I think a lot of them do get played, they get loaned out to players, something that was occurring even back in the 1970's.

The other thing is that Stradivarius made baroque violons. The construction is different. Those instruments were used with gut strings, with less tension on the strings. Modern violin are constructed differently, to be able to support modern strings and have more projection. Most of historic violins had consequent modifications during the XIXth to fit to the new aesthetic. So what you hear when you listen to a Stradivarius played at modern pitch with nylon strings has nothing to do with what it was when the violin was made.

I can absolutely attest to this. I played my friend's expensive professional level violin and sounded awful, and he played my ALDI violin and sounded incredible.

@just a random person haha true. It certainly sounded better than my attempts at playing it! That's kinda the gist of what I meant

Totally agree, witnessed this many times. A violinist friend of mine played beautifully on my $59 Skylark violin bought from Sears Roebuck & Co. She said it was quite good but did lack some brilliance in the high register which is typical of low end instruments.

Agreed... It no longer values the instrument for what it is: The voice of the player

If I owned it, I’d make sure that at least one maestro had it to play whenever they wanted to.

I found that interesting, too!

It would have been a maple back (Acer Pseudoplatanus) Spruce is for the top. One piece of two piece has really nothing to do with the sound either one works just fine. The Spruce is Pinus Abies. The Messiah Stradivari violin has a two piece back for instance. Poplar and Willow were used by Stradivari on some violas and 'cellos. It works fine just not that pretty.

If I were wealthy enough to buy one of these, I’d give it to a great player who can’t afford one. I know I would, because I gave away a 1930s German violin to a younger player who was better than I.

Its nearly impossible to buy a decent student level viola. Its more expensive then professional electric guitars and Basses. I'm not going to spend custom shop ( electric bass ) prices for a. Decent student Viola.

@@michaelblaney4461 I'm not sure this translates well to lower tier instruments. People pay 1000$ for a phone that is a consumer level device we don't really need and may throw away after 3 years (or faster if we drop it). We pay, and I don't want to say a big number, 5-10k for a used car we keep for 5-10 years. In comparison an instrument in the 4 digit range is not expensive at all, it's supposed to last for hundreds of years with maintenance, and can be resold for some amount (that's always a bit speculative for how much but still). The comparison to guitars often comes up, but I think these instruments are a lot more complex physically and sonically. Especially compared to an instrument that generates sound electronically. I learn violin since 2 years and I use a rented instrument that is worth probably around 2-300 euro (bit more in $) and I think it actually sounds great and resonates well and I have been told that by experienced musicians. It is what I would consider a decent student instrument that is probably good enough for an average student into some of the more intermediary years as well. While violas are maybe 50% more, a decent student instrument is probably not very expensive up to a late intermediary level, this game probably gets expensive if you reach college level AND you have ambitions - I guess then you can step into 5 digit realm if you have the means and if you want. I always remind myself that there were and are great musicians everywhere in the world, and someone in a developing country is probably spending the same 1-2k for their pro instrument, not student level... there are orchestras with musicians miles better I'll ever be pretty much anywhere in the world. I think people only need the best instrument possible when they play solos with orchestra which is "fortunately" a fraction of us. :)

A 59' Les Paul that has been owned by someone famous will fetch quite a bit more even. I believe the estimate for the Greeny Les Paul that Kirk Hammet bought was close to 2 million. When it comes to electric guitars modern instruments are far better quality and will literally cost a fraction of the price. I find it so funny that the 59's are called bursts, even when the burst paint job has long faded away because of the poor quality paint they used for it.

@@emilwandel No, Titan and Titian are definitely pronounced differently, even in English.

Good plan, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait till you are 390 years old...

You don't have to be here if you don't like it...

I have to partially agree with you. Love the videos however I could only make it part way through viewing this one the constant jumping made me a bit nauseous.

That's the german pronunciation, and most Europeans pronounce foreign names with an accent, nothing to do with "hoity-toity artistic's sake": it's just the way it is. That being said, I dare you to pronounce "Mozart", "Zimmer" or "Audi" the correct way. (Also: your comment was useless, narrow-minded and a bit pathetic).

You know he is mostly European. Right? If I read his web page correctly he was born in Germany and migrated to Australia with his family as a child. His pronunciation of names was very normal for German+English bilingual speakers, not anything "hoity-toity artistic" (whatever that means). Now sir, please sit down. Breathe. Very slowly. In .... Out .... In .... Out .... Very good. Take a sip of tea (or coffee or whatever you prefer) and stay calm. This may be hard to swallow, so please keep breathing slowly and deliberately....: different people have different ways of pronouncing words that are from a language that is foreign to them. Very often they will get it wrong or only half right. Especially with names. It is rather likely that you will find yourself disagreeing with their pronunciation. It is important to stay calm, smile... and if, only if, you know exactly how something is pronounced because it is your own language, then you may very politely offer a correction. If it is not your own language .... please shut the f-hole up, smile politely and try to forget your anger - it is very simply not worth it. The health systems around the world are already stressed out, don't give yourself a heart attack over a stupid word - heart surgeons and nurses near you will thank you for less overtime at work. Thank you. Don't forget to breathe... In.... Out.... Calm.... ;-)

Olaf is European. Unless you don't think Germany is part of Europe.

As a German coming to Australia as a teenager I had to endure lots of variations in the pronunciation of my name... These days it no longer worries me... I'd rather focus on the substance of the conversation I have with another human being than their ability to pronounce my name. Having said that, I do always try my best... Especially in a country as multicultural as Australia where we get to try and pronounce Asian, African, Eastern European, South European and names from every obscure corner of the world. I love seeing people's faces light up when I make the effort to get it right. Thanks for letting me know 🙂

​@@AskOlaftheViolinmaker Hey guys, me again. Very sorry for my behaviour last night. Apologies to all. I got quite drunk and spoke to of line. I know that that's no excuse, and I'd rather not be a coward and take down my original post just to "get out of the situation" to cover my behind. I do give Olaf my greatest respects and yes I do know he's not Australian born, and people will pronounce names differently. The thing that sparked last night's post: 'I recently spoke to a friend over coffee about a particular local violinist who has changed their name to sound European, as it garners a wider audience when playing in concerts. I won't name them, but if you take my name, instead of Liam Neville, it would be Lyon Nevaux. So this has actually become quite a hot and sensitive topic in our music community. Don't change who you are! Anyway. Sorry. I get carried away. I haven't drunk a drop today, but as you can all see. I do get carried away. I wish you all well, and again, sorry for my earlier behaviour!