The Soul of a Violin: How Stradivarius and Guarnerius Graduated the Back and Gave Them a Voice.
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- Опубликовано: 18 дек 2023
- Call it Flavor or Personality, the Soul of a Master Violin is passionate and fulfilling: and this is the greatest secret of how it's done.
Watch all of the "The Secrets of Stradivarius and Guarnerius" on Kevin Lee Luthier's RUclips channel and subscribe today. Also, make sure that your notifications are turned on.
With permission:
Some clips are from the documentary "The Devil and The Angel"
A Dixie State Univeristy Production / Utah Tech University
Producer Phil Tuckett
Director Kat Lee
Music:
"Once Upon a Time": Maya Belsitzman & Matan Ephrat
"The Princess Quest": Ian Post
Hot Summer Air: Ardie Son
![mgk - I Think I’m OKAY (with YUNGBLUD) (Sad Version) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7AC1uqQLIg4/mqdefault.jpg)
Your love of the violin really comes shining through in your work and your videos.
I would love to be able to afford a fine violin or viola by this man. He’s so dedicated and passionate about his work.
I recognize in your stillness long after the last tail of sound falls to silence, a thing that I do when producing a record. I always work alone so that moment is never interrupted. It is when the brief peak of sound in my ears falls in tiny steps, down to a lasting sustain in my brain, printing a memory I can use minutes, hours, years later. I feel so fortunate that I have that power. It is in those moments that I understand the broader essence of melody, of harmony. No one else will hear it.
Beautiful work, and thank you for sharing your inspiring process.
Thank you, maestro, glad to see you are well.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
I love the tone of tangled. Y.T.B is approaching Del Jesu tone. In bottom end register.I wish I could.make my own violin. SO i am living the carving through you. I have the raw skills just not the materials or work space. Thank you Im just a sponge for violin knowledge. Most grateful for your share. I look forward to more as you are able.
You actually gave a real secret. In this age of click baits.
Thank you' kind sir. You are one of those unsung heroes who keeps crafts alive ...
I believe that you just "sung" a tune for me. :)
Thank you so much, and please pass the word around. There is so much more to come!
Beautiful craftmaship...Respect maestro🤩
Thank You
Hello Kevin Lee, it's always a pleasure to view a new video by you of the intricacies and mysteries of fine violin making. As you played the first "UnNamed" violin I could feel the words "Siren Song" come to me. Like a Lone mermaid, sitting upon a rock, calling the sailor ever closer.
You truly are, the Stradivarius of the modern times.
After hearing your comments, I will definitely have to practice a bit more and record the Mermaid violin ("The Sea") properly. You may wish to see her on my website in the meantime.
@@kevinleeluthier I would definitely like to hear "The Sea" violin. I will look for it on your website. Like looking for a sound you hear, wanting to know what it is coming from.
Was really missing this series, thanks for resuming. :)
I’ve watched you talk about grains for hours on repeat lol
Thanks for the views!
This is for real a educational vid. Very valuable info. Thanks for taking time to record it and posting it!
It truly is my pleasure. Thanks!
More than a little strength!! Takes me several sessions!
I love your videos your energy,love and knowledge of violins makes me so happy 😊
You sure have been showing up for us lately it's so great❤
Interesting insights. The Spirit of '76 was my favorite, enjoying the best combination of pleasing timbres. Thanks
Based upon the recording, I agree, yet they are all so much more wonderful in person. = I'm still working on better recording equipment here at the shop so I don't have to go anywhere else for quality recordings. Thanks for watching and listening!
Very interesting sir thanks a lot
Hi Kevin,
Been watching your videos for awhile now. Glad to see you’re back at it.
Truly inspiring, and relaxing at the same.
Wish the whole world would stop for a few moments and gain the appreciation we have for your efforts in sharing your love of the art, the history and the insights to every facet of your work. It would be a better place :)
Gonna have to put you on my bucket list for sure!
This is the first time I've seen one of your videos.
Coming from a violinist, my favorite of your violins is yet to be named, the first one
🎄 Blessings & thankyou 4 sharing a new world with me.🇺🇸✡️✝️
Very interesting!
That caliper is awesome!
I'll say it again: I love tools. :)
@@kevinleeluthier ♥️ Cheers to that!
Interesting video, enjoyed it......one of my favorite things to ponder, how thickness/graduation/piece uniqueness will affect tone, fun stuff.
I liked the Spirit of 76 most! Thanks!
In this video/recording, I did too. I'm just finishing up my new audio setup and I'll have to make some "serious" quality comparisons. :) Thanks for watching!
Very informative. I am fairly sure I'll try making my own violin at some point, but for now I need to focus on playing scales. This was a very cool video even though the information won't be immediately useful. I think I'm going to enjoy this channel a lot.
nice video...
Hey folks, it’s the wood! Many manufacturers today are doing this procedures - but they’re not Strads!
You are so right. They are not.
It is the wood, and a hundred other things that go into making a master violin, and doing any of them wrong can ruin everything.
