In response to one of my recent posts, a short "teaser" article for a new line of free reed instruments by Don Rickert Design, my friend David Mills commented that he once proposed the idea of replacing the bellows of organ-type free reed instruments with a foot-powered air pump and was accused of simply reinventing the harmonium. I am sure that we will be similarly criticized. Anyway, David's much-appreciated comment inspired this short article. I hope that you find it thought-provoking at least entertaining.
"Reinventing the wheel" (and similar phrases like "reinventing the harmonium" or "reinventing the violin") is an English metaphorical idiom of unknown origin. There are varying definitions; however, the fundamental idea is that to reinvent the wheel, metaphorically of course, is to waste one's time inventing something that has already been invented AND has been PERFECTED.
In the corporate world, as well as academe, both of which I am intimately familiar, dreamers are often cut down in their tracks with the admonition from some arrogant fool and his or her sycophants: "Don't reinvent the wheel!" In addition demonstrating lack of imagination by use of a hackneyed cliche, the "Don't reinvent the wheel" admonition is usually inappropriately used, reflecting even more poorly on the admonisher.
There is that pesky perfection criterion, you see. Unless one really knows that an existing contraption or idea that is supposedly being reinvented cannot be improved, the key criterion for legitimate use of the "Don't reinvent the wheel" phrase has NOT been met! To claim to REALLY KNOW that something cannot be improved is at least naive, but can even be arrogant. Some might say that to claim certain knowledge that an existing invention is perfect borders on blasphemy.
Some Illustrations
The Wheel
Let us look at the wheel...literally. As many others have pointed out, if the wheel had not been reinvented hundreds, if not thousands of times, we would still be riding around on something like Fred Flintstone-style stone wheels. But we have today Version 1000.0+ wheels with tires that can be driven on at high speeds even if punctured (i.e. "run-flat" tires).
The Violin
Many have called the Stradivarius violin a perfect musical instrument. What they really mean is that an appropriately updated (for modern playing) Strad violin is very well suited for solo playing in a contemporary orchestra, performing in a climate-controlled auditorium. Of course the Strad was declared perfect during the 1700s. With the invention and rise of the post-Baroque orchestra, Strad violins, all of the sudden, were not so perfect! They now needed a longer neck with more "angle-back", a new design bass bar, a different type of bridge and tailpiece to meet the sonic needs of modern orchestral playing, thus regaining thier lost "perfection" status.
Many people do not know that virtually EVERY Stradivarius violin (and every other violin from the "Golden Age") being played today has had its original poorly attached Baroque neck replaced by a modern neck set in a mortise, as well as its Baroque bass bar replaced with a modern bass bar. Also, the original low tail saddles have been replaced with raised saddles in order to accommodate modern tailpieces. Then there is the bridge, as well as the fittings, especially the tailpieces. The bottom line is that a Strad in current use is literally a different instrument than it was in its original form. So much for perfection!
A Strad violin with its modern "perfections" really is only best suited for First Violin playing, owing to its slightly raspy sonority that "cuts through", allowing it to be heard above the rest of the orchestra. It is not as well-suited for Second Violin. It is not very good at all for fiddle playing.
The following goes for ALL "perfect" vintage violins--NONE are suitable in the least for taking on mountain climbing or kayak adventures, or even for playing in 100 degree (Fahrenheit) heat and 75% humidity at a typical fiddle competition.
Finally, if they believed in the perfection of Golden Age violins, the inventors of the new carbon fiber and carbon fiber-balsa violins would not have wasted their time reinventing the wheel...excuse me, reinventing the violin.
Bottom Line
No invention can be viewed as perfect. Most inventions are incremental improvements upon prior inventions. Occasionally, these incremental improvements get noticed by the world and are declared as impossible to improve. These declarations of perfection are almost always proved wrong over time.
That's it for now.
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