airtone

plural airtones

1. rareentertainmentThe Helmholtz resonance of a string instrument, particularly a violin.

   At the airtone, the wavelength is about 4 ft, or roughly four times the average dimension of the violin.

   1966, F. A. Saunders, Violins Old and New — An Experimental Study

   2 more examples

   Only for the pitch of the airtone a violin behaves to some extent as a wind instrument with great amplitudes from the small emitting surfaces of the f-hole openings.

   1963, Kristian Skou, “Supplementary Information about The Microtone System”, in The Violin Makers Journal, volume 6, number 1, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2025

   If the volume is now made too small, this cancellation can be complete, so that the impedance into which the string works is a relatively low resistance capable of interfering with the normal operation of the bow. Something of this sort seems to be the reason for the airtone ‘‘wolfnotes.”

   1963, John C. Shelleng, “Violin as a Circuit”, in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, volume 35, number 3