"Squeeze" Technique to improve existing Instruments...
In October, 2006 I received an e-mail from Chris Turner which read as follows:

"...Regarding 'conditioning' of new completed instruments, I have discovered the following: Squeezing the instrument gently between finger and thumb produces crunching sounds from the wood fibres etc...(obviously staying away from the sound post and ff-holes).
...I basically squeeze anywhere I feel it is safe until the crunching ceases and (then) also bend and compress the fingerboard end.
...I have noticed huge improvements on my Chinese variants after this treatment...especially on those which seemingly stiff plates. In particular, a 16" viola that I have been completely dissapointed with (since purchasing via e-bay 5 months ago) has been totally transformed resonance and volume wise. I knew the top was stiff but assumed the modern varnish thickness and plate graduation was the problem...totally different instrument now!
...Its a risky but seemingly highly effective trick.
...Are you familiar with this seemingly brutal treatment of such delicate new instruments?"
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This is my own impression of the idea: (10/2006)

...Since I had one or two violins that I was not completely satisfied with, I selected two and gave them the above treatment. I pressed down on the plate with my thumb while pressing on the opposite side of the instrument with two fingers just opposite the thumb. When I found a spot that gave a "wood crunching sound" (listening at the ff-holes in a quiet room), then I worked around that area until the sound went away. Then I moved to another area and repeated the process until the top plate was covered {staying away from the sound post area and the fragile ff-hole areas).
...Next, I turned the instrument over and did the same on the back plate side, but this time I supported the opposite side only on the very edges of the top plate (over the purfling) with my fingers, in order to stay away from delicate areas of the top plate, while I worked on the back plate. When I was satisfied that I no longer could find areas of wood crunching noises when flexing in this manner, I test played the insturment and seemed to hear an improvement. The next morning I took these two violins down to my volin instructor (Ron Kilde) and asked him to play them both. He was familiar with both of these instruments and commented that they played much better than the last time he played them: both louder; and with a fuller and richer sounding tone (which I could also detect as a listner) than before.
...My conclusion is that Chris' discovery seems to be helpful for those instruments that are not playing up to expectations, and if done carefully and with moderation, it might prove helpful to others as well. Any long term effects are unknown at this time, but it seems to loosen up the wood fibers to let them vibrate more freely. I also do not know what caused the "crunching noises" or why they go away with this manipulation; but I do like the results!
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...In October, 2006 Pierre e-mailed me with this report:

..." I have tried the squeeze technique on all three of my violins.
...The first two had stiff plates, and on squeezing them it made a significant difference. The third, a fine instrument I bought recently with a soft and flexible top plate. I squeezed my new violin, I noticed...the plates... are quite soft. but it didn't click. I used the same force I used on the other violins with stiff plates..., I got carried away.. and I kinda cracked the plate,... that being said... my violin has never sounded better! I don't really hear any ill effects of it cracking, which I find quite odd. ... I have checked every note and every note sounds good, not even a wolf note, and the violin never sounded louder or fuller. (I don't know if it just didn't crack fully or what...)

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