Spider silk could replace traditional strings to give violins a new and richer sound.
Shigeyoshi Osaki plays his spider silk strung violin Image: Nara Medical University |
Traditionally, violin strings have been manufactured from fibers from animal gut, steel or, more recently, nylon. Now, thanks to the skills of a Japanese scientist, spider silk could become a revolutionary new material.
The discovery was made by Nara Medical University's Shigeyoshi Osaka, who has been studing spider silk for more than three decades. Most recently he started to focus on using the material for violin strings because of its incredible strength and elasticity. By bundling individual strands together - 15,000 are required for a violin's thickest G-string - the silk provides greater strength than other materials.
Most importantly, the spider silk strings offer a different, more "'brilliant" sound quality according to violinists that have used the new material, although some have commented on the slightly textured and unusually "squidgy" feel of the strings. The cost will also be prohibitive for all but the top players, at least for the foreseeable future.