DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A FIVE-STRING ELECTRIC VIOLA
| Format: Ms Word | 1-5 Chapters | Table of Content|
INSTANT PROJECT MATERIAL DOWNLOAD
Study Level: BTech, BSc, BEng, BA, HND, ND or NCE
Amount: ₦3,000.00
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Every successful economy uses technology as a catalyst for social change. In the modern era, technology acts as an ideal support system that may outpace community development initiatives for the benefit of society as a whole. A methodical approach to the creation, upkeep, and repair of musical instruments is known as music technology, a branch of musicology science.
This area of research focuses on developing new methods and technologies for creating musical instruments so that performances can be improved. Despite being a member of the violin family since the fifteenth century, the viola’s dimensions have never been set. The violin’s typical size is 14 inches (35.5 cm). The viola and violin have a vibration ratio of 3:2, with the viola being tuned a fifth lower than the violin.
Thus, the body length of a viola must be one-third longer than that of a violin in order to construct an instrument of correct proportion. The resulting instrument would be 21 inches (53 cm) long, but it is much too big to fit under the chin or reach with the left arm. A modern viola’s average length, for playing considerations, usually falls between 16 1/8 and 16 7/8 inches (41 and 43 cm) (Jeremy, 2009).
The viola is a string instrument that is typically bowed. It is slightly larger than a violin and produces a lower, deeper sound. Since the 18th century, the viola has been a middle or alto voice in the violin family, between the violin (tuned a perfect fifth higher) and the cello (tuned an octave lower). The strings from low to high are commonly tuned to C³, G³, D⁴, and A⁴. The 5-string viola has its origins in the twentieth century, with early endeavors to broaden the viola’s range. Over time, luthiers and performers refined the design, resulting in the contemporary 5-string viola we know today (Darol, 2010).
Whether it is an acoustic-electric viola with pickups mounted on the body using soft clamps or special adhesive putty, or it is a traditional viola with additional electronics, the five-string viola is a great aid, particularly when performing in a group setting because it enables the violinist to demonstrate the violin part for the violin section. Without changing instruments, the violist can return right away to the viola part.
A five-string viola with appropriate balance produces a pleasing sound at both extremes of the range (Darol, 2010). Although the ideal viola size is still up for debate, most violas fall between the length ranges of 15 1/2 inches (40 cm) to 17 inches (43 cm). The German maker Hermann Ritter (1849–1926) claimed that the ideal viola size was 18 1/2 inches (47 cm), whereas the Italians liked to make violas in both large and tiny sizes. The English, on the other hand, like smaller violas.
The viola’s traditional function has been to act as an intermediate voice between the alto and tenor registers. A large viola produces a gloomy sound that is skewed toward the lower overtones, whereas a little viola produces a brilliant sound with greater intensity in the high frequency overtones (Joseph, 2012). Large violas were fashionable in the sixteenth century, but as ensembles with five parts required three violas to play the contralto and tenor parts, violas started to appear in a variety of sizes and registers in the seventeenth century (David and Ann, 2010).
A trend of violinists switching to the viola in the eighteenth century created a need for a more compact instrument. Additionally, since four-part ensembles only require one viola, fewer violas were needed in ensembles. Virtuoso violists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such Lionel Tertis (1876–1875), William Primrose (1904–1982), and Emanuel Vardi (1915–2011), spent the majority of their careers playing large violas before transitioning to smaller instruments.
Due to the dearth of great violists during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari families in Cremona and Gasparo da Salò (1540-1609) in Brescia produced more violins and cellos than violas.
The viola developed far more slowly than other violin family instruments because viola players were not favored by instrument builders and composers. For instance, compared to almost six hundred Stradivari violins, only eighteen Stradivari violas were produced in the seventeenth century (Charles, 2006).
The body length of Stradivari’s “Tuscan” tenor viola measured 18 4/5 inches (47.9 cm) in 1690, while the body length of his “Medici” tenor viola measured 18.9 inches (48 cm). Andrea Amati’s tenor viola was measured 18 1/2 inches (47 cm) in 1574. But violas greater than 17 inches were still too big to play with the arm, and larger violas gradually vanished after 1700.
Three standard sizes for Cremonese violas are 16 1/8 inches (41 cm), 16 7/8 inches (43 cm), and 17 1/2 inches (44.5 cm), according to Mersenne’s Harmonie Universelle (1636-7) (Charles, 2006). During the early years of 1500, any stringed instrument with a bow was referred to as a “viola.” The alto-tenor violin, which subsequently gave rise to the modern viola, first emerged in the violin family in 1535. This research will discuss the step by step methodology used in the design and construction of a 5-string electric viola.
READ ALSO: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN ELECTRIC VIOLIN
1.2 Problem Statement
Compared to the violin, the viola is a more challenging instrument to play in upper places. The violist must figure out a method to wrap the left arm over the upper bout starting in positions eight and up, whereas the violinist only needs to stretch their fingers in the upper position.
With the rising technical demands of the repertoire and the rise in popularity of solo violists, viola players started searching for instruments that would not compromise sound quality for comfort. Also, the addition of a fifth string (the E-String) to the viola allows for greater musical versatility and a deeper tone because most violists are not able to play the viola and violin simultaneously, even though they may wish to explore the low and high ranges when performing.
The electric viola’s output signal is powerful enough to be heard across loudspeakers and can be readily modified by electrical circuits to add “colour” to the sound. In addition, the acoustic viola’s signal is weak and only audible when amplified. Reverb and distortion are two common electrical effects used to alter the signal. The research gap here is that most instrument designers today have failed to decide between creating violas that are big and unpleasant or tiny but devoid of sound.
As a result, the design of a versatile viola has attracted more attention, and numerous new ideas and research will keep on revolving around this areas till it is fully accomplished. With these and other obvious obstacles in mind, the researcher/technologist set out to create an electric viola that would be long-lasting, inexpensive, and easy to integrate into orchestras and bands.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The primary aim of this research is to construct and design a five-string electric viola. Other specific objectives of the study are to:
- Design a Five-string electric viola.
- Describe the steps taken in the construction of a Five -string viola.
- Construct the designed five – string electric viola.
- Highlight the necessity for a Five -string viola.
- Showcase the finished product.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study will be significant in the following ways:
This research is very important to violist because it brings to limelight the advantage of the added E-Strings to the viola. It will also encourage indigenous and local instrument makers to modernize and raise the caliber of materials used in the construction of musical instruments in order to draw in a larger customer base.
The knowledge, abilities, and time invested in this project, if used beyond this context (the school setting), may offer the influx of unemployed graduates living on the streets a chance to create employment for themselves.
Future researchers and students with an interest in music technology may find information useful from the design, expertise, and approach used in this study.
USE THIS MATERIALS AS A GUIDE FOR YOUR PERSONAL RESEARCH WORK (IF PROPERLY CITED)
DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT HERE FOR ONLY N3, 000
DISCLAIMER
WE ASSIST OUR CLIENTS BY PROVIDING QUALITY RESEARCH MATERIALS FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES.
THIS MATERIAL IS FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD BE USED AS GUIDELINE.
DO NOT COPY THE ABOVE MATERIALS VERBATIM (WORD FOR WORD)