The cello sound generation mechanism in vibroacoustic studies of the impact of the endpin material on the cello sound

The aim of the paper is to present the structure of the mechanism that excites the cello strings to vibrate, used in vibroacoustic research of the impact of the endpin material on the cello sound. The construction of the device is inspired by the hurdy-gurdy mechanism. In the acoustic study of string instruments, it is hard to take into account the human factor during the generation of sound. When playing an instrument, there is difficulty in obtaining repeatability of the generated sound, especially with a large number of repetitions. The presented device is particularly useful during vibroacoustic tests of bowed string instruments. It enables the generation of continuous sound and ensures the repeatability of excitation. In addition to the description of the construction of the mechanism, vibroacoustic tests related to the determination of the influence of the cello endpin material on its timbre were also presented. The impact of the endpin material on the cello sound was determined based on measurements as well as subjective impressions of the musicians.