Research projects

Due to its high musical relevance, professional musicians often have several bows. The demand for high-quality, handcrafted bows is correspondingly high. Markneukirchen is considered the cradle of bow making in German-speaking countries and enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide. The town in the Vogtland region is associated with handcrafted bows of the highest precision and musical quality.

The aim of the project is to lay a scientific foundation for the Musical Instrument Making course of study in order to create a new, globally unique and internationally recognized educational opportunity as a course of study in handcrafted bow making at the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau.

The question of what characteristics a bow rated as "very good" has is still scientifically unresolved. The project therefore aims to gain fundamental scientific knowledge about the geometric, material, vibroacoustic and elastomechanical properties of bowed instruments. In cooperation with four faculties of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau and their working groups, the project will be carried out in three stages.

At the beginning of the project, the necessary requirements for string bows from the perspective of manufacturers, musicians, engineers and scientists are compiled in a requirements matrix. A test plan and the technical parameters for the development of test measuring stations are derived from this. Subsequently, questions for conducting the study are developed and a suitable study design is researched in accordance with the specialist literature. The resulting list of questions forms the basis for the survey of professional musicians. Accompanying documentation of the study will be compiled.

The program following the survey focuses on the development and calculation of optical approaches for measuring the vibration properties, stiffness and shape of a bow. The optical and technical framework conditions for recording the properties in a laboratory setup are defined.

Finally, the laboratory is set up according to the recorded concepts and the final measurement arrangements for each property to be measured with regard to precision, measuring range, linearity and stability. Initial test measurements are carried out and relevant data evaluation algorithms, for example Fourier analysis, are assessed and evaluation approaches for the individual measurement methods are implemented in appropriate software (e.g. Python, Matlab, LabView).

Finally, three measuring station demonstrators are set up to record data on vibration properties, stiffness and shape progression in the relevant situations (workshop, design, training, etc.). Using these measuring station demonstrators, it is possible to characterize and select suitable coating sheets. Finally, all survey and measurement results are compared in a customized evaluation matrix and a weighting system is developed for the overall data set. At the end, a final data visualization and risk assessment of the project results obtained is carried out for subsequent use in other research projects after the end of the project.

The results from the analysis of geometric, material-technical, vibroacoustic and elastomechanical properties are sustainably documented according to criteria relevant to musical instrument making. Among other things, they will be incorporated as a scientific basis in the form of sample bows and technical production drawings for practical teaching on the musical instrument making course and form the scientific basis for a new course in bow making.

In the course of the project, specific, custom-made, practical measuring devices will also be developed that integrate the scientific findings into the production process as an effective parameter for quality control and production management. The knowledge gained will form the basis for follow-up projects. The project results therefore have a high practical relevance and are prepared in such a way that they can be directly applied in the practice of sheet construction. Particular attention will be paid to the sustainable transfer of knowledge to regional bow making.

Project participants:

• Faculty of Physical Engineering/Computer Science (PTI) | Working Group Optical Technologies
• Faculty of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering (AMB) | AG Materials Engineering
• Faculty of Automotive Engineering (KFT) | WG CAD Design
• Faculty of Applied Arts Schneeberg (AKS) | AG Musical Instrument Making

Duration: 01.01.2022 - 31.12.2025

Project duration: 01.01.2023 - 31.12.2024

The lack of suitable practice-relevant and target group-oriented further training opportunities makes it difficult for artisan musical instrument makers to familiarize themselves with the latest developments in areas such as materials research, musical acoustics, computer-aided manufacturing techniques, modern marketing strategies and current legislation.

Project objective:
The "Summer School in Musical Instrument Making" (SUMU) project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the "WIR! - iMaTech" alliance, aims to create a platform that enables the transfer of current industry knowledge into practice on the one hand and the exchange of knowledge between vocational colleges in the musical instrument making industry on the other.

Target group:
The target group are in particular specialists in musical instrument making who will have the opportunity during the summer school to receive further training in specific specialist areas or to learn and refine special skills in workshops.

The "Summer School in Musical Instrument Making" (SUMU) offers an opportunity for specialists to deepen their knowledge and keep pace with the latest trends and technologies in the musical instrument making industry.