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Small Italian town of Cremona in Lombardy. It is here that the largest number of violin makers on the planet live. Glory to this place was brought by your hearsay Antonio Stradivari, probably the most famous in the world luthier, which set the world standard for the violin as we see it today.

In our age of large factories and automated conveyors, violins continue to be made by hand, each instrument is unique and unique. Three hundred violin makers live in Cremona, and I visited one of them, the hereditary luthier Stefano Conia.

1 If you walk around the center of Cremona (and there is something to see here), you will come across violins at every step. In shop windows, on the walls of houses, on monuments and cafe signs. The Music Museum, the Stradivarius Museum, the Violin Museum - all of these are excellent, but you go there without me. Don't go far, I'm already ringing the intercom, the door in the arch opens, and we find ourselves in the yard.

2 A small garden immersed in greenery, almost balconies, and in the back of the courtyard a workshop with windows to the entire floor.

3 Stefano himself opens the door: downstairs he has only a workshop, and the house is one floor higher, where he lives with his parents. It is pouring rain outside the window, but here it is warm. Catch your breath after a wet run, warm up, and start looking around. Where did we find ourselves?

4 The working table of a labor worker at school looked almost the same, don’t it?

5 To become a master, you need to have a good knowledge of many sciences, besides joinery and carpentry. Chemistry and mathematics are among them.

7 Violin and guitar are almost siblings, despite the fundamentally different principles of playing these instruments. As a rule, violinists sometimes make guitars, although luthier guitarists are unlikely to be able to immediately make a good violin. But the principle of gluing the body is similar for those and others. It all starts with a tree. It is from the right choice material in to a greater extent the sound of the future violin depends. The most common among Cremona violins is maple. The master glues sidewall, the side surface of the violin (or guitar) body.

8 The biggest difference in the manufacturing process is that the shell of the violin is “assembled” within the spacers, while for the guitar it is built around that spacer.

9 From the outside it seems that the master is simply "cutting the plywood"? The violin top is made of resonant spruce, special acoustic wood. Surprise, but people grow special forests with musical trees! The rest of the tool is made of maple. Each movement of the plane changes the sound of the future violin. Rough carpentry performed by luthier becomes almost a piece of jewelry.

11 Stefano Conia is a hereditary master, his father also studies violins, like his grandfather. By the way, our hero is Stepan Stepanovich, dad's name is the same, and at first, having found the master's website on the Internet, I thought that I would meet Konio Sr. Such is the profession, dynastic.

12 Although Stradivari himself did not leave his sons the secrets of mastery, they have long been solved, and today everyone is trying to follow his traditions. Look, the shape of all creaks is absolutely identical, everything is done according to the canons that have long been enshrined in this world, you cannot retreat even a millimeter. Where is creativity in such work? In sound!

13 Instruments differ from each other, first of all, in terms of sound qualities, here two cannot be found equal. You can come up with different decorative elements and patterns, but such work will not be a fantasy of the manufacturer, but a client's order. The creator of the violin in Cremona never puts his stamp on the instrument, but in a very narrow circle of local craftsmen they will always accurately determine who made it. Three hundred people who have known each other for a long time and intimately are not so many.

14 Of course, violins are made in many countries of the world, in China they are desperately riveted in factories, but still, serious musicians from all over the world order a violin here in Cremona. Among other things, it is also a status.

15 A violin made by Konio the son costs ten thousand euros. Stefano Sr. successfully sells his instruments at a price of twenty thousand. The orders are piece, but are scheduled for six months in advance. A lot of musicians personally come to Cremona to choose the best master.

16 Stefano said that two Russian violin makers live and work in their town. And they also continue the work of the great “grandfather” Stradivari.

Hello, friends! My name is Sergey, you can see my other selections on this site, today we will figure out how to make a violin out of wood together.

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Method 2:
The violin is a high-register bowed stringed musical instrument. Has a folk origin, modern look acquired in the XVI century, became widespread in the XVII century. It has four strings, tuned in fifths: g, d1, a1, e2 (low octave G, D, A of the first octave, E of the second octave), the range from g (Low octave G) to a4 (A of the fourth octave) and higher. The timbre of the violin is thick in the low register, soft in the middle and brilliant in the upper register. There are also five-stringed violins, with the addition of the lower alto string "c" (up to the minor octave).
The violin body has a specific rounded shape. In contrast to the classic body shape, the trapezoidal parallelogram shape is mathematically optimal with rounded notches on the sides, forming a "waist". The roundness of the outer contours and the "waist" lines provide a comfortable play, especially in high positions. The lower and upper surfaces of the body - decks - are connected to each other by strips of wood - shells. They have a convex shape, forming "vaults". The geometry of the vaults, as well as their thickness, its distribution, to one degree or another, determine the strength and timbre of the sound. A darling is placed inside the body, transmitting vibrations from the stand - through the upper deck - to the lower deck. Without it, the timbre of the violin loses its liveliness and fullness.
The strength and timbre of the sound of a violin is greatly influenced by the material from which it is made, and, to a lesser extent, the composition of the varnish. There is an experiment with complete chemical removal of varnish from a Stradivari violin, after which its sound did not change. The varnish protects the violin from changes in the quality of the wood under the influence of the environment and stains the violin with a transparent color from light golden to dark red or brown.
The back (musical term) is made from solid maple (other hardwoods), or from two symmetrical halves.
The top is made from resonant spruce. It has two resonator holes - f-holes (they resemble the Latin letter f in shape). A stand rests on the middle of the top deck, on which the strings are supported, fixed on the tailpiece (neck). Under the foot of the stand on the side of the string G, a single spring is attached to the top deck - a longitudinally located wooden bar, which largely ensures the strength of the top deck and its resonant properties.
The shells unite the top and bottom decks to form the side surface of the violin body. Their height determines the volume and timbre of the violin, fundamentally influencing the sound quality: the higher the shells, the softer and softer the sound, the lower - the more piercing and transparent the upper notes. The shells are made, like the decks, of maple wood.

