All Lutherie articles – Page 45
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VideoHow Nashville former gymnast and Chicago carpenter ended up making violins together
He’s a carpenter, hunter, fisherman and veteran, who, for many years, lived in the woods of Alaska. She’s a former gymnast who fell in love with the violin in ballet class. So on the face of it Ray DeMeo and Amanda N. Ewing don’t have that much in common. Except ...
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Neck shaping
A quick and accurate method for this crucial part of the making process
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VideoBach on a 1659 Andrea Guarneri
In this video the violinist Federico Guglielmo plays Bach on a 1659 Andrea Guarneri.
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VideoCellist plays with synthetic bow hair
In this video cellist Sarah Markle performs ‘Original Rags’ (1899) by Scott Joplin, using Coruss synthetic bow hair. According to the manufacturer, Coruss synthetic bow hair matches natural horsehair in blind tests for tone and articulation. The pianist Evan Currie.
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Inlay techniques
Giving a decorative flourish to an instrument can add a personal touch – and be a true test of skill
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: A head for figures
Luthiers such as Jacob Stainer often surmounted their instruments with elaborately carved heads rather than scrolls. Lloyd McCaffery, a professional wood carver, explains how he developed a modern take on an ancient art form
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VideoA Far Cry performs Tchaikovsky’s Serenade on Cremonese instruments
Musicians from Boston chamber orchestra A Far Cry perform the first movement from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings from memory on Cremonese instruments selected from the vault of Reuning & Son
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NewsObituary: Soroku Murata (1927–2020)
The veteran violin maker and teacher was head of the Tokyo Violin Making School and a respected jury member at international making competitions
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Focus7 tips for carving a scroll
How to perfect the head of your instrument from 125 years of the Strad
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VideoWhittall Stradivarius Collection
Musicians talk about and demonstrate instruments donated to the Library of Congress by Gertrude Clarke Whittall in 1935. With Robert Mann, Alexis Galperine, Miles Hoffman, Rene Morel, Young Uck Kim, Daniel Phillips, and Samuel Zygmuntowicz.
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FocusMichel Collichon, enigma among French viol makers
Just a handful of instruments by Michel Collichon have survived to the present day – but they demonstrate the skill and techniques of a master innovator. With a tenth example recently identified, Shem Mackey explains the appeal of the 17th-century viol maker to modern-day luthiers
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Premium ❘ FeatureChinese Tonewoods: Interesting Times
For luthiers worldwide, European wood is still viewed as the best for making stringed instruments – even though China’s forests are filled with high-quality spruce and maple. Xue Peng presents the results of a study comparing the tonewoods of China and Europe, with some startling conclusions
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VideoGlass fibre cello used to play Takemitsu
Carbon fibre instruments have been introduced on the market for a couple of years. A research team from Ghent University and School of Arts Gent has been investigating the use of composite materials for string instruments. Now, one of their prototypes, a cello made from glass fibre by luthier Tim ...
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ArticleAn almost perfect success story: the evolution of Vuillaume
Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume was the most successful French luthier of his time, but the first years of his career remain shrouded in mystery. Jonathan Marolle examines some of his earliest instruments to uncover the evolution of his technique and style
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FocusWhat do violinists Sarah Chang and Hilary Hahn keep in their instrument cases?
Ever wondered what players keep in their instrument cases, apart from their Strads? We talk to some well-known performers to discover the secrets they hold
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Notes on cello endpin fitting
A guide to veneer bushing and creating an ‘abrasive reamer’ for making adjustments
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: The Sound of Science
Tom Croen reports on a 2019 experiment to discover how much variation in sound can be gained from fingerboard ‘tuning’ – and how alternative materials fare against traditional ebony
