Making The Violin (learning the trade)

LEARNING THE TRADE

The fine art of violin making is a lifelong learning experience. Although much is acquired through diligence and self reflection, the initial stage involves formal education. A two to four year apprenticeship in the shop of a master or at a violin making school helps one acquire the rudimentary skills of a journeyman. An additional two to four years in the shop of a master are necessary before establishing ones own independent shop. Further education comes from the study of historic instruments, from feedback from musicians or from open exchange of information and techniques with colleagues during meetings and seminars sponsored by professional organizations. The two professional organizations or guilds dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the art of making and restoration are the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers and l'Entente Internationale des Maitres Luthiers et Archetiers d'Art. Membership is restricted to those who have met strict requirements and have demonstrated their abilities.

Making The Violin(1.artistri of the maker)

1.ARTISTRY OF THE MAKER
2.LEARNING THE TRADE
3.THE MAKING


1.ARTISTRY OF THE MAKER

Violin making is an often forgotten or overlooked art, yet indispensable to the expression and preservation of great works of music. Since its earliest beginnings, the violin has been an embodiment of the highest ideals of art. Violin making is more than a craft, and entails much more than the mere construction of a violin. Many areas of expertise must be mastered. The maker performs the skills of:

WOOD SCULPTOR. Among wood craftsmen, violin making is looked upon with a certain amount of awe and mystery. It is envied for its delicate carving and direct ties to past traditions and methods. The amount of skill, knowledge and discipline one must first attain, gives rise to the myth of unknowable secrets.

ARCHITECT and ENGINEER. Instrument design and construction is dependent only on its curved lines and surfaces, which are carved and bent for optimum lightness, strength and flexibility. Knowledge of materials and an ability to sense the strengths and weaknesses of a given piece of wood, is essential. The design, architecture and choice of wood all determine the ultimate potential of the finished work.

TOOL MAKER. The violin maker makes and maintains the condition of many specialized tools. Knives, plane irons, chisels and gouges must be kept razor sharp. Other tools, such as scrapers, require sharpened edges rolled over with a burnisher.

ACOUSTICIAN. The maker relies on memory and instinct, searching to improve the sound of each new instrument through slight controlled variations in model, architecture or dimensions. When played upon, the diminutive violin (weighing less than a pound) can be capable of filling the farthest corner of a large concert hall with sound, and conveying music of fiery emotion or subtle nuance to every listener. Good acoustic properties of a violin relate to more than just volume. Loudness under a player's ear is not indicative of an instrument with good "carrying power". The complexity and richness of overtones or harmonics is what gives carrying power and sweetness to a good violin. Each instrument possesses a unique voice, different from any other, created by the predominance of its own particular spectrum and abundance of overtones.

MUSICIAN. The maker must develop an ear and a vocabulary for sound to better understand the musician's needs. It is necessary to play well enough to make and hear subtle tonal adjustments. One must have the player's perspective to achieve proper set up and adjustment of the neck, fingerboard, strings, pegs, bridge, etc---the parts of an instrument with which the player has closest involvement.

VARNISH MAKER. Preparation of varnish involves purifying, sun-bleaching and bodying oils; grinding, cooking and mixing resins and preparing color lakes.

ART RESTORER. Fine violin restoration not only employs many of the ethics and techniques of fine art restoration, but also requires the various skills of the maker and specialized techniques developed over the past 200 years. The opportunity of studying the works of the old masters first hand, allows one to analyze the successes (and shortcomings) of individual works, and to observe how each maker or school of makers from the past approached the various aspects of making.

MERCHANT. Peer recognition is gratifying, but the maker must also be a merchant of his/her own products. Makers have the opportunity to work directly with their clientele, often on a commission basis. A special, long term symbiotic relationship exists between a maker and player or collector. Working together they choose a design that will meet the specified needs of the player. After the work is purchased and in the hands of the musician, the maker remains available to periodically carry out necessary maintenance and adjustments.

3.Stradivari's Product (The Antonius)

Violin "The Antonius", 1717
Antonio Stradivari (Italian, 1644–1737)
Cremona, Italy
Spruce and maple; L. 23 in. (58.4 cm), W. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Bequest of Annie Bolton Matthews Bryant, 1933 (34.86.2)

After about 1700, Stradivari left behind the "long-pattern" prototype, returning to a shorter, wider design known as his "grand pattern." The period of about 1700 to 1720, particularly around 1715, is often referred to as Stradivari's "golden age," when the instruments produced were his greatest. This violin has modern fittings.

