Violin Responsiveness

Edited: May 12, 2017, 12:52 PM · I never heard anybody that claimed responsivness is just how fast the violin starts sounding.
Responsivness is the way the violin reacts to changes in the bow movement, weight (or pressure, force, what ever), position and amount of hairs.
Cat leadt thats what I always understood.

May 12, 2017, 1:30 PM · Yup. Also that strings respond to bow and vibrato nuances in sensitivity and "response" quickness like so:

Plain gut>Wound gut>synthetics>steel

May 12, 2017, 1:33 PM · The way that's written, assuming you mean ">" literally as "greater than", is backwards. Steel responds faster than synthetics, which responds faster than gut.

May 12, 2017, 2:47 PM · @Lydia: But we are referring to subtle speed of inflection made by the bow and vibrato, not the usual "grab speed for separate notes" usually mentioned.

In that case, it would be steel>>synthetic>wound gut>pure gut. :)

Edited: May 12, 2017, 4:31 PM · Is there really that much distinction between responsiveness to subtle changes in bow articulation vs. how fast the sound "starts"? Okay they're different, but shouldn't an instrument that's good for one be good for another? I bought a viola a couple of years ago and it's really surprising how much less "responsive" it is ... in both respect. Now, I'm comparing a Chinese viola to an Eastern European violin worth four times as much, but still.

May 12, 2017, 4:40 PM · Paul, I agree that a good violin should be responsive in all respects. I'm only posting this out of personal curiosity and clarity.