Good evening, everyone. As a self-taught traditional violin player, I have now started to take an interest in instrument making (initially wind instruments). Is there perhaps a violin maker in the Athens or Euboea area who would be willing to teach the art of violin making? If anyone has any information, please do let me know.
Hmm… the violin side of things is really difficult. I haven’t looked into it much, but I think the violin generally doesn’t change much in terms of its construction as a traditional folk instrument, even though I’ve read about a few exceptions. It still follows the standard construction. That kind of knowledge is expensive, though. Especially the makers who learnt the craft outside Greece have invested a lot in it! I really hope you find something, but things are a bit difficult for violins in Greece.
Nevertheless, if you have some tools, start out on your own for now if you can’t find anyone. You might end up making some good violins of your own!
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There is, in any case, a book on violin making in Greek by a Greek author. I don’t have it, so I can’t comment on its quality. In English and the major European languages, there are surely many.
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Do you happen to remember the title of the book?
I was thinking of buying some kits that come with the parts for you to assemble, so I could get a feel for the easier part…
A good start. You’ll understand the structure of the instrument and learn how to glue it together. It’s a great lesson. After that, it’s essentially about properly working the wood, then giving it a good finish and developing a rich, mature sound. Years and years… you need to have passion for it.
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“The Art of Making Handmade Violins”, Dimitrios Lioussis.
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Depending on the particular characteristics of each local musical tradition, some people take a standard violin and make minor tweaks to it. A slightly different height, position or angle of the bridge—little things like that. Other than that, I think there is a standard model as well.
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Exactly. Now, as for the construction side of things, it’s a veeeery difficult instrument. It involves tricky, time-consuming carpentry, both for someone who’s learning and even for someone who knows what they’re doing… As difficult as it is to play, the damn thing is just as difficult to make.
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Thank you all three very much for the information.
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