ULTRA-HIGH VIOLIN, VIOLA AND VIOLONCELLO

The inventor

Francisco Alía is a Spanish violinist, enginner and inventor, born and based in Madrid.

Ultra-high violin, viola and violoncello

Alía instruments are five-string violin, viola or violoncello with an additional ultra-high string to play much more easily the highest excerpts, most of the times in third or fourth position.
The violin has an E6 or B5 string, i.e, one octave or one fifth above the regular E string. The viola and the violoncello have an A5 or A4 string respectively, one octave higher than the first string of the regular instrument.
The string tuned one octave higher allows to keep the already-known fingerings and read the sheet as in the conventional first string, but with the instrument sounding one octave higher. The B5 string keeps the series of fifths between strings. The latter works great for fiddles and folk music, as well as for electric violins. 
On the other hand, the bridge and the nut may have a special design that keeps the location of the four conventional strings as in a regular four-string instrument, so as to play without noticing a difference.
These are full-size instruments that can be played normally by four-string players.

Pictures and videos available in the gallery.

Open strings

  • The violin has an E6 string (~1320 Hz), in addition to the regular E5, A4, D4 and G3 strings.
  • The violin-fiddle has a B5 string (~990 Hz), in addition to the regular E5, A4, D4 and G3 strings.
  • The viola has an A5 string (~880 Hz), in addition to the regular A4, D4, G3 and C3 strings.
  • The cello has an A4 string (~440 Hz), in addition to the regular A3, D3, G2 and C2 strings.

Technology

The core of the technology is to find a material able to withstand the tension of the ultra-high string. In general, a lighter (less dense) material leads to a string with higher pitch and lower tension. Therefore, it is a matter of finding a material being light and resistant enough for the desired string. Specifically, the requirements are given by the formula:

A =  σmax/ρ = Tmax/μ > 4 · (f · L)²

Where:

σmax is the maximum acceptable tensile stress of the material;

ρ is the density of the material;

Tmax is the maximum tension the string is able to withstand;

μ is the linear density of the string;

f  is the frequency of the open string;

L is the vibrating lenght of the string.

The units of the parameter A follow the equivalence 1 MPa/(g/cm³) = 1 N/(g/m) = 109 (Hz·mm)²


The parameter A defines the capability of the material/string to perform at a given frequency and vibrating length. The higher and longer the string is, the more resistant and lighter the material has to be.

An E6 violin string (1320 Hz, 325 mm) needs A > 736 MPa/(g/cm³).

An A5 viola string (880 Hz, 370 mm) needs A > 424 MPa/(g/cm³).

An A4 cello string (440 Hz, 700 mm) needs A > 379 MPa/(g/cm³).

In comparison, a regular violin E-string (660 Hz, 325 mm) requires A > 184 MPa/(g/cm³).

Hardened steel offer A around 120 MPa/(g/cm³). Violin E-strings need special grades of steel which reach A ~ 330 MPa/(g/cm³). Ultra-high strings are made of material such as aramid (Kevlar) or UHMWPE (Dyneema) which have A above 2000 MPa/(g/cm³).

The parameter A is very high in the ultra-high strings. However, the tension of the string has normal values, lower than a conventional violin E string, due to the density.

Note that the diameter is irrelevant for the material selection, since it affects equally the tension and the section of the string, so the tensile stress of the material remains the same. The diameter does affect the tension of the string and therefore the load on the instrument. 

Purchasing, patent and licenses

The instruments are not yet on sale. Two prototypes have been made to demonstrate the concept but not commercial models.
The technology is protected under European patent request number EP24382564. Licenses of the patent for manufacturing the instruments and their components as well as rights to patent in other territories are available. Francisco Alía will attend Mondo Musica 2024 in Cremona and will be available to discuss technical questions or business opportunities. Please contact at:
francisco@instrumentosalia.es

Instrumentos Alía

Violín, viola y violoncello sobreagudos.
Ultra-high violin, viola and violoncello.
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© Francisco Alía