Stallmann, KurtKantor, Paul2022-09-262022-09-262022-052022-04-21May 2022Lammers, Matthew Swanke. "A String Player’s Guide to Evaluating Sound and Playability: Language and Principles for Communicating About String Instruments and Quantifying their Characteristics." (2022) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113380">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113380</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113380This document will provide string instrument players with principles, vocabulary, and procedures for communication and assessment that have, in my seven years of research with luthier Keith Hill (Brentwood, TN), made conversations about sound and playability comprehensible, precise, fearless, and useful. The three main chapters of this document (Chapters 2-4) contain the most essential takeaways from our research: Principles of Progress, A Language for Discussing Sound and Playability, and Quantitative Assessment. They lay the groundwork for productive collaboration, then explore the terminology needed to have meaningful conversations, and finally build a framework for analyzing and comparing those observations. It also includes a chapter of background (Chapter 1) that describes Keith’s formative influences and the creation of our research partnership. The principles, vocabulary, and procedures for communication and assessment are useful in many scenarios, including maintaining and improving the characteristics of an instrument, choosing and purchasing an instrument with confidence, understanding and playing to an instrument’s strengths and weaknesses, and discussing sound while teaching and rehearsing.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.violincelloviolaacousticsplayabilitysoundluthierevaluationinstrumentcharacteristicspracticalhandbookguidekeithhilllammersrubricvocabularylexiconpurchasingThesis2022-09-26