Olaf Answers European Violin Making questions
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- You asked and I answered!
Master Violin Maker and Restorer Olaf Grawert answers YOUR question about European Violin making and European instruments.
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00:00 Introduction
00:20 What are the ancestors of the violin?
03:50 What separated the great Italian makers from one another?
07:23 How much has the shape of the violin changed over time?
08:28 How do you compare a French violin to a German violin to an Italian violin?
11:28 How does the shape and size of a soundpost influence a violin?
12:29 How important is the shape and thickness of the soundpost?
13:03 Has there been a change in the bridge shape since the 1500’s?
13:44 How has the bow developed over time?
14:05 What were the oldest preserved violins?
14:31 Is Cremona still the gold standard for
violin makers worldwide?
17:10 Conclusion
#myviolinmaker, #olafgrawertviolin #violin
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Hi Olaf, great video, thank you! Just a slight correction, the Erhu is a 2-stringed instrument in which the two strings tunes to D and A at 440 hertz. Reason for this is for easiness playing oriental style music which features the pentatonic scale. In the modern days it also has made easiness for play western classical music in the key of D Major and/or D minor. “Er” in Chinese means “2” and “Hu” means string, therefore directly translating to Two String.
Thank you...
Really, really interesting. Thanks for this, Olaf, and looking forward to part 2.
Yes, I thought so too... and some answers worthy of much longer explanations... Thanks Olaf.
My Father trained as a Carpentieri as a youth during WW1 in Italy apprenticing in making Mandolins, Guitars and Bowed Instruments. We had discussions on what it must have been like around 3,000 years ago when after the Exodus from Egypt large groups of well trained musicians from the ranks of the Levite Priests would march and play their Bowed Zithers along with other stringed, wind and percussion instruments during processions related to important events. Not sure if they were Mono-Zithers similar to Diddely Bows however it must have been a very full and rich musical experience compared to what some often think of when contemplating that region and time frame.
That prompted us almost 90 years after his apprenticeship to build a Bowed Zither together. It was the more modern German 32 string design however it was a fun project and it was a good time having my Father pulling out hand tools he had made so long ago participate in this. It was also fun to contemplate the variety of instrument styles that may have converged over time to get to where we are today.
Best!
Success has many fathers.... Failure is a .......d..... As the saying goes. The violin has been around for 500 years and is clearly a success I suspect that has, as you say, many ancestors.
Trying to do the Maths here... So you and your Dad worked on this project nearly 90 years AFTER his apprenticeship??!!! What a lovely experience for you both...
@@wakingtheworld Yes, born in the first decade of the 20th century and started his apprenticeship just before turning 6 years old since he was mature for his age and due to his size could more easily be lowered into the large wooden vessels used in the vineyard so he could clean, inspect and repair them.
Things were a bit different 120 years ago as far as child labor was concerned. Learned life skills that served him well his entire life which was just short of a full century.
He was closing in on 100 when we worked on the Psaltery project.
@@neilfromclearwaterfl81 Wow, that's quite some story and how lovely to have your Dad around most of your adult life.
@@wakingtheworld Just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Grew up learning about the Spanish Influenza and WW1 Europe along with what it was like to make a steam ship crossing just about immediately after the war ended 1918 from my Dad who was around 14 years old at the time and made the trip by himself on his own dime so he could work and finish his education in the US. He had the photos (some on tin), cards and letters to accompany those firsthand accounts too. A lot different than just reading about it in a history book or seeing some young history buff presenting what they thought it must have been like.
Had my maternal grandmother also in our lives (she was old enough to call my Father Sonny Boy). She made it to a day or so shy of 100 and she could tell us firsthand about what it was like in late 19th century Europe and what crossing the Atlantic at the turn of that century as a young single teenage girl was like. Having the single sided 78 rpm phonograph records and cranking up the Victrola for her so she listen to her record collection of the artists/soloists/orchestras from her generation was a treat too.
It was interesting/special/you fill in the blank and something too many of our youths today probably have trouble fully comprehending. Yes Lovely would be a simple way to put it.
Best!
My opinion - square sound posts would increase the risk of sound post cracks with the longer grain of the square side lying along grain lines of the top and corners of the post digging in under the deflection of the top caused by the bridge foot under string pressure.
Q. Where do violin makers get patterns for famous violins, and how closely does a good maker follow not only the exterior of the violin, but the thicknesses in all areas of the plates? (I had mine totally reconditioned in 1963. Hans Weisshaar removed my original bass bar, saying the old one was not strong enough, and he also replaced the pin block b/c the pin was twisted. Also, that fiddle has a lower fingerboard, and most violins have a fingerboard that rises at an upward angle. Rena installed a lower bridge than normal so that in the upper register the strings would not be too far from the fingerboard. Hans removed the (animal horn?) nut, which was very grooved from use, and put in an ebony one. So luthiers do a lot of work). Q. If the top plate at the edge of the hip is sheared up to the purfling, 3 inches in length vertically, can it be repaired, or should it be left alone? It snags on clothing.
This was a great video, love the videos like these with the Q&A about specific maker things
Thank you Olaf!! You answered my question :D
I would love a full vid on that though because it’s fascinating!
