Enhanced simulation of the bowed cello string

A detailed time-domain simulation is implemented to model the bowed cello string. Building on earlier simula-tion models [1-3], several new features have been added to make the model more realistic. In particular, a large number of body modes, both transverse polarizations of the string motion, the longitudinal vibrations of the bow hair and the effect of the sympathetic strings are included. These additional features can be turned on and off in the model to evaluate their relative importance. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that the second polari-zation of the string and the effect of the sympathetic strings have been included in a bowed-string simulation. The compliance of the bow-hair was accounted for in previous studies but without considering its own vibra-tion properties [4]. Different features of the model are turned on and the classic Schelleng minimum bow-force [5] is calculated for combinations of bow-bridge distance and different notes being played on the string. The main finding is that all features reduce the minimum bow-force to some extent. This reduction is almost frequency inde-pendent for the case of the second polarization and the longitudinal bow-hair vibration, but clearly frequency-dependent for the sympathetic strings case. 1