28 Johnson ⦁ Violin Intonation playability is mostly determined by the musicians who play them. The Stradivarius violin is marked by a brilliant tone and high responsiveness, rendering it appealing to violinists who value these characteristics. However, other violinists may prefer a darker tone that a violin of another maker would afford them. One of the primary reasons that these luthiers are well known is that many of their instruments still exist today. These instruments are of such high quality that musicians can still play them in performance. The various methods of plate tuning on these violins may alter the sounds; however, it is important to note that one process of plate tuning may sound better to one musician and may not be aurally acceptable to another. In order to determine how a body plate is tuned, a luthier must find the tap tones of the plates by tapping on the wood. According to The Art of Violin Making by Johnson and Courtnall, there are different modes of the plates the luthiers tap. The frequencies at these modes have been found to be the most effective at correlating frequencies. For example, in mode 1, which makes a diamond shape around the center of the frequency, the most effective frequencies for the best sounding instrument are 90 hertz for the top plate and 100-120 hertz for the back plate.17 See Figure 2 below for a visual representation of mode 1. 17 Johnson, 154.
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