Violin f holes

[blackalex1952]

http://www.openculture.com/2016/01/why- ... esign.html
The original publication:
http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/ ... 5/20140905

[blackalex1952]

With my mathematically challenged and un trained scientific mind, I have read the original published paper. I'm wondering if the more scientific luthiers have any insight from this paper regarding the soundholes on guitars, both round hole flat tops and f hole arch tops, and also regarding the findings re the thickness of back plates relative to the top plates.Also interesting are the comments on decorative lute style soundholes. Perhaps the archtop guitar can benefit from these findings, that the perimeter length of the f hole has the most effect on sound radiation. Guitars soundboards are large-plenty of room for long skinny holes. I wonder.....
The second video on the first link also shows a nice technique where the f holes are marked, then the area between the f hole and the edge of the plate is carved before cutting the hole. The published scientific paper also talks about the thickness of the edges of the f hole. I'm now wondering if this is relevant to archtop f holes....
It is also interesting to note the other aspect of the research regarding the evolution of design as luthiers figured all this out- "By evolution-rate analysis, these changes are found to be consistent with mutations arising within the range of accidental replication fluctuations from craftsmanship limitations with subsequent selection favouring instruments with higher air-resonance power."
As a final comment, in the first link there are two videos. In the second vid, I speculate that the cat involved in the workshop would have has it's days possibly numbered back in the time before steel strings were in use...

[seeaxe]

Hi Alex

An interesting post as always. Since you are inviting discussion, here's my two cents worth...

Despite warnings from my bullshit meter, which leapt off the scale after attempting to read the quote in your post, I clicked on the first link. I stopped reading at: "but that sound must escape, hence the circular sound hole under the strings of an acoustic guitar and the f-holes on either side of a violin." And to say that the F hole evolved because the instrument sounded better is stating the obvious surely? I wouldn't have thought there was a technical paper in that, but hey, I have never studied at MIT.(Unless you count the welding course I did at Manukau Institute of Technology years ago). If you have any desire to understand the maths and physics of it all, I would recommend Trevor's book over this sort of stuff.

I don't claim to be a scientific luthier or even a luthier for that matter, but to me it seems hard to go past actually measuring the output and frequency of the guitars (and violins, if you want to) as it takes all the subjectivity out of it. You can measure the sound output with a simple microphone and laptop and a bit of free software.

Cheers!