String Bean

14/12/2025

🎻 The Unwanted Noise from Metallic Fine Tuners on the Violin Family

Metallic fine tuners are a convenient accessory, particularly for strings under high tension. However, many studies suggest they can be a significant source of unwanted noise or vibration.

In our video demonstration, a titanium fine tuner is tightly installed on the E-string of a violin. During the first three plucks of the G-string, the unwanted noise emanating from the fine tuner is clearly audible. In the subsequent three plucks, we gently suppress the fine tuner's vibration, and the noise immediately disappears.

The noise produced by a fine tuner is uncontrollable, even for professional players. In concerts, we occasionally hear an unwanted high-pitched squeal when a solo violinist plays the E-string. Nevertheless, this bright, high-pitched resonance can sometimes compensate for violins that naturally produce a duller or "flatter" tone. For this reason, it is not uncommon to see a violin equipped with four fine tuners—one for every string.

What does our simple experiment infer?

It suggests that a significant amount of energy is actually dissipated within the tailpiece system. To enhance energy efficiency—that is, to convert more string energy into the desired acoustic output—the energy drain into the tailpiece system must be reduced. In the field of violin acoustics, we believe this must be seriously considered to generate better sound from these beautiful instruments.

24/11/2025

Beautiful forever!

We thought you would enjoy this very informal performance at a "soiree" in Florida.My 2009. For those who are curious Ms. Haendel is 80 and still busy givin...

20/08/2025

Our star product, "String Bean® for strings," has been awarded an invention patent (EP3882904) from the European Union, marking an important milestone in our patent coverage after receiving invention patents from the United States, China, and South Korea.

Europe, the birthplace of classical music, has long been the heart of many musical souls. It is home to numerous instrument brands, as well as high-quality accessories and parts. Our application underwent a rigorous four-year review process. The exciting results demonstrate that String Bean® for strings is writing a new chapter in violin acoustics.

Why can small, passive gadgets installed under the tailpiece so dramatically change a string instrument's sound power? Browse our page to find the answers!

Official HP
https://www.superstringbean.com
FB Page
https://www.Facebook.com/superstringbean

22/07/2025

Is String Bean® for strings hard to install? Yes, they are! Some tailpiece designs are indeed NOT friendly for SB. Let us share some tips for the most frequent cases here, while we are developing a powerful acoustic tailpiece that is more friendly to install SB.

17/07/2025

Suzuki 3/4 violin No. 330 anno 1994
W. Dorfler 3/4 violin bow
Recording: iPhone 14 Pro

The 2nd generation of String Bean for strings is currently undergoing testing. The new version assists to send more (4x) string energy to the instrument's body, significantly enhancing plate vibrations and achieving complete resonance compared to the current version of SB. More acoustic and mechanical data are being collected from professional musicians and young players. Its appearance in the market will be scheduled for 2029.


#鈴木バイオリン製造株式会社

13/06/2025

For over 30 years, Darius Music has provided expert violin making and restoration services in Budapest, Hungary. This year, they join our list of dealerships, continuing their excellent work in helping musicians explore their instruments. To unleash the sounding power in your instrument, schedule an appointment with Darius Music TODAY and experience the magic of physics that String Bean for strings brings.

Darius Music Violin Shop
Budapest, 1061, Paulay Ede utca 58.
+36 30 415 7271
https://dariusmusic.hu/

Darius Music Hangszerüzlet - 25 év tapasztalat. Hegedűk, brácsák, csellók, nagybőgők, vonók és hangszer kiegészítők széles választéka várja!

12/06/2025

The European Union patent for our star product, "String Bean for Strings," was recently granted. The certificate is currently being processed. This year, we are extremely happy to have Dr. Brian Lin join our team and lead our business in Europe. Based in Munich, Germany, he has been successfully extending the business in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, and other countries. We expect a great performance from him and will update our service information later.

09/06/2025

The most prestigious musical competition in Taiwan "National Student Music Competition" will be held on September and October in 2025. The string sections held once in two years have nurtured numerous excellent musicians in Taiwan for decades. The draft of the designated pieces of the individual categories, including in piano, are released recently. We will update, if any changes, as the final list is announced in July.

Violin:

[Elementary School A & B Groups]

36 Caprices for Violin, Op. 3 No. 6 (F. Fiorillo)
Op. 36 Book 1 No. 21 Allegretto (J. F. Mazas)
36 Violin Studies, Op. 20 No. 20 Allegretto (H. E. Kayser)

[Junior High School A & B Groups]

24 Caprices No. 2 (P. Rode)
42 Studies No. 34 Moderato (R. Kreutzer)
42 Etudes No. 24 Allegro (R. Kreutzer)

[Senior High School A & B Groups]

Partita for Solo Violin No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002 Tempo di Bourree (J. S. Bach)
24 Caprices Op. 1, No. 16 Presto (N. Paganini)
L'Ecole moderne, Op. 10 No. 5 Scherzando (Alla Saltarella) (H. Wieniawski)

[College/University A & B Groups]

24 Caprices Op. 1, No. 5 Agitato (N. Paganini)
24 Caprices No. 23 Moderato (P. Rode)
24 Caprices, Op. 1 No. 18 Corrente-Allegro (N. Paganini)

Viola:

[Elementary School A & B Groups]

Not yet decided

[Junior High School A & B Groups]

Suite for Viola Solo No. 2 "Sarabande" (J. S. Bach)
15 Studies for Viola Solo, Op. 87, V Andante con moto (Richard Hofmann)
25 Studies for Viola Solo No. 6 ''Adagio'' (A.-B. Bruni)

[Senior High School A & B Groups]

