Book on building violins

The earliest evidence for their existence is in paintings by gaudenzio ferrari from the 1530s, though ferraris instruments had only three strings. Work completely around the edge of the front piece so the channel goes completely around it. The wood must be cut during the cold dormant months and stored seasoned in controlled conditions for several years. To make the best of the electronic format, all the images are in vector graphic format svg, drawn to. The violin, viola, and cello were first made in the early 16th century, in italy. Wake offer a wealth of information on the subject of violin making, varnishing, bow rehair and repair, and double bass making. The aspiring violin maker will have the opportunity to build an instrument from start to. The purpose of this guide is to give basic information about violin making. However, the discussion of tone woods, which one would expect in almost any other book on violin making, is almost nonexistent here. Henry strobel is the author and publisher of 14 practical and artistic books and one video on making, repair, and adjustment of instruments and bows of the violin family. High quality violins for students to professionals.

With most violins, the height of the ribs decreases gradually along the length of the body. They provide supplementary materials which can be used with any standard string method. The top of the violin is made of quartersawn spruce. The book includes a short history of violin making. Applebaum, samuel building technique with beautiful. Those who have had little or no first hand experience in the fine art of violin making or in personally handling great instruments, have attributed the renown of stradivari and the early italian instruments solely to the magical properties of some lost or secret varnish recipe. A good violin bow is the only thing that can bring out the best in any violinist. My wife groaned a bit when i told her i wanted to start getting. I have also made the funnelodeon, several in fact over the years and i cannot tell you how people respond to it. Ease of assembly and an outstanding price make this one of our most popular kits. The aspiring violin maker will have the opportunity to build an instrument from start to finish with the help of step by step tutorials accompanied by. Construction, history, and music by kolneder, walter isbn. Start by marking how to make a violin as want to read. Violin construction comprises a detailed, stepbystep guide to the.

It surveys the history of the instrument in its various sizes, and also surveys the most typical methods of construction and decoration. High quality cecilio and mendini violins at affordable prices. Although the time spent on searching for the right violin bow may seem overwhelming, it is worth every bit of it. We offer in our sawmill in fertans more than 2 000 pieces for violins and violas and about 200 for cellos maple and spruce and other pieces for harpsichords, guitars, hurdy gurdies, etc. The math is a bit tedious but it really explains why construction techniques work or dont work. The heart of the book is chapter three, where ossman takes the builder through the nuts and bolts of building a violin. There are a lot of handy tips and jigs in the second book. This book is essential reading for the violin maker, repairer and historian. They carry a large selection of quality violins, violin parts, bows, construction woods, finishes, accessories, technical books, strings, and much more. The aspiring violin maker will have the opportunity to build a full size instrument from start to finish with the help of step by step tutorials accompanied by drawn images. Derek roberts is a professional violin maker with workshops in leamington spa, warwickshire and pembrokeshire, west wales, uk.

The kun and regh book is an absolutely marvelous book. I lost this book many years ago there was no book like it,great book. Having built several electric guitars and violins myself, i already knew the basics, so i found it extremely good to have a practical reference of all the building. Violin bow making books the pegbox maestronet forums. His first book, useful measurements for violin makers, has become a universal reference, but there are now fourteen books and a video on making, repairing, adjusting, and understanding instruments and bows of the violin family. The art and science of the violin great new book on science friday from pri, public radio international. When you learn to play violin with the violin book series, doors to adventure open up to you.

If youre a firsttimer, this kit is a fine head start and a convenient alternative to building from scratch. A musical instrument actually comes with a lot of individual benefits such as stress. Its a new skill they can devote time to developing and learning. Therefore i propose, in the following pages, to adopt an entirely different treatment from any work i have had the honour of studying on the construction of the violin. He is also a qualified teacher and runs short violin making courses at. The project gutenberg ebook of violin making, by walter h. A feast for the inventor and musician in all of us. Included will be a brief description as well as photos of the various steps. The spruce and maple used in violin making can come from many sources, even different continents.

