Jun 1, 2020 | Latest Instruments
The Locked-down Violin April, 2020 To 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...
Jan 30, 2020 | Latest Instruments
The Green Violin JANUARY, 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...
Jan 26, 2019 | Latest Instruments
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 of...
Jan 4, 2019 | Latest Instruments
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,...
Nov 30, 2018 | Latest Instruments
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 many...
Nov 30, 2018 | Latest Instruments
A rare breed November 2018 Next week I am taking my newly finished baroque violin to its new home at the RNCM in Manchester. This is the first baroque violin [excepting the RNCM project last March] that I have made for a long time. Except for the neck, much of a...
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