I compare the violin to the voice, seeing similarities and finding features that are beyond metaphor, features that themselves have become metaphors for other musical phenomena. Finally, I discuss how the violin has been continually reinvented throughout its history, reflecting the efforts of its players and makers to adjust its expressive capabilities to suit their needs.
Chapter Two follows with an exploration of the potentials of the electric violin.
Within the context developed in Chapter One, electrifying the violin seems a drastic reinvention of a tradition-laden, highly refined instrument. Electrifying the violin alters the player-instrument feedback loop. In particular, amplification creates a sense of detachment and, paradoxically, allows the violinist to play softer, exploring the bowed-string interface microscopy. The chapter concludes with an introduction to an original collaborative project the NBody Project aimed at improving the electric violin's sonic characteristics. The last chapter offers a definition of the virtual violin , a collection of data derived from the physical process of playing the violin.