16 Fantasy Etudes For Viola No. 1 Preludio (Lillian Fuchs)
15 Studies for Viola Solo, Op. 87, XI Allegretto (Richard Hofmann)
12 Fantasias TWV 40:14-25 (arr. for Viola) No. 4 in G Major, 1st mvt. "Vivace" (G. P. Telemann)

[College/University A & B Groups]

Suite for Viola Solo No. 6 "Sarabande" (J. S. Bach)
16 Fantasy Etudes for Viola, No. 2 Venusto (Lillian Fuchs)
41 Caprices Op. 22, No. 25 (B. Campagnoli)

Cello:

[Elementary School A & B Groups]

Melodious and Progressive Studies Op. 31, No. 33 (Sebastian Lee)
Suite for Cello Solo No. 3, BWV 1009, Courante (J. S. Bach)
Suite No. 2 for Cello Solo, BWV 1008, Allemande (J. S. Bach)

[Junior High School A & B Groups]

12 Studies Op. 35, No. 1 (Auguste Franchomme)
High School of Cello Playing 40 Studies, Op. 73, No. 22, Andante grazioso (David Popper)
Cello Studies, No. 6 Allegro (Composer: M. Berteau) (J.-L. Duport)

[Senior High School A & B Groups]

12 Caprices Op. 7, No. 6 (Auguste Franchomme)
12 Caprices, Op. 25, No. 9, Allegro (C. A. Piatti)
113 Studies for Cello Solo (Book III), No. 73 Adagio (J. F. Dotzauer)

[College/University A & B Groups]

12 Caprices, Op. 25, No. 7, Maestoso (C. A. Piatti)
Sonata for Cello Solo, Op. 25, No. 3, Lebhaft, sehr markiert, Mit festen Bogenstrichen (P. Hindemith)
12 Caprices for Cello Solo, Op. 7, No. 7 Allegro agitato (A. Franchomme)

Double Bass:

[Junior High School A & B Groups]

Waltz No. 7 Vivace (D. Dragonetti) [Required Edition: G. Henle Verlag]
Sonata No. 1 in Bb IV Mov. Allegro (gaio) (A. Vivaldi) [Required Edition: G. SCHIRMER]
Valse Miniature (Koussevitzky) [Required Edition: International Music Company]

[Senior High School A & B Groups]

Waltz No. 4 Allegro (D. Dragonetti) [Required Edition: G. Henle Verlag]
18 studies No. 6 Allegro Moderato (R. Kreutzer) [Required Edition: International Music Company]
Suite No. 2 in D Minor Sarabande (J. S. Bach) [Required Edition: International Music Company]

[College/University A & B Groups]

20 Concert Studies No. 2 Moderato (A. Mengoli) [Required Edition: Yorke Edition]
Suite No. 3 in G Major Prelude (J. S. Bach) [Required Edition: International Music Company]
Sonata No. 2 in E minor Op. 6 1st mvt. (A. Misek) [From the beginning to rehearsal mark 8]

Piano:

[Elementary School A & B Groups]

Prelude in C Major "Harp", Op. 12, No. 7 (S. Prokofiev)
10 Pièces Mignonnes, Op. 77, No. 2 Scherzino (M. Moszkowski)
Mazurka, Op. 24, No. 3 in A flat major (F. Chopin)

[Junior High School A & B Groups]

Prélude No. 5 "Les collines d'Anacapri", from Book 1, L. 117 (C. Debussy)
Songs without words Op. 67, No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor (F. Mendelssohn)
Sonata in B minor, K. 27 (D. Scarlatti)

[Senior High School A & B Groups]

Etude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 10, No. 4 (F. Chopin) [Recommended Publisher: Jan Ekier or Paderewski]
Sonata in C Minor, K. 56 / L. 356 (D. Scarlatti)
Etude VII, pour les degrés chromatiques (from Douze Études) (C. Debussy)

[College/University A & B Groups]

Etude in D Major, Op. 7, No. 2 (I. Stravinsky)
Impromptu No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 102 (G. Fauré)
10 Preludes, Op. 23, No. 6 in E-flat major (S. Rachmaninoff)

10/04/2025

[ Making Violin a Better Sounding Instrument] -- violin acoustics that musicians/luthiers have to know

The vibration of a violin string is usually oversimplified as solely transverse mechanical vibration. In fact, longitudinal vibrations of density waves are always robustly excited, since both of them are gapless excitations. As coupled to many parts in violin and the non-linear effects, transverse and longitudinal modes are not orthogonal to each other. Those underlying physics is never considered in the violin acoustic community. Those invisible longitudinal waves have weak coupling to the bridge and always dissipates considerable energy to the tailpiece. How to refrain the energy loss and preserve the string energy becomes tremendously important for energy conversion proficiency in violin acoustics.

Now, String Bean® technology provides an unprecedented solution and develops a passive (unplugged) device. Installed under the tailpiece, the patented "String Bean® for strings” is mechanically designed to preserve more string energy of all frequency. Due to strong coupling between the longitudinal and transverse modes, the preserved energy is able to enhance desired transverse vibrations. As more energy transmits to the resonance cavity via the bridge, the enhanced plate vibration leads to more sound projection. This profound and novel acoustic modification can make strings react faster as they are plucked or bowed. Less energy dissipation leading to longer reverberation has been also demonstrated.

For more scientific data, download the paper from the Arxiv at Cornell University: https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.08920 "Preservation of the harmonic overtones in the violin family beyond Stradivari"

06/11/2024

Beethoven's Violin Concerto is considered by many performers to be one of the most challenging concertos. Since its premiere was not successful, Beethoven, at Clementi's suggestion, adapted it into a piano concerto and wrote a cadenza, publishing it as Op. 61a. This made it one of the very few concertos available in both violin and piano versions. Which version do you prefer, the piano or the violin?

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the classical ...