Books › The Story of the violano-virtuoso : world's only self-playing violin and piano, 1900 › scan 24
Scan 24
The Story of the violano-virtuoso : world's only self-playing violin and piano, 1900
14 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 18. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Violin Stays in Tune
3"How can you tune your violins mechanically, in the way the ordinary violinist has to do after playing a few pieces?" is a question we are often asked by prospective buyers. For no matter how extraordinary our instrument might be, if the strings were not properly tuned it could not produce good music.
5Our violin, however, does not tune itself; it simply is regulated to stay in tune permanently after once being properly tuned.
7The strings on a hand-played violin are fastened at the tension required by the violinist while playing a particular selection. They are subject to contraction or expansion caused by heat, cold, weather, movement of the artist's fingers, etc. The strings on our violins, however, provide against this expansion or contraction by means of weight balances, one of which is secured to each string and holds it at the proper tension all the time.
9Each string is thus permanently kept in tune, and if the instrument is not meddled with from the outside, it should hold its tune for a very long time. The instrument has a tuning device for occasions such as when a string is changed. This tuning is very simple and only requires a moment.
11Bows Automatically Resined
13The strings are automatically resined by an ingenious device which makes resining by hand unnecessary. Resin is kept in a box directly underneath the bows. This box is under the control of a governor which causes it to raise or lower according as the speed of the motor varies. The greater the need for resin the more that is automatically supplied.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.