The first step in making a violin is selecting the pattern. If you want to make anything you need a plan. The shop owner suggested making a Strad, so Strad it is. I have a few posters of Strads, The Milanollo, the Viotti, and the newest one, the Titan. I've figured out the Viotti before and decided to make a go of the Titan.
Violins, at least Cremonese violins, are build from the ribs up on a mold. The mold is a piece of wood, cut to the the outline of the violin, and blocks of wood are glued on it that become the corner blocks and end blocks. The mold helps form the shape and facilitates gluing the ribcage together. Stradivari used many different molds in his long lifetime. The Titan is said to be made on the P mold. If you have ever tried to make an outline of a violin, measuring the lengths and widths, and connecting arcs, you know it is harder than it looks. Adding to that, violins are never symmetrical. The Titan seems to be the worst one I've seen yet! Even the archings are way off center. I made my mold drawing on AutoCad (because I have it), using dimensions I found online. It fits the Titan on one side, sort of, then you have to cock it on an angle and then it sort of fits the other side. I'm happy with it. All of the dimensions are related to each other with simple ratios...3/5, 5/8, 1/3, that seems to be the way things were done in the period. I've found that every violin I've drawn up has a certain structure to how the f holes are placed. No maker does his the same as anyone else. Some even change their structure from pattern to pattern, or just to change it, but it is always there. Don't just copy the f hole dimensions, try to figure out the underlying structure for the placement of the terminal holes. At least that might look right.
So nice
ReplyDeleteif you want to stuff around ,i spent some time learning how to draw a violin, viola cello from only the bridge width , and posted a tutorial on how to draw them at http://www.elixirviolins.com/vanilla-1.1.8/vanilla-1.1.8/comments.php?DiscussionID=4&page=1#Item_0
ReplyDeletetake a look ,
this is my 1234 violin , if you use it straight off the plan call it a 1234 violin
but try a 32mm start and overlap top and bottom (97) , adjust to suit your needs , then call it your own
have fun
Ken
the people on that forum talk alot between ourself , and discribe our violin shapes as Xmm bottom bout , Xmm top bout , and Xmm overlap and starting at the top a 1121 is the bout circle for the points , we can draw there exact shape from those 4 measurements ,
ReplyDeletewont give away what shapes were making , but we are making carbon fibre violins
cheers ken
Hey Ken, I like figuring out different outlines. The last couple I've done were a Guadagnini and an Amati. Totally different, but only if you look at them!
ReplyDeleteyes there a lot skinnier , i thought since im not making them out of wood , there is no use copying a wooden one
ReplyDeleteWhere can I buy some nice violin posters?
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't see this sooner. The place with the most isThe Strad store. http://www.orpheusmusicshop.com/posters.html
ReplyDeleteOn sale now for 15 Euros.