This course designed by Martino Quintavalla, an engineer-turned-luthier, aims to provide luthiers with the tools to understand the functioning of a stringed instrument by reducing theory to the essentials and instead focusing on its application. While carrying out simple experiments on the instruments and their designs, participants will adopt a scientific approach based on their own lutherie experience. The course will tackle topics such as building instruments with a reproducible sound, solving intonation problems of an existing instrument and introduction to sound waves, vibrations and harmonic oscillators. The course is carried out over 3 weeks, with one day of teaching a week.