A Viola Day and Viola Sound
Viola Day and Viola SoundDecember 2025Last weekend I went to a viola day in Birmingham, organised in conjunction with the Tertis and Aaronovitch viola competitions, which took place last January in Gateshead.The format was somewhat unusual, no public, but a room...
Craft and Craftsmanship
Once again, I have thinking about craft and art, prompted by a discussion with a friend who, amongst other things, is a trained and talented artist. Nowadays, there is a tendency to put anyone who works with their hands into the category of artist; I think it is...
A New Look with Archaic Tools
A New Look with Archaic ToolsJune 2022Over the last couple of years, my workshop has got to look a little different. The most obvious change is the new workbench which I made in early 2020, modelled on benches being used in France around the...
Viola C Strings
Viola C StringsJune 2022Yesterday I decided to do a bit of work on three violas. The largest one, an Andrea Guarneri model, needed a longer soundpost because the response had become a little slow and the sound was not as big as it should be. I had tried tightening...
Opposites don’t necessarily detract
Opposites don't neccessarily detract!MAY 2022A month ago, I spent a few days making with a group of other violin makers, sometimes working on a joint project as well as working on my own work. Before the week started, I had just finished the violin I was making, so...
The Locked-down Violin
The Locked-down Violin April, 2020To have a break from the rough arching of the viola back this morning, I picked up the new violin lying on my other bench and started to play. Finishing an instrument, even after many years, is still a bit nerve-wracking because...
The Green Violin
The Green ViolinJANUARY, 2020 In October I went to visit Andreas Pahler in Bavaria to buy some more violin and viola wood. It has been a while since I last was there and because it is a long way, I chose as much wood as I could sensibly afford. People tend to...
Making a tiny Viola
Making a tiny Viola January 2019 This month I have been making another viola the size of a violin. The main reason to make such a small instrument is for youngsters who want to play the viola but are not yet big enough to play anything larger than a violin. It is...
The cobbler’s shoes and a tiny sculpture
The cobbler’s shoes and a tiny sculpture December 2018 It was nine years ago that I finally got around to making a fiddle for myself. Being keen to get it done and using a model I was excited about, I made it very quickly and it is one of my favourite instruments,...
The Best Cello?
The Best Cello? September 2018 Because it has been out being played, I haven’t mentioned my Andrea Guarneri model cello since I finished it in the spring. This is the first instrument I have made with a poplar back, ribs and scroll, though the model I have used...