2.Stradivari's Product (THE FRANCESCA)

Violin "The Francesca", 1694
Antonio Stradivari (Italian, 1644–1737)
Cremona, Italy
Spruce and maple; L. 23 1/2 in. (59.7 cm), W. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Bequest of Annie Bolton Matthews Bryant, 1933 (34.86.1)

During the 1690s, Stradivari was engaged in designing a "long-pattern" violin, such as this example, with a longer, thinner body, producing a darker timber than was usual in Cremonese violins. This violin has modern-style fittings.

1.Stradivari's Product

Violin, 1693
Made by Antonio Stradivari (Italian, 1644–1737)
Cremona, Italy
Wood; L. 23 1/4 in. (59.4 cm), W. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Gift of George Gould, 1955 (55.86a-c)

This violin made by Antonio Stradivari is the only one in existence that has been restored to its original Baroque form. Before modification to produce a louder, more brilliant tone and to extend the left-hand technique to higher positions, Baroque violins had gut strings, a short fingerboard, and a neck angled back only slightly from the body. Today, few fine violins show these original features.

I.History of Antonio Stradivari

Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737)

A century of violin making in Cremona culminated in the instruments from the workshop of Antonio Stradivari. Violins are judged by their tone, responsiveness, elegance of design, visual appeal, and precision of their craft, and the instruments of Stradivari are superlative in all categories. From his extraordinary seventy-year career as a luthier, 650 instruments survive, a testament both to his productivity and longevity, and to the high value placed on his instruments. During the 1680s, Stradivari moved away from Nicolò Amati's style, experimenting with his own soundhole shapes, softer varnish, wider purfling (the inlaid border near the edges of the violin's back and front), and a stronger tone. During the 1690s, he worked to perfect a "long pattern" violin, with a longer, narrower body and a darker tone than most Cremonese strings. Two of the Museum's Stradivari violins are of this type (55.86a-c; 34.86.1).

Beginning about 1700, Stradivari reverted to a shorter, wider design, his "grand pattern," and embarked on the two decades that many writers call his "golden age." The third of the Museum's Stradivari violins (34.86.2) dates from this period. After 1700, Stradivari also experimented with building smaller violoncellos, influenced by the instruments of the Brescian maker Giovanni Paolo Maggini (ca. 1581–ca. 1632) and later Cremonese makers; these smaller instruments aided in the rise of the cello as a virtuoso solo instrument. Stradivari also made violas and a number of stringed instruments, including viols, lutes, mandolins, guitars, and harps. At his death, Stradivari's business passed into the hands of his son, Francesco (1671–1743).





Stradivari's Posthumous Reputation and the Modernization of His Instruments

While the instruments of Stradivari were certainly appreciated during his long lifetime, it was not until the late eighteenth century, when several violin virtuosi publicly favored instruments by Stradivari and Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri ("del Gesù") (1698–1744), that his work was seen as the epitome of the luthier's art.

Throughout the 250 years since, professional violinists have considered the best instruments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, by Stradivari and others, to be the most highly valued. During the same time, the demands on the violin have grown and changed. As a result, nearly all of the extant Stradivari violins have been modernized to accommodate later virtuosi's musical demands. While the body of a Baroque violin is essentially the same as a modern instrument, other traits differ. The Baroque neck is a bit shorter and thicker, and projects straight out of the body, rather than bending back. The fingerboard has gradually lengthened as the instrument's range has grown higher. The Baroque sound post (a wooden stick wedged inside between the belly and back of the violin under the treble foot of the bridge) was slimmer, and the bass bar (a piece of wood glued inside under the bass foot of the bridge) was thinner and shorter, changing the tone of the instrument. Modern violin strings are made of steel, not gut, and are strung about 50 percent tighter than Baroque strings. The Baroque bridge was lower and flatter. Violin chin rests were not used until the nineteenth century, and so shifting the left hand from position to position was audible. All three of the Museum's Stradivari violins were modernized at some point, but "The Gould" (55.86a-c) has been restored with a Baroque-style neck, fingerboard, bridge, tailpiece, bass bar, and gut strings.

Bows have changed as well. Eighteenth-century bows, many built by French makers, were differently shaped, with hair not as tightly strung as later models. The older bows had a more pronounced difference between up- and down-strokes.