This was an excellent video! Thank you very much.
Could you please tell us one day how violin bows appeared?
Who came up with an idea to stretch some horse hair, rub it with rosin, then scratch the strings?
Mr. Google "One of the first recorded pair of glasses were made in 1284 by Salvino D'Armate in Italy." I know forms of spectacles are common finds in European monastery digs from the 15th C. Someone more infromed can enlighten us further.
Wow... There you go!
Thanks for sharing. Isn't the world an interesting place... So much to learn
Too much to learn and my 50+ brain has difficulty remembering what I had for breakfast.
I was thinking of comparing Stradivarius with Henry Ford .. focusing on standardising production, while still maintaining the craftmanship.
There is a PhD in this statement somewhere!
I have a question after watching the video from the valley with the spruce forest. I'm Norwegian, and Norway has a lot of spruce growing in a very diverse climate. Sitka spruce and alpine spruce has been imported and grown in Norway, but the climate was too mild (in the alpine spruce case, the trees were tried grown too close to sea level and grew too fast and cracked). Currently, I don't think anyone grows alpine spruce, but the sitka has gone a little out of control in some places. It's often an unwanted species, and has totally taken over some places. I know of one island in the north of Norway where it isn't economically viable to harvest the trees, but most of the land owners want it all gone. I don't know if this would make for good violins, but that might "save" this island if it could all go to violins and guitars and the such. Also, you know, it is possible to get good tonewood in Norway, as all the Harding fiddle makers probably use local wood?
So, to my question: Do you think it would be viable harvesting spruce specially for tonewood in Norway? I realize industrial/farmed spruce (about 50-60 years old) isn't interesting. It would have to be old growth or overgrown/forgotten/neglected forests.
13:21, that is a THICK bridge! Even on younger maple I hope to see the thickness of the top of the bridge only being just slightly thicker than the G string. Literally: not more that 0.25 - 0.45mm more than the G string thickness. That looks almost double!
💙
Interesting. Where do the questions come from?
I have a collection of 8 very old violins in need of repairs. Most are crack repairs. My oldest is either a chas and sam thompson or a very old mystery violin tagged only as Mausica, Since the only area named Mausica is in trinidad/tobago friends call it the pirate violin. lol Do you know anything about a very old violin with this name? Research gets me to dead ends. Thanks
Doesn’t the erhu have two strings?
Yes... It's also a bowed stringed instruments
Erhu has two strings. The bow hairs go between the strings.
June 8th? 😮
Oops... No... Later today... I have no idea how that happened!
Olaf is there any particular reason that Australian violin makers don’t get the international recognition?
Do you have a new sound system ? - much better!
Is one violin identical to another? Obviously, NO, otherwise there would not be a 100,000 to 1 ratio of prices. But if Ray Chan picks up a random violin, will he know precisely where to put his fingers? Could he be replaced by a Ray Chan android? or does it take him a minute or two to figure out the exact finger positions?
Not wishing to answer instead of Olaf
Famous players can play in tune on any instrument because they have great left hand technique. But also they are able to draw the most sound and vibrations out of what they are given because they have the best bowing technique.
They are continually working on getting the most beautiful sound out of their own instruments and are famous because of it. These skills transfer across to any instrument.
If I played on a Stradivarius, and Ray Chen played my violin…then I bet that he would convince the listener that he was playing on the better instrument and was more in tune!
I'm far from an expert but there are subtle differences in the length of the fingerboard so you'd be slightly out of tune with your usual fingering. You then have to relearn your muscle memory... but as Lone Ranger says, a pro like Ray, would quite easily be able to play on a different violin. Saying this, I recently listening to his appraisal of Brett playing the Mendy concerto... He was loaned a Strad for the occasion and Ray said he'd not now play on a loaned instrument unless he had it for a year before 'the event'. A month simply wouldn't be enough to feel comfortable with it, as your own... and felt this factor made playing this piece even more challenging for Brett...
@@wakingtheworld I love TwoSet violin they are brilliant ⭐️
Note: How many times have we seen a soloist switch to the leaders violin when their strings break during a concerto? It’s incredible how they can instantly adapt to another instrument.
@@hamwhacker Gosh yes, I'd forgotten about this... One seamless move swapping instruments and chucking the spare E... to get it changed. But could a pro actually discern a difference? Awesome stuff even down to having to suddenly adapt to playing on the 3 remaining strings...
@@wakingtheworld Paganini is fabled with having played only his G String after 3 strings broke!
I know that Olaf lives in Australia - so he must've been to some AUSTA exhibitions.
I was absolutely appalled at what the modern Cremonese makers had brought over.... Literally, they had brought over (to Perth) about 8 violins, 2 violas and a cello. All of which sounded utterly terrible!
As in.... they sounded like student instruments (basic Stentors) but were also more muted in sound. They were asking $25k AUD for each violin.
No way in h3ll!!!
Wow... Yes.
That's not good...
I've seen some nice instruments, but yes I've also seen some average ones. The worst thing that I have experienced in the last 20 years is $30,000 'Cremonese' violins that were clearly Chinese trade instruments being recommended by tertiary teachers.
no ask here .