My observations on the design and creation of original instruments and instruments based on existing models, copied instruments

The aim of this article is to share some observations on original instruments and copied instruments, the differences and similarities, a comparison without judgment or competition.

Copying an instrument means creating it according to the exact measurements, proportions and specifications of an existing instrument. Therefore, respecting and applying the limits created by the original model. This allows to obtain qualities that come from the balance of the original instrument, in other words it gives a certain degree of guarantee of quality, but not a guarantee of complete success in the realization of an instrument. We can choose the wood and the varnish as similar as possible to the original and take care of the smallest detail, but despite all this very precise and demanding work, there is no way to reproduce the exact sound of the original instrument! Where does this difficulty come from? According to my observations it comes mainly from the difference between the chosen model and the instrument under construction and more precisely between the acoustic qualities of the instrument and all of its parts and the acoustic architecture of the chosen model. It is important to say that this difference is not a defect, but a completely natural specificity and it is one of the most important parts in the construction of an instrument, especially to bring the differences, or the inconsistency between the instrument and the materials used in the construction and the model in the best possible balance and harmony. This difference often manifests itself as a defect, an imbalance and disharmony that requires the luthier to do a very demanding job to know how to harmonize and complete the instrument acoustically, but also there are differences of favorable type, which are harmonious, complementary and beneficial for the instrument. This type of favorable difference is not a gift for the luthier, because it requires a work as specific and demanding and even sometimes more difficult that contains no less risk than the work on unfavorable differences. In particular the luthier must succeed in preserving this harmony and sound qualities already existing through the process of construction, varnishing and even the complete maturation of the instrument! Another reason that does not allow to copy the sound of an instrument is the working method, which is never identical with the method applied in the production of the original instrument, because the working method of the Masters of the past is often unknown or very little known today.

The practice clearly shows that this difference or inconsistency practically cannot be removed or in other words harmonized entirely in an identical way with the original instruments, because if it were possible we could have reproduced also the sound of the copied instruments, which is not the case, but they can be balanced and harmonized by the work done on the instrument according to its own specificity, sound and acoustic characteristics, which in itself will give a result of good quality, but of course not identical with the original instrument. It is not a defect, but a completely natural, logical and acceptable consequence.

The original instrument is an instrument built without an existing model. This requires being sufficiently clear with the acoustic functioning to create models that allow to build instruments with correct and acceptable behavior for the musicians and adapted to the classical repertoire, made directly from the acoustic characteristics present in the wood chosen for the instruments and/or from our clear and precise idea of what will be the sound caracteristics of the future instrument. The absence of limits imposed by a model gives much greater freedom, but this freedom is not a for free, because it forces us to do more additional work, which is not necessary with a copied instrument, to make more decisions, to rigorously check the acoustic functioning of each part, of each step and to considerably increase the production time. The work on the original instruments may seem at first glance to be a free improvisation, but in reality it is a work well structured by the strict acoustic rules! It is a well-structured work, which imposes many more limits than those imposed on an instrument made from an already existing model and which forces us to make much more complex decisions, but at the same time gives much more choice and freedom, which allows us to go much further in the precision of the tuning of an instrument and the possibility of obtaining the desired qualities. A work that requires finding every exact dimension and proportion that is most harmonious with the whole of the instrument under construction. In the construction of an original instrument, we can consider and treat all parts of the instrument as acoustic elements, even elements considered by practice as structural, decorative and for the protection of the instrument, which considerably increases the possibilities of tuning the instruments! It is a work that does not tolerate bad decisions, even the smallest and least important ones! The absence of a model forces us to create this model, which obviously requires more work and decisions to be made, but on the other hand this absence of a model gives the possibility to create a model that can be in perfect balance and harmony with respect to the desired acoustic qualities and the acoustic qualities present in the materials used for the realization of the instrument, already directly from the design and the creation of the original model and not with the help of the additional tuning and harmonization necessary in the work on a copied instrument. It is a creation of a personalized model on each instrument, without the possibility of mechanically repeating exactly the same work on two instruments! Often it may be necessary to choose for some specific stages of the construction a specific working method that is better or to manufacture specific tools ourselves. I find that working on an original instrument allows us to see more clearly and easily the astonishing complexity of the instrument as a simple wooden case, empty inside, but at the same time full of meaning, intelligence and indescribable beauty, which starts from the instrument itself and produces its effect all the way to the end of the concert hall and even to the bottom of the heart of the one who plays, who listens and who created the instrument!

The creation of original instruments gives much more room to explore specific aspects of instrument tuning such as acoustic multifunctionality and others. The model is made according to the desired acoustic qualities and the acoustic qualities present in the materials used for construction, in other words, instead of following the exact dimensions and proportions of an existing model, the work is guided and defined very strictly by the sound and its exact qualities and at the same time by the acoustic and physical limits imposed by the materials used. The goal of this work of creating a personalized model is not to create an identical model with the acoustic qualities present in the wood chosen for the instrument or our sound idea, but to create a complementary and harmonious model and sometimes partially identical to the instrument under construction. The goal of the musicians of an orchestra cannot be to play a note all together, but different notes, in different octaves, with different instruments to be able to create harmony and musical richness. It’s about creating a body for the sound that’s tailor-made, instead of creating an instrument and then seeing how it sounds.

The construction of an original instrument begins, or it can begin, with the final result, the sound or the clear idea of the sound of the future instrument and then complete the missing work, which gives me much more clarity to know where I am and where I am heading in the construction and helps me to make the right decisions in relation to the design of an original model instead of executing the craft work without being sufficiently clear with the acoustic results. This way of building instruments can possibly explain why there are instruments that demonstrate specific characteristics, which can be almost considered as imperfections of the construction or as negligence, but on the other hand the functionality and sound of the instruments clearly demonstrate an inimitable excellence! It is logical, once we have obtained the acoustic qualities, there is nothing more to do and we must move on to the next stage of the construction.

Modifications made to a copied instrument cannot transform this instrument into an original instrument because it is not identical to the copied instrument, moreover the system of dimensions and proportions of the model is not custom-built and respecting the acoustic qualities present in the new instrument and in the materials used for its construction. Similarly, the measurements or proportions applied to an original instrument that exist on other instruments do not transform this instrument into a copy. The identification of an instrument as a copy or as an original can only be done in the set of all the elements of the realization and the final result.

The work done to balance a copied instrument and the work done to create the custom models of an original instrument are of the same nature. The only
difference between the two is that in a copied instrument this work is more limited due to the presence of the model and for an original instrument it is the complete work from start to finish. I cannot consider or identify one or the other method as better or superior, because it only depends on the final result, the free choice and the personal work of each luthier.

Working with an existing model and working on an original instrument does not give guarantees of higher or better quality of the instruments, because it also depends entirely on the skill of the luthier and his personal choice in favor of one or the other.

In conclusion I can say that sound, acoustics and music are not only a source of inspiration for musicians and composers, but the construction of a musical instrument can also be inspired by the same source, created and guided by the precise and very demanding rules of sound and acoustics.