were being played in the Ashmolean khazis...
[/quote]

Same here. I've fairly decent Turtle Beach earphones on...I should have got my Sennheisers out and spared my embarrassment!

[Dad3353]

3 out of 3 ... wrong..!

I didn't like any of them, most especially the 'off' notes in all 3 renditions. I have a very modest headset, and very old cloth ears. I once did a similar test which included an aluminium violin. It sounded very good, not just to me, but to the panel of 'experts' involved, too. Funny things, ears...

[gjones]

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1371148332' post='2110583']
I tried this at work and got it right but have to admit there's not a massive amount between the sounds IMHO. Enough to rank them in the right order but when you think of the difference between a 1666 Stradivarius violin and a £39.99 Tesco one you have to wonder whether the monetary difference would be better spent on top-notch lessons. I think it's testament to the playing ability of [color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Cecilia Stinton that they sound quite alike.[/font][/color]

[url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10116919/Interactive-Challenge-your-musical-ear.html"]http://www.telegraph...usical-ear.html[/url]
[/quote]

I thought the playing sounded pretty amateur. Unless it was supposed to sound out of tune?

[Beer of the Bass]

I spotted the Tesco jobbie as glaringly harsh sounding, but got the other two the wrong way round. They certainly sounded different to me, but I couldn't have declared one or the other as obviously superior. I'm not sure if the test holds up as more than a quick bit of fun though.

[dougal]

Tesco was obvious: hash, abrasive and no mellow tones at all.
The other two I got right more by good luck than judgement. I don't think there was that much to choose between them.

It would be interesting to have the same test with a Squire, US and vintage P. I think ironically I'd do worse in that!

[Mornats]

There's been an experiment on Talkbass between a plank of scrap wood, an alder bass and another bass here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/scrap-lumber-bass-vs-alder-bass-can-you-tell-difference-743932/

The biggest difference in sound quality between any of my basses comes from when I hand one over to my bass tutor and he plays it...

[bertbass]

Heh, I got them all right.

[BernardJazz]

I got the German and Strad mixed up, I made an educated guess that the Strad would sound brighter but I was sadly mistaken.
I may invest in a £40 Tesco one though, the neighbours would love it.

[Oopsdabassist]

After growing up listening to Daryl Way I managed to get all 3 right, dunno what that says about me, or Daryl's choice of plastic violin to be honest...

[timmo]

I got the strad as it just sounded so much clearer and a nicer tone.I got the other 2 wrong though

[JwK94]

The Tesco one was obvious, to a string player that is. Got the other 2 right too but it was an educated guess, Strads may be the fabled instruments but a good 18th century German violin will sound great as well. Bit of a challenge to distinguish between

[lurksalot]

I haven't listened as I don't know what would constiute the sound that was supposed to be the right one , but what I do know is that in an orchestral piece ,you would have a fair few violins in both the first and seconds , if you had an equal mix of the examples in the test , how would that pan out , I would guess it would take a phenominal degree of expertise to nail the value kit !!

ed to add , the point of the multi parts is to get the nuances of tone and playing to get the correct feel ,so that the diiferences add to the whole , maybe the next test should be an orchestra full of value kit vs 17c kit and let joe public make the call

Edited June 16, 2013 by lurksalot

[SteveO]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1371149417' post='2110610']
The Tesco screecher was an obvious !!

Picked out the full bodied Strad from the very nice sounding 18th C German which was just a bit brighter . These two were in a different league to the Tesco offering!
[/quote]
agree here. I'm a big fan of cheap instruments, and the recordings demonstrate how a good player can make anything sound good, but, the recording of the tesco violin stood out like a sore thumb.

I did get the other 2 right as well, but perhaps it is easier for people that hear a lot of orchestral instruments regularly.

I do find it hard to hear the difference between most electric basses though