An investigation of the impact of torsion waves and friction characteristics on the playability of virtual bowed strings

Abstract

"Playability" is measured for variations in a bowed string simulation model. The variations studied are (1) the effect of torsion waves, and (2) the effect of the choice of friction model. It is found that (1) elimination of torsion wave simulation does not degrade playability, and (2) the more recently developed "plastic" bowed-string friction model, in which the frictional force is a function of temperature, is more "playable" than prior friction models which depend only on relative sliding velocity.