No one ever gets "lucky" and knowing one or two secrets makes a master violin, but graduating the back properly and giving the violin a soul is the single most important item of all. :) Thanks for your comment!
Interesting ❤
you know all your violins sound great . my favorite one is still the spirit of 1776 . its voice is amazing and rich . it reaches out and sounds the charge if you will lol . now your one with no name sounds great to but its sound is different not by much but all i can say is it has a haunting sound its voice is is loud and rich as well but just makes you feel different ts both high and low in pitch on that tone that just makes you feel like something happend or is about to happen . it has a ghostly ring to it and i love that so much . great job my friend i hope you have a wonderful and very very merry Christmas .
Thank you so much for your comments. After playing and listening to the video online, I have to agree. As I practice up and figure out how to record the sound properly here (the small concert hall here at the school is still in a shambles), I plan on performing some music that shows each of them off to their full potential.
@@kevinleeluthier well im no expert but i do love your work . your one of my favorite violin making channels for sure .
@@kevinleeluthierWhat happened to your school?
Please let us know if you decide on a name for the 'ghost' violin. We'll be listening. Thanks, Kevin. You play well. I prefer deeper and not strident.
While most people do prefer the deeper tones, a soloist needs at least a moderate amount of strident for "full effect" in large concert halls. So, I make both.:)@@patriciajrs46
@@kevinleeluthierpossible name for your wonderful creation …..Emanon…. No name in reverse….Ciao from Lake Garda, Italy. Buon Natali e Buon Anno…
Great and inspiring video... I am just at the stage of carving the top and back of my first build (I started last Summer at a workshop and will be continuing next Summer). I've already done a lot of finicky tasks on it (ribs, lining, scroll etc), but I find the top and back carving absolutely terrifying!
I understand and sympathize completely. The first time can be scary, yet regardless of the outcome, so satisfying to actually complete one. :)
@@kevinleeluthierIsn't it wonderful that the personal, subtle, maybe even accidental rather than deliberate, changes affect the highs, lows, and overall resonance of the wood's performance and sound? I find that fascinating.
It has always amazed me the difference a small amount of wood can make. :)@@patriciajrs46
Currently Working a Birds Eye maple back. Hardest wood I’ve ever carved - like steel. Painful. By it rings like a bell so should be a good instrument.
❤❤❤
❤❤❤ right back at you!
I just want an 8 hour video of violin making. No talking or cheesy music. Just scraping and wood sounds please. Mmmmm that would be nice...
Oh and no commercials, either. That really harshes my mellow.
A gentlemen and a fine player!!!! Well done
Thank you so much, yet just wait: I'm still just beginning to practice again. It was about 1:30am when I recorded playing the violins and wow, my bow was crooked! Thanks for watching!
Is there any utility in treating the wood as a Chladni Plate and examining the patterns?
I was led to think of this by the description of Guarnerius using a central pin. That would correspond to a Chladni plate-visible node of least vibration.
I have found value in almost every scientific/experimental approach and have learned from each one. I encourage them all, yet everything over the years seems to lead back to "how the back moves when you are carving it, and when it's held in your hands." At the same time, every maker's hands are unique, and the proof is in the pudding/concert hall. Thank you so much for your comment!
SO fascinating. I know maple is the go to wood, but have you tried other woods? Harder or softer and if so how does that impact the sound?
You can make a "decent" violin out of almost any wood, if you really know what you're doing, but maple, when handled properly, always gives the very best tone and response. :)
@@kevinleeluthier Thank you for the reply. It's so interesting to hear your observations. I make pool cues, so I work with many of the same woods and have a keen interest in woods and woodworking in general.
Thank you for the great videos.
Good drum sander would do the rough out in no time...
I agree that power tools can be used for roughing out the wood (especially after breaking half of the bones in my right hand and wrist). But, don't take off too much wood, or finish graduating with power tools. Save enough to carve by hand so you get to know the wood personally.
Very inspiring video. Is there any shop that carries your violins ?
Just my own.
There's more politics to the fine violin marketplace than meets the eye. Many high end shops have offered to sell my instruments, yet only if I would move to their city and become "their" luthier. On the other hand, musicians have flown from around the world and no one has ever claimed that it wasn't worth their while. :) = The instruments truly are the "real deal" in person.
@@kevinleeluthier Hey, thank's for replying. That makes sense, maybe they wouldn't let you be yourself so much. The great masters had their own shops aswell, as far as I know.
@@kevinleeluthierwhen I discovered the book price of a violin wasn’t about what sound it made as much as about who made it, I was really taken aback. Sound should be king when it comes to valuing an instrument imo.
You are correct. Every master has always had their own shop.@@themrbadluck
What about the sound post and the varnish?
You are so correct. While this is the single largest contributor to the instruments character and tone, EVERYTHING that goes into a fine violin matters. :)
There is no resemblance between and a Guarneri del Jesu and the Antonio Stradivari save for the general form of the violin.