We try the cheapest and most useless violins from amazon. Building better violinswith science science friday. We designed this acoustic kit with the small shop builder and a modest tool budget in mind, with the exception of a few specialty guitar making tools. The pieces in this book have been selected for their musical and technical value. Spruce is particularly treacherous and i do as much cutting across the. Although these books are sometimes affectionately known as the raccoon book series, and are simple to use, parents, even with no prior musical training can successfully teach their child to play, behind these colorful covers lies an epoch series in masterful violin training. Use a chisel or a wood gouge to carve the channel out of the violin. Though theres uncertainty as to the precise geographical origin of the wood used in the greatest cremonese violins of the 1600s and early 1700s, one certainty is that it was european, and probably from somewhere relatively nearby. In terms of its contents, this book runs about 150 pages or so, and is organized in a very practical way. Building a string instrument like a mountain dulcimer or guitar requires plans and supplies. The violin building books by both wake and strobel have plans in them. Bass making book by peter chandler, for building an upright string double bass lemuel violins double bass making book building, construction, upright, acoustic home. But you couldnt really is there any place to actually put an order in for one.

In fact all the books that they wrote, on building and repair etc are worth reading before you start. This book is a comprehensive and meticulously detailed manual for aspiring violin makers. Including violin making, step by step and useful measurements for violin makers. Choosing the best violin bow from the best violin bow brands.

A must for instrument owners, this guide provides illustrated stepbystep instructions for bow rehairing, repair and restoration of the violin, viola, cello and string bass. Books about making violins, vilas, cellos, double basses. Most of the wood used in violin making is split or cut on the quarter for greatest strength. The fingerboard is made of ebony, the bridge is maple, and the other fittings. By using any violin book, be it a technique book or a history book about violin origins, and a skilled music teacher, violin playing can be so much. Alastair wood is a retired primary headteacher and violinist. Please read these instructions before building your guitar. Ive made the thumb piano out of a sardine can, cedar shake and tines of a rake. This book is an amazing work on the construction of the ukulele. A nice way to blend the art and science of guitar building. The books cover both classical and steel string guitars. Book on the acoustics and construction of violins for soloists.

I am documenting the construction of my 100th instrument. As for lifting chips, it can happen with finger planes also. The internal parts of the violin the corner and end blocks and the liningsare usually made of spruce or willow, while purfling can be made of many different woods andor fiber thick paper or cardboard. Hopefully within the next couple of months ill begin building my. Fullscale drawings of violins, violas, cellos, and double basses are included in his books. It is bound in cloth, complete with slipcase, measures approximately 9. The art of violin making by chris johnson goodreads. Here you will find the best books to learn about authors, schools and the history of violin making. There are a surprising number of books on the subject of building stringed musical instruments and some of them are very good. By using any violin book, be it a technique book or a history book about violin origins, and a skilled music teacher, violin playing can be so much simpler. Applebaum, samuel building technique with beautiful music book 4 for violin belwinmills publication.

After a short introduction, the author discusses the parts of a violin, the selection of wood maple and pine among the several types of wood chosen for different parts of the instrument, the hand tools required. Ive not seen the henderson book yet, but if youre a machinist, or driven to the mechanical jig type of building then the kun regh book is the book for you. A short documentary on the making of hartleys 21st violin. Atlantic violin supplies, located in new brunswick, canada, is a violin supply business providing value and service since 1993. Then it provides stepbystep instruction for building a number of different instruments. Features more than 100 richly detailed illustrations. They have been carefully transcribed and edited to create interest in technical development and in general musicianship. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the. We sell only wood coming from european countries and mainly acoustic epicea and flamed maple specially cut for musical instruments. Youll learn about instrument making, and have a lot of fun along the way. It can be an invaluable adjunct and supplement to handson instruction. Violin makers prefer wood cut from old growth trees, grown at high altitudes on northern slopes.