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Showing results for tags 'beginner'.
Found 13 results
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Finishing my Bachelor's this year but hoping to be accepted to a violin making school after. I've played violin for more than 10 years, have limited woodworking experience, and a long fascination with violin making video playlists. I did some looking a while back and found 4 commonly suggested manuals for building and repair. I'd like to study and practice techniques at a local workshop after school to be prepared for the work ahead. Which of the following do you guys recommend as most essential for a healthy introduction to the craft: The Manual of Violin Making - Brian Derber Violin Restoration: A Manual for Violin Makers - Hans Weisshar and Margaret Shipman The Strobel Series for Violin Makers - Henry Strobel The Art of ViolinMaking - Chris Johnson and Roy Courtnall or if there are any other manuals you think are better for a beginner, please do let me know in response. I want to get the best reference for my investment and act on my inspiration.
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Good day everyone, i decided to pickup the cello about a month ago. i quit smoking and was looking for a reward/ distraction. Ive played electric bass off and on for 20 years. I purchased a super cheap cello on eBay and im in love. Tuning this new instrument has proven to be a pain. getting accustomed to the friction tuners is a struggle. I used my tuner that i have for my basses and guitars. Then i downloaded a tuner app and then another. All three are giving me different results. any advice on a specific tuner/ app that works best for cello. Im about to download a tone generator so i can just match the notes. any advice is greatly appreciated, john
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I've played violin for 4 years and recently I have wanted to try making them. I have absolutely no idea where to start and want to if at all possible avoid spending $100 just on a book. I have tried to find someone I could go and talk to about it but couldn't find anyone who makes violins in my area. Some more specific questions I had were what is the baseline for tools I would need, what kinds of wood would I need and where could I get it, are there any online or cheap resources I could use for a guide and if not what are some recommendations for good books to look into? Also just advice of any kind would be very helpful.
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ÖHi I am a fairly new to violin and I chanced upon violins by Karl Hofner. I tried finding information about it but it seems like there isn't much info on it. Hoping to tap on this to learn more about their violins, quality etc. I am actually looking to purchase a "vintage" karl hofner made in 1997. Not sure if anyone could advise if this is suitable for beginner (or more advanced player), and if the sound/quality is good. Thanks a lot in advance!
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So, I'd like to thank you all in advance for potentially helping me sort through all of the general questions I have, and also welcoming me into this community(by allowing me to create a free account to quiz the people in the lifelong trade/journey about what I seem to have gotten myself into). Thanks again for reading. I am excited to become a part of this particular community!
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I'm a beginning Cello player, and I'm usually able to get a clear and consistent tone on all the strings with 1st position fingerings. However today, I've suddenly had bad problems with squeaking. Details - Open A and D stings sound fine. A string is completely fine. - The D string is 100% squeaky with any fingering. It's impossible to get an acceptable sound. - The G and C strings squeak a little bit open OR fingered. - It definitely feels like the bow isn't catching the strings enough, but I could be wrong because it catches just fine on open A and D. Things that have changed between yesterday and today I lost my old rosin (which was 6 years old but worked fine) and got a new, cheap one (light, soft) as a replacement. I might have used too much rosin trying to break it in, because the lightest bow touch on the string coats the string in rosin, and I've done this 400+ times and it still coats the same amount. I've practically never touched the bow hairs with my fingers, though I did wipe them gently with a clean, dry washcloth after the squeaking, trying to get some of the rosin off (didn't work). I can't imagine the cheapness of the rosin being the culprit, because the seller is a reputable small business that I deal with a lot and they're trustworthy and wouldn't carry bogus products. Maybe I shouldn't have combined the two types of rosin? Did I use too much? I'm really antsy because I'm afraid I might have ruined the instrument or the bow. What am I doing wrong?