The clients of Stradivari were the rich and nobel gentlemen; Guarneri's clients were the pure musicians, even carnival musicians because Guarneri's only goal was the sound and Stradivari's the outer exterior of his artwork. Of course, a number of Stradivari's do have an excellent sound. The Stradivari is mainly a chamber music instrument; the Guarneri however excels as a solo instrument. Guarneri sold also blanks to carnival performers, who could do their own varnishing. Those instruments were not signed by him.
You did it! I believe that this is my longest reply yet.
With his round c-bouts and pinched corners, as I see it, "the general form of the violin" is where Guarneri 'del Gesù' varied the most from Stradivarius.
Guarnerius was "extremely original" in his style especially when considering that he used so many scrolls carved by his father and wife who both had completely different styles than his own. When Joseph (as he liked to be called) was learning from Stradivarius, every once in a while the unmistakable influence of the Master would show through. = Take a look at the purfling and finish of the "Dancla" (it's very apparent in person) and the ff holes of the "Kreisler."
Yes, a lot of Stradivari's customers were the rich and nobles, yet he also donated instruments to the monasteries and orphanages. They were usually his experiments and seconds that he didn't burn; especially during his early years, while some of Guarneri's earlier instruments were finely finished works of art, as fine or finer than those of Stradivarius.
If you believe that Stradivari's only goal was the artwork/exterior, why would so many of the greatest violinists in history with unlimited funds and influence choose to play on his alone? And why would most of the other great masters who loved Guarnerius more than life itself choose to trade back and forth between Guarneri's and Stradivari's instruments? Many carried them in a double case together. True quality of tone rings out from both of the master's instruments, it's simply a matter of taste. And I take it that you prefer the flavor of Guarnerius, and there's nothing wrong with that!
While, in the "all original" Baroque condition, Stradivaris are particularly wonderful for chamber work, the majority of his violins today still are among the finest concert instruments.
Yes, I agree. Guarneri is the "King" for booming in the concert hall, and doing it with a wonderful voice. This happens to be part of the reason why (as rumor has it) that Guarnerius was asked to leave the shop of Stradivaius. I will also never forget the sound of Leonidas Kavakos playing upon Paganini's "Cannon."
***As far as your last comment: I've never seen or heard that Guarnerius sold unvarnished instruments, and I'm intrigued. I don't rule anything out when it comes to Guarneri del Gesu, yet the varnishing process truly is the most time consuming and difficult part to master. If you know of any examples (or did the carnival performers simply paint them with clown faces and animals, etc and they were eventually thrown away?). Either way, I would love to see one.
Where can we try out your violins?
At the violin shop, located, Northeast of Leeds Utah, USA. Leave a message at -14352167993- to begin correspondence and/or set up an appointment.
Kevin knows how they did it, 'cause he witnessed it personally.
Wearing gloves when working with wood, that's what they teach you at the car oil changing workshop.
😊
Why would the wood relax while hanging from the ceiling? What does gravity to do wood structure?
The wood hangs from the ceiling to allow the air, the changes in temperature and the humidity/lack of humidity to cure it evenly, all the way around.
@@kevinleeluthier Thank you.
Now, if you will just make one of your best of these for Karolina Protsenko. It will be heard across the world everyday for many years to come by currently more than 8.2 million subscribers. Of course, the violin will be noted in the summary paragraph; to date seen by nearly 1.5 billion viewers. Enjoy your work. Thanks.
Karolina seems like a wonderful, and talented young musician. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for the tip, and in the meantime, put in a good word for me if you ever run into her. :)
@@kevinleeluthier - here is a recent video. You can go online to when she was eight or nine. She also plays classical and recently gave her first solo performed with the LA orchestra. She was also featured with Ray Chen online playing "Schindler's List.They limit the crowds these days but if you go back to the early days....
Have a happy holiday and great year ahead.
ruclips.net/video/soJ0nCLFes0/видео.html
Like this video, but how does it translate to cello construction?
It's pretty much the same, yet it's done with two people, or with two fixtures that can hold the plates a bit further apart on each end.
You don't mention the density of the wood. Woodwinds use the densest woods there are, blackwood, and it's thought the mini ice-age, ending slightly before their time, produced slow-grown, dense timbers. This is why many voicewoods for modern instruments come from trees grown in the mountains, often in the shaded areas of valleys, as they too grow slowly.
Whey I mention "heavier" and carving the back lower and thinner, I am referring to the density of the wood. Thanks for commenting!
5:18 google Vibrations of a circular membrane
I have a violin that says Stradi that needs refurbishing but no one will touch it. Any ideas? Yes, it’s been in my home my whole life. It was in my mother’s house her whole. Her mother was born in Udine Italy and her father brought it to the USA with his family
Any. clue who might look at it? No university, not our county orchestra. I’d just like to know and get it in shape to leave to my adult granddaughter.
Realize that there are "millions" of violins labelled Stradivarius that are not the genuine article. That said, I don't understand the "no one will touch it." Any decent violin shop should be willing to repair just about anything that your instrument may need. On the other hand, if they won't touch it because it's so severely damaged and not worth the repair cost in their mind, or it actually might be genuine, that's another story. If you go to kevinleeluthier.com, then click on contact information and send me a few pictures, I can offer a bit more advice.