New (old) Violin Maker From Arkansas!

[Lundberg]

I came across this while checking out the news on my home page. It

was from CBS, so I went there and did a search. This video is of a

Woman named Violet Tinsley, who plays the fiddle, and has also made

some 90-plus instruments in her own kitchen. I'm no judge of sound

quality, but the ones she has made look beautiful to me. At one

point she is shown carving a plate, and it looks like hell- like

she needs a sharper knife or something. All of her tools appear to

fit on the kitchen table. I don't think she is manufacturing

the same quality of instrument as the makers here do. There is no

comment about where she picked up her skills either, unfortunately.

Nonetheless, her work impressed me!

I'm including two links:

here  "http://www.cbsnews.com/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2529721n">the

actual video link,

here the search link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/search/searc...chString=Violet

Hensley&num=10&offset=0&advanced=&section=&type=all&sort=1&x=17&y=9

(there must be a thread that refers to why I cannot paste into

either the text  or the URL box in this forum. I used to be

able to, I think. Anyway, you'll have to copy and paste the above.

Sorry for the inconvenience.)

From this link, scroll down past the google ads to the video link.

(This is just in case the first link doesn't work right.)

[Ken Pollard]

Thanks for the link. Whatever you think of her style, we can all hope to be as active, alert, and happy when we are 90.

[Clint Block]

Thanks for sharing that link, Lundberg.  I first met Violet

almost 30 years ago when I was a teenager playing the fiddle at

Silver Dollar City (a local 1880's based theme park, here in

the Ozarks).  She is a delightful lady.  Her fiddles are

a bit rustic, but she is a wonderful soul.

Quote: "There is no comment about where she picked up her skills

either, unfortunately."

She is self taught. I remember her telling once how she made her

first fiddle.  If I remember right, as a young woman, she just

decided she wanted to make one.  She went out to her yard,

used an axe to cut down a tree, and started carving with a butcher

knife.  At least that's the way I remember the story.

 I'm sure her making skills have improved over the years since

that first one.

 But I have always admired her determination and wonderful

spirit. I am glad to hear that she is still making fiddles and

performing.

[dand]

Simply amazing !!

I would love to see and play one of her fiddles. Rustic or not. I went to the bluegrass festival over in Branson last year... WOW. I wll being going again

this year..(Lord willing and the creeks dont rise).

[Fellow]

Why anyone want to make a fiddle (or violin)?

I got one answer from someone, "the shop charges too much". Is that a real reason?

[Andrew Victor]

The segment was the final segment on last evening's CBS NEWS. They claimed she sells her fiddles for $2,000 "although they are worth a lot more."

Andy

[ChrisBurt]

Thanks for the link. I loved it and passed it on. That woman is an inspiration; obviously a powerful soul. I'd love to meet her. The shots of her carving a plate with a chip carving knife were priceless! I''d really like to see one of her instruments. They may be rough, but she's made 90 instruments with no training. She obviously has something to say. one can never tell about the spirit that shows through. Her instruments may be great.

[Michael_Molnar]

Very inspiring! This is a wonderful story.

[FINPROF]

quote:

---

Originally posted by:

yuen

Why anyone want to make a fiddle (or violin)?

I got one answer from someone, "the shop charges too much". Is that a real reason?

---

It is more the satisfaction of doing it yourself rather than saving money. Let's say it takes a skilled amker 100 hours to build a violin. That would mean it would take me 200 hours to build a violin and the results woudl be worse. If my violin is worth $1000, that means that my time is $5 an hour. I could do better by selling hamburgers in McDonalds.

As a fly fisherman, I tie my own flies. It takes me 20-30 minutes to tie a fly that I could buy for $2.00, so I am making less than $5 an hour. But there is a special satisfaction to catching a fish on a fly that you tied yourself. I'll bet there is a special statisfaction to playing on a violin that you made yourself.

[Fellow]

Deleted by me

[Allan Speers]

I tell you, based on those few short sounds clips we here on the

video, she makes a really nice fiddle.

She may be "self taught" but that doesn't mean she sisn't read a

few books on the subject, nor get feedback from local players.

 Probably unlikely that she hangs out on any luthier forums,

though.

[Fellow]

Good point. Why not?

[Clint Block]

If any of you are ever near Branson, MO in September or

October, you can probably see and visit with Violet at the

Silver Dollar City Crafts Festival.  By the way, the National

Geographic has featured her in the past. If you ever watch some old

episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillys" you might even see her in a

few shows they taped at Silver Dollar City in the 1960's.  I

even saw her on a Regis and Kathie Lee, (or whoever it was at the

time) show a few years ago .  Needless to say that New York

City was a lot different for this lady from Yellville, AR, yet she

was one of the most entertaining people on the show; not only

because of her music and clogging, but also her wit.  Violet

Hensley is a true example of the Ozarks spirit.

link:  "http://www.woolenmillstudio.net/portfolio.2006.11.12.html" target=

"_blank">Violet Hensley

[Doug Rice]

My former violin teacher her in Kansas City told me about a woman she met who makes fiddles at Silver Dollar City. It must be Violet. Anyway, my teacher played something (at the insistence of her father) for Violet. After playing, Violet told my teacher, " I don't do that shaky thing with my hand (meaning vibrato.) She made quite an impressioon on my teacher.

[Dean_Lapinel]

Ahh, Thats what it called. Peoples ares always doing that to me from there car windows (vibrato) but they don't look happy. Must be sad music they is playin.

[Lundberg]

They said  that doctors told her to "stop breaking

horses..."

I wonder if people who are good horsemen are also good fiddle

makers, as a rule. If so, then maybe I will try it someday.

Dean- let's see what a good hillbilly you are... Can you pass the

West Virginia Reading test?

MRDUCKS

ARNOT

OSAR

CMWANGS

LIB

MRDUCKS

Now if you'll excuse me for a while, I got some possums to fry.

I'll be back later to see if you got it.

[Selim]

"--I got one answer from someone, "the shop charges too much". Is that a real reason? --"

The sound that I have been dreaming for so long.

Alas, I can not open the link or the search returns nothing.

I have been living in AR(Bentonville) for almost two months and really I would appreciate links to makers around here. I expect It would be perfect agenda for visiting makers here at weekends.

[Brad H]

Link to Video

Click on "1. Still Fiddling in the Ozarks"

[Selim]

Thanks Brad,

This is very interesting..!

[Fellow]

Violin making is very challenging, specially self-taught.

[Michael Richwine]

quote:

---

Originally posted by:

Selim

"--I got one answer

from someone, "the shop charges too much". Is that a real reason?

--" The sound that I have been dreaming for so long. Alas, I can

not open the link or the search returns nothing. I have been living

in AR(Bentonville) for almost two months and really I would

appreciate links to makers around here. I expect It would be

perfect agenda for visiting makers here at weekends.

---

Just down the road in Fayettevile:

 http://www.bormanviolins.com/

Makes instruments for people like Zukerman, Sharon Robinson, Victor

Danchenko. Jaime Laredo, Cho-Liang Lin.....

[Selim]

Thanks Nonado,

I red about him and some articles He contributed.

I will try to manage a visit.

Regards.

[Dean_Lapinel]

MR SNAKES MR NOT OSAR CM EDBD IZ

[apartmentluthier]

If anyone else is having issues with the link, try this one.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...news/main2529557.shtml

[muddycreek]

Great story and inspiration.