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The violin family is a true marvel of balance and beauty. Its basic form has defied most well meaning attempts at improvement for nearly four centuries. An understanding starts with the wood, primarily maple and spruce. The top plate of the violin is called the soundboard (also called the top, table or the belly). The soundboard must resonate easily, so a relatively light wood must be used. Because of its resonant qualities and light weight, the wood selected is almost exclusively spruce. Arguably, the best wood for the soundboard features generally straight grain, and is free of knots. Ideally, it comes from trees grown where the onset of winter is quick, in a climate and soil which does not foster rapid growth. Under such conditions, a tree of suitable dimensions may easily be hundreds of years old. Even then, the wood is years, even decades from being used. It must be properly cut and stored to dry and cure naturally, to mature for its next life. he best trees for making the soundboard are typically 200 to 250 years old, found at higher elevations in the Bavarian mountains. There, the climate and soil conditions promote slow growth. These trees are harvested only in the middle of winter when the sap has receded back into the roots.   After the trunk is cut to appropriate lengths, it is split, typically like wedges of a pie. Spruce which has been split or cut in this fashion is said to be cut on the quarter. The wood is then stored outdoors, in an area protected from precipitation. Here the wood is allowed to dry and cure for anywhere from 5 to 25 years, sometimes much longer. Properly seasoned wood is better for making a violin because it will not warp, and, better for playing, because it resonates more freely. The drying of wood intended for student instruments is sometimes assisted by the use of a drying kiln, which allows the moisture in the wood to be reduced more quickly under controlled conditions. However, there is no substitution for time. Continue