Before playing in the pit orchestra for South Pacific, Ranger pictured above snuggling my viola!

More Viola!

Check out Michael Hall's list of modern viola compositions, created post 2000. Here are the composers on this page so far:

https://soundcloud.com/michael-viola

James Mobberley
Paul Rudy
Antonio Celso Ribeiro
Luciano Berio
Mara Gibson
Michelle McQuade Dewhirst
Eric Malmquist
Marta Ptaszynska
Tigran Mansurian
Yu Pengfei
Jean Milew

Thank you for this great resource! 

Showcasing INSTRUMENTS

 Part 2: The Viola

  "The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer" - Victor Borge 

Thank you to everyone who shared their favorites with me for this post, many of which I've included. The viola is a magnificent instrument, and I am honored to share some of my favorites for this alto voice, this captivating, emotional, and heart throbbing singer. As always, please feel free to share your favorites! 

 

Reger - Viola Suite in G Minor: IV Molto Vivace 

 

Biber -Passagalia for viola solo in G minor (Richard O'Neil) 

Stamitz Viola Concerto No1 (Victoria Chiang)

W. A. Mozart - Sinfonia concertante K 364
Bruno Giuranna, viola / Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin

Hugo Kauder: Little Suite for Viola Solo, 1st movement

Rubinstein - Camerata Pacifica Sonata Viola & Piano, Op. 49

  

Anzoletti Caprice No 2 op.125 (Marco Misciagna)

Vieuxtemps Viola Sonata (Dimitri Murrath & Vincent Planès)

Mendelssohn - Viola Sonata in C Minor 

Rebecca Clarke - Viola Sonata/Impetuoso

Also, here is a great repertoire of recent viola compositions Michael Hall shared with me. Thank you Michael.

Showcasing INSTRUMENTS

 

Part 1: The Violin 

"Music isn't just to decorate, it must be truthful"
There is some amazing and heart capturing solo music out there on the violin, viola, or 'cello. I want to share some of my classical favorites. This is part one of a three part post, starting with the violin! Please feel free to add your favorites in the comments section!

Bach - Ciaccona Partita 2 Dm BWV 1004 (Hilary Hahn)

Paganini - Caprices 1, 5, 24 (Itzhak Perlman)

Meditation from Thaïs (Anne-Sophie Mutter) 

Pablo de Sarasate - Spanish Dances No.1, Malaguena Op. 21

Teleman - Twelve Fantasias for Violin Solo (Arthur Grumiaux)

Tchaikovsky Concert D Minor 35 (Perlman)

Der Erlkonig (Hahn) 

Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, op 47 (Joshua Bell)

Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending 

Tango (Itzak Perlman)

And many more!

In Retrospect

I'm looking back over my journal, and I'd like to share an amazing experience I had back on May 29. I was walking down the street, nothing unusual. A man who was mowing his yard said hi, told me he was selling his house. Then another man, stranger, old, breathing smoke from his cigarette, sitting on the stoop where it meets the street, greeted me.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked.
"No" I responded.
"Why not?"
"I don't know, guess I haven't met anyone yet"

"Well" he started to tell me, "You can have the violin making life or the conventional life, but you can't have both." I did a double take, jaw dropped, I'd never met this guy before, but somehow he knew about my ambitions to be a violin maker. 

While a lot of what he told me was very personal and surprisingly accurate, his basic advice rings true for anyone who reads this here, and is worth sharing and repeating. He did not ask me questions, but simply made statements as facts, for me to accept or not. He said that there is this dilemma in my life between the conventional life and my life, that I can't have both, and that I really need to plan: I can't leave it up to fate or luck, and that I need to take the time in my private space to get to know myself "because you don't know yourself as well as you think you do." You need to talk about what is important, but everyone is too impersonal. 

