Body Vibration of the Violin— What Can a Maker Expect to Control?

At low frequencies it is sensible to describe violin body vibration in terms of individual modes, and for a maker to seek to control these modes explicitly. At higher frequencies this ceases to be a realistic goal. The modes overlap in frequency and are very sensitive to small changes in the construction. The acoustical information useful to a maker then relates to controllable features of the behavior that “shine through” the complexity of detail.