SCOTT'S VIOLIN WICH PRODUCT IN CAMPBELL WORKSHOP

We have a team of ten working at our Campbell workshop. Among them are international award winning makers. They make and finish instruments strictly under the supervision of master maker Scott Cao.
All the instruments are made with selected European Wood (Mostly maple from Bosnia and Italian spruce.) The finish of these instruments is applied to resemble either an antique or a straight new finish. The beautiful oil varnish used follows the traditional methods perfected by the Italian master makers of centuries past.
Instruments made in our Campbell workshop are in the hands of advanced students and professional players. Teachers across the nation have been recommending Scott's instruments for years.


Violin
Signature Series (4/4)
STV1500 [Photo] (4/4)
STV950 (4/4, 3/4)

Viola
Signature Series (15", 15.5", 16", 16.5")
STA1500 (15", 15.5", 16", 16.5")
STA950 (15", 15.5", 16", 16.5")

Cello
Signature Series (4/4)
STC1500 (4/4)
STC950 (4/4)

SCOTT'S VIOLIN

Scott Shu-kun Cao is listed among the best-known contemporary violin makers in the world. His instruments are currently in the hands of soloists, famous professional players and collectors. For their tonal quality, Scott's instruments are renowned. Among makers, Scott's violins are said to not only project a beautiful sound but are also aesthetically superior.


The following list represents players who have played in concert or currently own an instrument made by Scott Cao:
Nigel Kennedy Soloist
Mark Volker Acting concert master of San Francisco Symphony
Bin Hwang Winner of the "Paganini" Violin competition
Gideo Grau Conductor of the Palo Alto Philharmonic
Former conert master of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Sheng Ko-Shu Concert Master of Taipei Symphony Orchestra
Byung Wookim Former concert master of San Jose Symphony Orchestra
Tim Barnes Principal violist with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra
Nick Dargahi Cellist with the San Jose Symphony Orchestra
Johannsen Wei Violinist with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra
For over ten years, Scott Cao has been copying famous violin models. Due to his vast experience, Scott Cao can individually tailor make instruments for any player's tonal requirements. He can vary one particular violin model to meet your preference of tone. For example, if you need a darker powerful tone, Scott can make a "Cannon" del Gesu Guarneri or a "Soil" Strad copy. If you prefer a sweet, clear and open tone, Scott can make a "Kreisler" del Gesu Guarneri or a "David Oistrakh" Strad.

Scott Cao can make exact copy of almost all the greatest violins played by the most famous players. After years of experimentation, the following list of models are highly recommended by Scott:


VIOLIN
The "Cremonese" Strad of 1715, used by Joseph Joachim
The "Soil" Strad of 1715, used by Itzhak Perlman
Copy of Strad
The "Kochanski" Guarneri del Gesu of 1741, used by Aaron Rosand
The "David Guarneri del Gesu" of 1740, used by Jascha Heifetz
The "Ysaye" Guarneri del Gesu of 1740, used by Isaac Stern
The "Le Duc" Guarneri del Gesu of 1743, used by Henry Szeryng
Copy of Guarneri
The "Conde de Fontana" Strad of 1702", used by David Oistrakh
The "Emiliani" Strad of 1743, used by Anne-Sophie Mutter
The "Paganini" Guarneri del Gesu of 1742, used by Nicolas Paganini
Copy of "Paganini" Guarneri 1 2
The "Kreisler" Guarneri of 1733 used by Fritz Kreisler
Copy of "Kreisler" Guarneri
The "Plowden" Guarneri of 1735


VIOLA
The Gasparo da Salo 15 1/2" 1 2 3
The "Gibson" Strad 16"
The "Archinto" Strad 16 1/2"
The G.B. Guadanini 15"
The G.P. Maggini 16 1/4"


CELLO
The Antonio Stradivari of 1726
The G.P. Maggini of 1610
"Ginseppe" Guarneri del Gesu of 1731
Francesco Rugeri of 1695
Matteo Goffailler of 1725
Domenico Montagnana of 1739
If the style of instrument you prefer is not listed above, call us and we'll work with you. Instruments copied by master maker Scott Cao will be priced higher than those made my his shop staff. Scott Cao is confident that you will be satisfied with the tonal qualities of his instruments. Once you purchase one of his instruments and for some reason are not happy with the tone, Scott is willing to do one of the following:
1. You may exchange the instrument by having another one made for you.
2. You may consign the instrument and have Scott sell it for you.
3. You may apply the value of your instrument toward the purchase of an instrument from Scott's European collection.


Standard Model
Instruments made of first-class Italian spruce and Bosnian maple, varnished with either a "straight" or "antique copy" varnish.