"Know yourself: to thine own self be true" he whispered, exhaling smoke. I wanted to know his name, and asked how he knew all this about me, but he cut me off, standing up saying he had things to do, and had to get back to Pittsburgh. (Ironically, I was born in Pittsburgh) I told him I understand, thanked him for talking, said good bye, and after a couple steps, looked over my shoulder to wave goodbye one last time. I never saw him walk away.

In my mind, I keep going back to the last thing I heard him say, like a ghost the words echo in my mind, and I've started to realize just how very important sharing yourself and what you know is.

"It would be wrong for me to withhold my advice."

More Happening in Planet Violin!

Major Philadelphia Musical Instruments Auction by Freemans, instruments on view (some to try) November 21 : http://www.freemansauction.com/departme…/musical-instruments Check it out!

Congrats to contestants in the 9th Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition, Hannover, Germany See them play here:
http://www.jjv-hannover.de/de/live
https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Also, group made Viola started by Dwight Brown up for auction to benefit VSA scholarship, ends November 13: http://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/item-detail.cfm?auctionID=5799&ItemID=191624&viewType=1&style=29&font=2&catName=Musical+Instrument Credit goes to Ernie Martell for Templates & prepping the form, Rib Structure: Catalin Quercinola, Top and Back Plates: Christopher Jacoby, Scroll and neck set: James M. Jones, Neck shape: Matthew Noykos, Varnish: Joe Robson, Setup: Matthew Noykos

The Latest!

Here are some exciting upcoming events:

October 27 - 31 BOWS!  

L’Archet Révolutionnaire, exhibit of fifty bows from 18th-century French, English, German and Italian makers, including the Tourte family Duchaine, Dodd, Mauchand and Pajeot. Master classes and demonstrations. Anyone in London, check it out! (For those not in England, here is the online exhibit complete with historical background and pics http://tarisio.com/archet-revolutionnaire/) 
L'Archet Révolutionnaire Pavlo Beznosiuk & Jason Price 
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iiqgc6jrN6o)

October AUCTIONS

Some great pictures of fine instruments and bows  
New York: http://tarisio.com/auctions/auction/?csid=2198274048&pg=1... England: http://tarisio.com/auctions/auction/?csid=2198323200

November 12 - 14 Violin Society of America CONVENTION

New Instrument Exhibit and Rare Instrument Exhibit, Topics from the 2015 Oberlin Violinmaker's Workshop, Price Value and How to Market Your Work, Strings, Tone Adjustment, Open Forums and more at the VSA meeting this year in Baltimore, MD. http://www.vsaweb.org/conventions-competitions  

 

May 2016 M-PRIZE 

For anyone interested, an international competition in Ann Arbor, MI called the M-Prize in chamber music (loosly defined-could include any kind of ensamble 3-8 members, three catagories including improv) where the winning group wins $100,000. Application deadline is March 1, 2016
http://mprize.umich.edu/
http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/201510/17100/
http://ns.umich.edu/…/23208-global-m-prize-music-competitio… 

What makes a great violin?

I believe we've all experienced it. People write articles and essays about it. It fills vast orchestras and intimate chamber music. From klezmir to heavy metal, rock to commercials, TV shows, radio programs, improv groups, solo and harmony, it's everywhere, but what is it?

I recently found this article summarizing a study conducted by MIT in partnership with the North Bennett Street School violin making program in Boston, MA. (Here is the article: http://phys.org/news/2015-02-key-features-boost-violins-acoustic.html)

One thing is certain. The Sound of the violin-family is fascinating. If you have any experience playing, making, or listening to the violin or any of its relatives, what's your experience, and what makes it so special? All comments welcome!

Resources

Here are some resources I've found very helpful! If you would like to add, please contact me or post in the comments!

