My second violin!!

Some years ago at the violin making course, we got a phone call from someone that had a half built violin project. They had inherited it, from a dear relative that had passed. The question was, if someone at the club would be interested in finishing the project. And yes there was, me!

A few days later I had a look at the project, and became interested in finishing it. What I didn't realize at the time, was that it was going to be such a learning process!

The information that I got, was that it was half built, after looking at it, it was not. At first I had to retrace the steps of the original builder, and sort of follow in his steps. Because the decisions that he had made, I could not undo, without deconstructing the whole construction. If I had done that then the violin that had been begun, would not be build, and I wanted to finish the project. So I had to retrace his steps, and also follow in his directions. To complicate things, the measurements that had been used, was new to me. The templates that we have at the club, did not fit. So there was some initial thinking to be done, which continued during the making of this violin.

When I received the project, the back was mounted on the ribs, and I took it from there. First I worked on the back to get the right thickness, and then I worked on the purfling. Then I worked on the belly, and on and on!

When the neck is mounted on the "body", it can hang in the kitchen window to get some summer sun. During this time I started on my next violin and lets not talk about that process, I'm still licking the wounds on that one, phew! ;-)

After the summer sun, it was varnished, and then put together. I might've had finished it earlier but I really wanted to come to a point with my third, that it was ok to leave it, so that I did not just leave it hanging there. So that pushed the finishing date forward a bit.

Here are some pictures of it, and as always I am NOT a photographer, but I hope you will get a hint of its gorgeousness!

So, dear Lars Lundskog, the violin that you started building is now finished. I have your name on the label inside, together with mine. And wherever you are, I hope you are as proud of it as I am. A retired violinist have already played on it, and it sounded great, at least in my ears! Actually he gave me some pointers, that I can implement on my next project!

Take care

Violin making: experimental f-holes

Since there was some time ago since my last update, I thought it would be a good time now to share with you some experimental f-holes for the violin!

Some are made only for laughs, and for the fun of it; and some I think would actually work.

Far left you see the Guarneri f-hole 1734, and where it is supposed to be situated next to the center bout. The rest are my more experimental ones. For the second image I've taken a Guarneri f-hole and erased the part between the two circular holes that ends the f-hole. Theoretically this might be an improvement when it comes the the varnishing process, since the varnish likes to stick in the small spaces in the f-hole. Just for the fun of it I've named it Guarneri v. 2.0...

Take care!

My first violin ever!

It's done!

This update might be a tad longer than usual so grab a cup of tea, just in case...

It's actually done! I'm so proud of it I might burst at any minute! This is the violin that I wrote about a year ago, the one that I had hanging in my kitchen window. This spring I've put varnish on it, 14 coats, and simply put the rest together, the bridge and so on. I've showed it to a professional builder and he suggested to lower the nut (which I did) and also to readjust the sound post, I might do that later on, when I have an abundance of patience...those of you that have put a sound post in a violin knows what I'm talking about! I'm also going to let some musicians have a go at it, so I can get their input as well.

This might sound silly, but I'm so pleased with the fact that it actually sounds, it makes sound! Alright, I'm not sure it could fill the Royal Albert Hall with music, but I've got no plans to go there, yet!

Why then have I built this violin, from scratch, out of pieces of wood that doesn't look violiny at all?
Well, as many of the things that I do, it has the basis from a movie! When I went to animation school I saw this french movie, Un coer en hiver (www.imdb.com/title/tt0105682/) with the always brilliant Daniel Auteuil, and Emmanuelle Béart. It's a slow paced love drama where two men falls in love with the same woman. These two men have a violin shop together, and those scenes in that shop, you could feel the craft of it all through the screen. The production must have had a luthier that helped the actors and the set. This was in '98 or '99, and I got the idea that some time in the future I would like to try to build a violin. But since I'm all thumbs, as I've written before in making the violin varnish box, how would that be possible?
Another reason why I wanted to build a violin, is that I like the shape of the instrument, it's kind of the ultimate beautiful object. It's curves and curls, that is present all over the design.

We go forward a couple of years and I get the opportunity to craft knifes, I think this is very important because without those knifes, there would not have been a violin. In making those two knives, that I gave to my father and brother, I kind of reawakened my more practical side and boosted my confidence.

We skip forward a couple of years and in 2004 I enrolled in this violin making class, and I can honestly tell you that I didn't know what I was doing at times. And for sure if they would have had an ability test in the beginning, I would not have been accepted. This has truly been a journey, with frustration, fun, craftiness and work. The reason why it has taken so long is because in the beginning I only worked on it in class, and I didn't do anything at home. This because I didn't know what to do! And I must also confess since this is my first violin, I've made all the mistakes that you possibly can do, well maybe not everyone, I saved a few, for later... In making these mistakes I've truly learned a lot. And let's face it everyone is a beginner at first, even Stradivarius was a beginner... But honestly for some time in the beginning, it really felt that I took one step forward and two steps back. But after a while I thought that if I move a little forward every week, then that's ok and even good! And now we're here!

The reason why it's red? Well...uh...it's...a movie! ;-) A couple of years ago I saw the movie The Red Violin (www.imdb.com/title/tt0120802/). Where we follow a red violin through three centuries, from being made to present day. It's also kind of slow paced. I can recommend it, and from that film I got the idea to make this violin red. The film also has a beautiful soundtrack.

I'm actually already working on my next projects. Hopefully these will not take as long to finish! So this is not the end, I'm going to continue working with these beautiful instruments! I'm looking forward to learn more and to be able to get better results.

Here are some pictures of the violin, as you know by now I'm not a photographer, this meaning that it looks even better in real life!

On the picture above, you see my biggest "mistake", I didn't get the roundness in the back as it should have, actually what I got was what they call a goats back/getrygg. Well, I learned from my mistake and on the belly I got the roundness that it should have.