Superior Model
Using specially selected and treated wood older than 25 years, the instruments will sound like 50~100 years old.

HISTORY OF SCOTT CAO VIOLIN

Scott Cao Violins is one of the best resources for strings instruments in the world. Over the past 15 years, players of all skill levels have relied on our family of instruments for their special needs. From soloists, professional players to students as well as collectors have all adored and loved our stringed instruments. Established in 1989, Scott Cao Violins have produced numerous international awards and gain tremendous recognitions. Our instruments have been noted for their unsurpassed quality, exceptional tonality and outstanding workmanships.


Top level instruments made by master maker Scott Shu-Kun Cao are in the possession of famous soloists, concertmasters, orchestra players and collectors. Instruments made in our California workshop are featured in some of the world’s leading violin shops. Our factory instruments are distributed by world renowned string instrument companies like GEWA of Germany, Heer of Switzerland, Kanji Shirakawa of Japan, Sebim of France and John F.W. Payton of Australia. Over the years, our instruments have been highly recommended by players throughout the world. Praise from teachers,students, musicians and professional players alike are a testament to Scott’s significant contribution to the musical world. And here at Scott Cao Violins, we are committed to continuing researching, learning and mastering the art of stringed instrument making. We will continue producing the best stringed instruments for the world to enjoy.

Picture Part Of Violin

history of violin

1. Origin of the violin
Stringed instruments first were recorded in Europe in the medieval ages. By “stringed” we refer to instruments played with a bow. This instrument was the "fiddle" of the minne-singers. But it didn’t have much in common with a violin. It was in the 15th century when, slowly, the family of gambs and violins developed.
In the times of the renaissance, which had a large impact on all the arts, not least in the construction of instruments. The violin as it is known nowadays was built in the early 16th century. In this climate the viola and the cello also emerged.
Everything that is explained about the violin and its structures can be referred to the whole family of stringed instruments. This group of instruments has been developed in order to satisfy new ideas of sounds that emerged in these times in Italy. Gradually, it took the place of the gambs and violas that preceded them.
It was with the Cremonese makers working in this environment that the violin and its family reached its zenith, and although technical innovations have been applied through time, the ground plan and its basic form are still used today.
In Italy, which escaped the war of thirty years, violin making reached an enormous upswing. Andrea Amati lived in Cremona between 1535 and 1611; he became the founder of the world’s most famous school of violin-making. It is not a certain institute, which is meant but a special local characterisation of all different centres of violinmaking; the art of painting has known a similar effect. So, there are for instance the school of Brescia, of Cremona, of Milan, but also the school of Naples and many more.
Afterwards, violin making expounded over the whole continent of Europe. But it was Cremona that was home to the most famous of all violin makers: The families Amati and Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari, the families Ruggeri and Bergonzi. For more than 150 years, violins made by Stradivari and Guarneri have been the most desired concert instruments.

2. Why old master instruments sound so good
The decline of violin making began in the second half of the 18th century. Caused by a permanent growth of the demand for instruments the violinmakers were forced to produce more and to produce faster. They used varnishes that dried more quickly but which could not reach the quality of the elder ones. Still, every violinmaker and every enthusiast for violins regrets the disappearance of the old Italian, the so called classical, varnishes. So, there are some violin makers who try heavily to reconstruct old varnishes; they invest plenty of time for their experiments.
Many negative influences for violin making result from the pollution of our environment. It is known that in earlier times, rafts transported all the chopped trees. The river Po 250 years ago - a pure river - cannot be compared with the polluted waterway it is nowadays. The same fact is valid also for nearly all stretches of water. Because of the fact that wood is a material with high absorbency, all substances dissolved in the water penetrate the wood. During the process of drying out, all these substances remain in the wood. In addition during the whole process of later working by the violin maker, this negative influence cannot be corrected.
But the environment is an important aspect not only as far as wood is concerned. All substances, which are used to produce varnishes are natural produce. The so-called pore filler consists of propolis which is produced by bees. The colouring of varnishes consist of natural colours, the solvents are natural ethereal oils. All natural substances that are used in violin making nowadays are not comparable with the substances of earlier times; unfortunately, they have lost their purity.

The ideal materials that were used in classical violin making and the very positive effect of the aging process resulted in the completeness of all classical instruments made by Italian masters

3. Restoration of masterpieces
Is the sound of these instruments nowadays the same as it was in Stradivari’s times? Certainly not. The majority of musicians would decline instruments with an original sound of those times. It is absolutely clear that they wouldn’t be played in concert by a soloist (except in baroque music). The instruments would not have such a variety of sounds and they wouldn’t have the ability to reach the most distant rows of a concert hall with sufficient clarity. The fact that they can be played in concert today is owed to the violin makers. Much know-how and manual skills and plenty of experience are necessary in order to restore the tone of an old instrument again and again.