Here are some super-helpful links:

https://tinwoodviolin.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/free-violin-plans/

http://platetuning.org/

http://makingtheviolin.com/ 

Here are a couple violin makers I've been in touch with who are very helpful in alphabetical order:

Colin Gallihue
2014 VSA Gold medal winner, I rode to the event with him and he helped me get started by sharing his knowledge about tools and his process. New York, NY, US
http://www.reedyeboahviolins.com/maker2012/collin-gallahue/ 

David Hawthorne 
Bow maker with many insights and high standards. I really like what he says about doing it again until it is "perfect," and knowing what a great violin sounds like. Boston, MA, US
http://www.violinbows.net/

Harold Golden
Knowledgeable about the Italian sound, experiments with the sound of his instruments. Philadelphia, PA, US
http://goldenviolins.com/ 

Helmut Ulrich 
Blind & self taught violin maker I met at the VSA, recently featured on German TV. Mittenwald, Germany
http://helmut-ulrich.de/ 

John Schmidt 
Makes amazing knives (I use his 1/4" and 3/4"), offers free violin classes, excellent website, very helpful! Laurinburg, NC, US
http://jpschmidtviolins.com/

Kevin Kelly 
Soft spoken maker and player with videos about drawing violin-family instruments, let me borrow some tools. Boston, MA, US  
http://kellyviolins.com/
 
Otis Thomas
Commissioned violin maker with a spiritual outlook on violin making as a craft, science, and art. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
http://www.fiddletree.com/

Shooting Board

Shooting Board
Some of the wood I'm using is thin, and requires jointing at an angle. For accurate angled center jointing, I created this shooting board. 



Top View  27.Jan.2015
I flattened and squared a board (baseboard) and thinner plank (runway), then rub-joint glued two seperate kleats and the fence. I positioned the plane and maple billet for reference. (The block plane is 9.75" long, I hope to have a jointer plane soon).

Side View  27.Jan.2015
The angle is adjustable, (a reverse donkey ear) I have two separate cleats and a rounded baseboard edge. I clamped a wood strip to the far edge of the baseboard. When moved, it changes the angle.

Recap of Violin #1

Violin #1  A quick review of progress so far, check back at the beginning of March for new progress. 

Half Template:  6.Jan.2015

   

I taped my plan to plywood, and scribed holes for the outline. I then fret sawed the shape proud, and draw filed (file clamped to a square block) to the line.

Mould:  7.Jan.2015

I drilled two holes through the half template & plywood. After inserting drill bits, I traced both sides of the template and cut out like the half template. The bottom & top block recess were too large so I added plywood. I glued sand paper to a broomstick handle with a squared base and used on a flat surface to finish the C-bout area.

Blocks:  8.Jan.2015

Using an apron plane and resting the blocks on the bench, I squared all the bases, then one reference surface for the other surface(s), frequently checking against the mould. I finalized the block heights using flat surface mounted oversize sand paper.

Counter Blocks:  13.Jan.2015

I cut the block shapes using a fret saw (instead of a gouge), planning to use the off cut for clamping blocks. For this piece, I'm clamping with new wood. I then used my sanding stick and block to finish the block edges vertically.

Ribs:  18.Jan.2015





I scraped the rib stalk, then shooting board flattened one edge. I used a marking gauge on the ribs and used a knife and steel rule to cut the line clean. Excess used for purfling. .9mm C-bout, 1mm upper, 1.1mm lower bout. I bent the ribs with a straitening iron and animal glued with a milk-like consistency.

Joining the Front:  21.Jan.2015

 

First I cut the bass bar from the inside of the thicker spruce, then shooting board flattened the split halves, experimenting with riding the glue surface on flat surface mounted sandpaper. I sawed the linings from the outside edge of the wood at an angle which I use here for even clamping.

Welcome to my Studio!

I am currently creating two violins in Philadelphia, PA. I will be posting with my progress and would greatly appreciate feedback from anyone who sees this blog. Also, I'm happy to offer any advice, links, or contacts I have to anyone interested. I believe the creation of great instruments requires the free sharing of ideas and information. All the world is my classroom, and all the people in it my teachers.

In the following posts, I include a Photo-Diary on my progress so far with Violin #1 and Violin #2. Please check back at the end of February for continued progress.