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I'm planning to make my first string instrument soon and as a violist (I've been playing for seven years now) I of course really want to build my own viola. After searching for a long time online I quickly find out however that there are so many more resources for violin and cello building for beginners as well as wood and hardware required to finish. So my question is; is it a better idea for me to build a violin as there are many plans, instructions and cheap hardware for it, or should I make a viola which I can play myself and be proud of? (with maybe a steeper learning curve and more things to work out for myself)
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Hi everyone! I am a newbie playing violin and was hoping you could help me out picking my first violin! I have practiced for about 3 months now on a beginner violin I borrowed. Now I know for sure I want to continue learning. My budget is 300€. The options I have found: Alfred Stingl by Höfner AS-180-V 4/4 Violin Outfit 260€ Karl Höfner SE II Violin Set 4/4 322€ Stentor SR1500 Violin Student II 4/4 192€ Stentor SR1542 Violin Graduate 4/4 240€ Stagg VN-4/4 HG Violin Set 229€ Artino VN-135 Violin Set 4/4 215€ They all come with a case and bow. I have read a lot about each one and they all sound good on paper.. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
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Hi guys, I have started building my first violin and I thought this might be a good place to document the process. I'd welcome any/all advice on the build as I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes. This will probably take a while as I have a busy work life and can only make progress on my violin as time allows. I decided to base my violin on the Del Gesu 'Alard' as I have never owned a Del Gesu and I want something with a deeper tone than my current cheapie strad copy. In a way I think this is my first mistake because I'm discovering a lot of asymmetry and 'close enough is good enough' from reading the Strad poster and plans. From what I hear, Stradivarius was a lot more disciplined and repeatable in his work. Obviously being a beginner, any asymmetry or roughness I try and emulate would have my own mistakes and asymmetry built in so it probably isn't the best choice. Despite this, I would love a Del Gesu violin and I'm already committed so I am going to stick with it. Sometimes I have a tendency towards wanting to achieve perfection in my projects and this sometimes means I don't get the job done because I get discouraged/caught up in the mistakes. This project I am determined to be pragmatic, fix the mistakes I can and if there's something I can't fix, I will just move on and keep going. I know it will take the practice of many violin builds and many mistakes before I'll get something I am happy with so I might as well keep the project moving as much as I can.
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I'd like to announce a summer program that will take place in the charming city of Mayenne, France, where I'll be teaching alongside some wonderful artists such as the venerable Mark Drobinsky, one of Rostropovich's earliest students and assistants and the Hungarian pianist Gabriella Torma. The program is open to all levels, including adult amateurs, and can tailor instruction to include individual lessons, groups coaching, and workshops. Please see the attached brochure pic, and feel free to PM me on this forum if you might have any questions.
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I am new to this craft of building violins . I built my first one starting in September and strung it up in the white 5 weeks later, using Bruce Ossmans book 'Violin Making'. It is now varnished and I've given it to my 19 year old son who is beginning to play . It seems to have great sound compared to the cheap violins we have here at home . I'm in the middle of my second violin and am planning on attending a 2 week workshop in Tucson the end of January . I'm 45 years old and am a jack of all trades and the master of none. I am truly addicted to what now can only be a hobby . I own a business that at the present allows me to dedicate most of my time to this hobby . I'm wondering if it's far out to imagine selling a violin for $2000 to $3000 after I've built 10 or so. I realize that's not a living but maybe a bit more than a hobby . I'd like to think I'm not just blowing time . Learning it solo has been a challenge but rewarding too . I came on this site after my first one was in the white and love to see some others ideas because I've learned pretty much solo so far . Your input would be appreciated . Edd Byler
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Hi guys! So, I'm getting ready to varnish a fresh, bare patch of spruce on a violin top. But, it's my (shaky) understanding that one must first coat the bare wood with something to "seal" it-- meaning, something that will 1. Protect the wood if the upper layers of varnish are ever worn off, and 2. keep the varnish from soaking all the way through the wood and stiffening it, thus diminishing its tonal qualities. I'm about to do my first varnish, a simple spirit varnish (with some pre-mixed varnishes.... because this is a rush-project for a friend of mine who needs to violin soon)...... what would be a good ground coat for a beginner? I have hide glue at my disposal, but I've heard that diluting that and using it as a ground coat tends to muffle the tonal qualities of the wood. I also have tripoli powder, sandarac, and methylated spirits at my disposal. Could I rub tripoli powder into the wood as a filler/sealant? Or could I use a VERY dilute coating of sandarac dissolved in spirits? Advice is very much appreciated! I've not been able to find a lot of background on this topic that is geared toward beginner varnishers (rather, I see a lot of writing arguing about Cremonese techniques .....). Thanks, guys!!!!! - Sarah
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ARTICLE AS PDF http://www.iburkard.com/ETUDE1950.pdf I thought this would be nice short article to share from ETUDE of Jan 1950, "HOW TO CHOOSE A VIOLIN." There are some interesting images of small hairpin style lining clamps and other details that are fun to view and read. You can either load the PDF attachment, or download the individual pages here: INDIVIDUAL PAGES http://www.iburkard.com/page1.bmp http://www.iburkard.com/page2.bmp http://www.iburkard.com/page3.bmp http://www.iburkard.com/page4.bmp I am sorry that I have not been participating much, but I got married last year and have been using most of my woodworking skills to repair our 1930s home.