Further, there are repairs which are necessitated due to accidents and damage; the violin is a very tender instrument with a high tendency to get cracks if it has been dropped. Moreover, damage can be caused by air that is just too dry, which happens most often with new instruments; unfortunately these cracks caused by dryness are more common because of central heating and air conditioning

4. Making new instruments
In the course of the centuries, the workshop has not changed a great deal. There are still the same tools that were used by the old masters: the carpenter’s bench, saws, small and large planes as well as chisels made of wood just like those used for sculpturing. Moreover, blades and stencils, also brushes for varnishing and above all large knives for woodcarving are still in use. Still, at Sprenger Geigenbau, there are tools in use that were originally used by founder Fritz Sprenger.
For the violinmaker, wood is the most important material; it is only natural that the correct choice of wood is vital in order to achieve the best quality of sound. Wood that is too heavy because of its specific weight cannot be used – although it looks perhaps marvellous. It is also because of this aspect that mass-production of violins has to fail: these days even with modern, computer-controlled machines; the works is too mechanical, without any consideration for materials used. Mass-production will never fulfil the fundamental aspect, because each piece of wood needs to be treated differently, even when the wood is chopped out of the same trunk, the single pieces are very different of each other. At the lower end of the trunk, the wood is generally harder than at the top, also, parts which grew in the sunshine obviously differ from parts that grew in the shadow.
Two sorts of wood are the most common in violin making: spruce for the belly and maple for the back and the scroll. The fingerboard consists of ebony, which is a very hard wood. The pegs and tailpiece are mostly made of ebony, jacaranda or boxwood.
The finest wood of maple comes from Bosnia, the most adapted spruce comes from central European countries; it grows to a height of about 1000m. The wood of the ebony comes from Africa – it is wood of the date palm.
The most common kind of construction is the one with the so-called inner form. The ribs are adjusted to this form. The ribs, which are about 1.2 mm thick, are bent over the bending iron. Then, they are fixed with some glue at the top- and bottom-block and at the corner-blocks. The back and belly of the violin are sawed out with its exact outline. This whole process happens according to the precise pattern of the stencils. The stencils can be taken from an instrument, so for instance from a violin made by Stradivari or Guarneri; perhaps, they are changed a little bit with a small, personal peculiarity. The belly and the back, which have been cut out are arched afterwards.
Therefore, nothing except the ribs is bent or pressed, everything is worked out of a solid piece of wood. When the outer arching has been finished the insides of the back and belly are gouged out. The thickness of belly and back is not the same for the whole violin; its wood is between 2.5 and 4.5 mm thick. The violinmaker has to adjust his work to the character of the wood. This is an essential advantage over violins that are made by machines. After carving and preparation, the back is fixed to the rim of the rib. The f-holes are cut out of the belly and then the bass-bar is adjusted and fixed. In order to find the form of the f-holes, the violinmaker focuses on classical examples – perhaps also on his personal particularities. Next, the inner form has to be detached from the ribs; afterwards, the belly is fixed on the rim of the rib. Finally, the back and belly are put in and the edges are rounded. With that, the body of the instrument is finished.

The scroll is cut out of maple wood, which should - if possible - match the back and ribs. When the scroll and the so called peg-box has been worked out, the fingerboard gets adjusted to the neck. Then, the complete neck is fitted to the body, which obviously is a working process that has to be carried out with high precision; it has a large impact not only on the instrument’s technical playing possibilities but also on its sound. Now, the white instrument is finished. It is now only its varnished dress that is missing.


5. The varnish
The three most important functions of the varnish are the following:
1. It should protect the instrument from the negative influences of weather and dirt
2. It should raise the instrument’s possibilities of sound
3. It should emphasise the wood’s natural beauty
Most violinmakers strive for the development of an ideal recipe for varnishes. Indeed, the varnish has a large impact on the sound. A soft varnish and an insufficient undercoating have a tendency to deaden heavily the sound of a violin. If the varnish is too hard or brittle, in contrary, the sound becomes shrill and penetrating.
To sum up, one can say that an instrument, which is badly or incorrectly built cannot become a masterpiece just because of an excellent varnish. However, a good instrument can be ruined because of a miserable varnish.