- News
- For Subscribers
- Student Hub
- Playing Hub
- Directory
- Lutherie
- Magazine
- Magazine archive
- Whether you're a player, maker, teacher or enthusiast, you'll find ideas and inspiration from leading artists, teachers and luthiers in our archive which features every issue published since January 2010 - available exclusively to subscribers. View the archive.
- Jobs
- Shop
- Podcast
- Contact us
- Subscribe
- School Subscription
- Competitions
- Reviews
- Debate
- Artists
- Accessories
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Set-up guidelines for the five-string violin
Jennifer Halenar shares some tips that take into account the differences in bridges, strings, dimensions and fingerboards
Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1776 mute violin by Nicolò Gagliano
Nazrin Rashidova and Peter Beare take a look at the unique instrument
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: An innovative varnish recipe
Johannes Jacobs presents a method for making and applying both the ground coat and an emulsion varnish
Premium ❘ FeatureMatthew Hardie: ‘The Scottish Stradivari’
Matthew Hardie, who died 200 years ago this year, was possibly Scotland’s most influential violin maker. To mark the anniversary, David Rattray tells the story of his life and examines a selection of his violas
Premium ❘ FeatureChanging of the guard: French transitional period – part one
The ‘transitional period’ in French lutherie usually refers to the period of change from the Baroque bow to the Tourte model. In the first of two articles, Florent Boyer illustrates how violin making also underwent a seismic shift through the 18th century and into the 19th
Premium ❘ FeatureFrank Kovanda: bow man to the stars
Frank Kovanda is acknowledged as one of America’s finest 20th-century bow makers. Gennady Filimonov tells his story and examines some examples of his work
- Premium ❘ Feature
Matthew Hardie: ‘The Scottish Stradivari’
Matthew Hardie, who died 200 years ago this year, was possibly Scotland’s most influential violin maker. To mark the anniversary, David Rattray tells the story of his life and examines a selection of his violas
- Premium ❘ Feature
Changing of the guard: French transitional period – part one
The ‘transitional period’ in French lutherie usually refers to the period of change from the Baroque bow to the Tourte model. In the first of two articles, Florent Boyer illustrates how violin making also underwent a seismic shift through the 18th century and into the 19th
- Premium ❘ Feature
Frank Kovanda: bow man to the stars
Frank Kovanda is acknowledged as one of America’s finest 20th-century bow makers. Gennady Filimonov tells his story and examines some examples of his work
- Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Set-up guidelines for the five-string violin
Jennifer Halenar shares some tips that take into account the differences in bridges, strings, dimensions and fingerboards
- Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A 1776 mute violin by Nicolò Gagliano
Nazrin Rashidova and Peter Beare take a look at the unique instrument
- Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: An innovative varnish recipe
Johannes Jacobs presents a method for making and applying both the ground coat and an emulsion varnish
My Space: Erli Gurra’s Tirana workshop
Take a look at the maker’s Albanian shop
Why did the violin stop thinking? The Renaissance, Japanese aesthetics and the search for sound
Why do we value beauty, and where does it come from? Violin maker Yoshiharu Ito traces a path from Stradivari to Japanese concepts of shadow and impermanence in search of what the violin is still capable of becoming
My Space: Charlo Xuereb’s Marsaskala workshop
The luthier presents his Maltese shop
Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A 1757 violin by Joan Guillamí I
Jordi Pinto examines the mid 18th-century instrument
Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A 1718 violin by Francesco Gobetti
Michel Samson on the Italian maker’s late-period instrument
Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Making cochineal-coloured lakes
A guide to creating a rich, warm red pigment for varnish preparation
Premium ❘ Feature
Mysteries of the soul: soundpost acoustics
Often called the violin’s ‘soul’, the soundpost is possibly the least understood part of the instrument. Joseph Curtin details a series of experiments that shed light on the acoustic role of this tiny piece of wood
Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Camouflaging a patch using a veneer
An innovative and intricate method for a taxing problem in restoration
Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A 1925 violin by Carlo Carletti
Leonardo Cella examines the early 20th-century instrument
Focus
A 1911 cello by luthier Władysław Baczyński (1866–1935)
While the Polish luthier made more than 200 violins during his lifetime, only a handful of cellos are known. In the second of two articles marking the 160th anniversary of his birth on 25 June 1866, Grzegorz Kaproń looks at his limited forays into cello making, while Henry Riedstra examines ...
Focus
A 1908 viola by luthier Władysław Baczyński (1866–1935)
In the first of two articles marking the 160th anniversary of the Polish luthier’s birth on 25 June 1866, Grzegorz Kaproń gives a brief overview of his life while Henry Riedstra examines a typical viola by the maker
Premium ❘ Feature
Out of the dark: the 1742 ‘Rovelli’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
The ‘Rovelli’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin of 1742 was once believed lost – and its rediscovery in 2002 was a heart-pounding moment for the experts. Frédéric Chaudière recalls the compelling story of the instrument’s authentication
Premium ❘ Feature
Big is beautiful: violoncello da spalla
After decades of relative neglect, the violoncello da spalla is undergoing a resurgence of interest. Daniela Gaidano, who has made several examples, looks into its history and explains its appeal for both players and makers
Premium ❘ Feature
Sgarabotto and Ornati: lives in fragments
When Giuseppe Ornati and Pietro Sgarabotto donated the contents of their workshops to the Cremona School of Violin Making, they ensured an enduring legacy. Luca Baratto and Matteo Giovanetti tell the story and examine some of the treasures
Focus
Why do some 18th-century French violins have an ebony border round the edges?
Inspired by a c.1760 Chappuy instrument, violinist and cellist Michel Lorge considers the reasons for an unusual stylistic quirk of 18th-century violin making
Available from The Strad Shop
-
The number one source for books, CDs and back issues of the magazine. Products for sale include an exclusive range of instrument making posters, calendars and information products published by and directly for sale from The Strad.
- THE STRAD SHOP
-
-
The Strad Directory is the essential resource for the string music world, with over 2,300 listings providing information on string businesses across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Whether you are a string player searching for a new instrument or a business owner looking to reach your target audience, the Strad Directory remains the most comprehensive and user-friendly resource for the string music world.
Keep informed
