Violin Making: A Practical Guide
Author: Juliet Barker
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Advice from an expert
Violin Making: A Guide for the Amateur
Author: Bruce Ossman
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good points, but not brilliantThis book DOES have a good set of full size plans, not sure if they are supposed to follow a strad, a guarnerius or whatever, but they just need photocopying for use. Every item is in the plans, except perhaps the bridge, tailpiece and pegs, which will probably be bought in. All pictures in the book are sketches, which sometimes makes carving directions etc difficult to follow - particularly with the scroll, a few close up photos would be a help. Some of the instructions are very vague - no tips given on how to accomplish that particular step, or brushing over a major point quickly.
So, a good book yes, but I find the Juliet Barker book better. You can always buy a poster from STRAD magazine if you want a full size plan of a particular violin. The JB book though, does not have the full set of plans (there are templates which need scaling up). The JB book also caters for violas and cellos, and has nice history and other violin family instruments too.
Violin Making : A Guide for the Amateur - Glowing Review
Superb - This is the book I have been wanting for so long. It assumes no knowledge of the art of violin making. It also has a comprehensive set of blueprint plans to photo copy and use as templates for cutting out and shaping the wood. I have not found these in any other book. A set of plans for making a violin cost about £25,so this book saves you money from the outset. It also cuts through all the myths and just gives you what you need to know - how to make a violin!.
Excellent step-by-step for amateur
since I would not now what it takes to be a professional. But as I started with out a clue, using Foxfire book which gives some dimensions but no specifics, this book diagrams and describes how to build the forms to tuning…gives tracable drawings in the back for all the pieces.
Violin Playing as I Teach it
Author: Leopold Auer
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A Wonderful Insight into early 20th Century TechniqueA Violinist’s Treasure
Not only the technical and interpretation explanations are extremely valuable, but they also come directly from the tradition of Dont and Joachim who Auer studied with. It is an honor to be taught by such an exceptional violinist and to read about how Sarasate, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski and other 19th-century masters played.
Over my head
Whereas I’m sure there is no doubting Mr. Auer’s ability in playing the violin, as a beginner, I found alot of what he had to say here, irrelevant for my needs. Perhaps I thought that by the word ‘teach’ in the title, that it would assist, but in fact, it didn’t at all. If anything, it made me wonder why I was attempting to start this instrument so late in life!
Teach Yourself Violin (Step One Teach Yourself)
Manufacturer: Amsco Music
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Violin and Viola (Menuhin Music Guides)
Author: Yehudi Menuhin
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Improve your technique!The material covered is broad in scope: from yoga, Tai Chi, visualisation and nutrition to more traditional and technical exercises. But don’t get the idea that the book lacks focus; all of these different disciplines are brought together in a logical progression.
I play traditional Irish music, not classical music, so I found it necessary to modify or even skip many of the exercises. The book inspired me to invent several exercises that were more appropriate for the style of music I play. The authors use some terminology from classical music that may be unfamiliar to fiddlers, but every term is explained in detail, and there’s a handy glossary at the back of the book.
This book would probably be quite overwhelming to a complete beginner. But even if some of the material is too advanced for you right now, better to have this book early in your career so you can be aware of critical issues and avoid developing bad habits.
Violin-Making: A Historical and Practical Guide
Author: Edward Heron-Allen
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