Method 3:
Old Petersburg acquires a new sound
Russia 24
Musical instruments from the structures of ancient buildings began to be made in St. Petersburg. It turned out that wooden beams houses going to be demolished can find a second life. They are used to make violins comparable in quality to the masterpieces of Stradivari and Amati.
23.02.2012

Method 4:
The column's hero is the only violin maker in the region. At first, he carved the wood chips of happiness, and he did it very well. But when his children went to music school, violin class, they needed instruments. And he made up his mind - he made the first violin in his life. It was a real musical instrument that took his daughter and son into the world of great music. Since then, he has been a unique master, whose violins are played in different parts of the world. In 2015, Arkhangelsk will host a large music competition among violinists, where exactly his violin will become the main prize. And what helps him in his work and the secret secrets of creating a violin, we learn from the plot of our journalists ...

Method 5:
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Academy of Entertaining Arts. Music. Lesson 1. The first musical instruments. Violin sound.
People tried to express the sound of music with the help of the first musical instruments. Our progenitor Adam from the first moments of his life began to observe what was happening around him and discovered that music is everywhere - not only in nature, but also in himself. The ancient musicians expressed the impulses of their souls by clapping their hands, snapping their fingers, knocking stones on stones. It is difficult to say when and where the first musical instruments first sounded, but archaeologists still find them all over the world. Have different nations they are different, but scientists all call them idiophones. An idiophone is a musical instrument in which the body of the instrument itself serves as the sound source. Many percussion instruments belong to idiophones, for example, castanets, spoons, triangle, bells. In the Bible, musical instruments are mentioned 29 times. After all, music has always been an expression of the feelings of the people.
The violin was given the title of Queen of Music quite deservedly. Its sound most closely conveys the intonation of a human voice. The violin is subject to various musical techniques and styles. This was proved by their art by the great virtuoso violinists: Niccolo Paganini, Pablo de Sarasate, David Oistrakh, Vladimir Spivakov and others. In their hands, the sound of the violin was unique. And the best violin makers lived in Italy in the 17th century. The Italians sacredly kept their secrets of craftsmanship. They knew how to make the sound of the violin gentle, soft, like a human voice. In the whole world, very few Italian instruments have survived, but they are all strictly registered. They are played by the most famous virtuoso musicians around the world. The first violins appeared in Italy and France in early XVI century. At first, the violin was considered an instrument of the lower classes. Gradually, the violin conquered space with its bright sound. How does a violin work? This tool is made from two different types of wood. These are spruce and maple. Only this ratio gives the violin a special sound. The two planes of the violin body are called decks. The top deck has beautiful f-shaped notches that let the sound come out. Decks are connected to each other by shells. The strings are attached to a tailpiece and rest on a stand that transmits the vibrations of the strings to the soundboards. The strings pass over the neck and are pulled by the tuning pegs located on the headstock. A chin rest is attached to the top deck for comfortable holding of the instrument. A darling is placed inside the body, which transmits sound vibrations from the top to the bottom. Also, the sound of a violin depends on the composition of the varnish with which its body.

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The violin is practically the only musical instrument, apart from the ritual drums and Greek harps, which was deified. The names of parts of the violin have been preserved: head, neck, chest, waist, darling. The violin was created as an analogue of the human voice. Until now, even with the most modern technology, it has not been possible to synthesize the timbre of the human voice and violin. For centuries, the technology, materials and methods of its manufacture have been perfected, which have practically not changed since the middle of the 18th century. The violin has become one of the most classic instruments.

The violin device is the most difficult in terms of physics, acoustics and resistance of materials. In fact, it is the most complex acoustic device that requires precise tuning and adjustment.

There are many schools and directions of violin making, but the most striking are Italian, French and German. All of them have their own advantages and disadvantages and differ significantly from each other both in sound and in manufacturing methods. The sound of the instruments of the Italian school is recognized as the most timbre, plastic and controllable. That is, the musician can control the timbre characteristics of the instrument. The sound of the instruments of the German School is distinguished by brightness and emptiness. French instruments sound somewhat "glassy" and boomy. Although in all schools came across instruments with "alien" characteristics.

Three types of wood are used to make a violin: maple, spruce and ebony (ebony). Depending on the properties of the wood, various tool parts are made from it. Since the top is almost entirely responsible for the sound of the bass strings, the combination of the softness and firmness of spruce is ideal for it. Maple is used for the back, head and sides. The back is mostly high-pitched, and the maple density matches these frequencies. The neck is made of ebony. Ebony, due to its high rigidity and strength (by the way, it sinks in water) has maximum resistance to wear from strings. Only an iron tree can compete with it, but it is very heavy and has a green color.

The combination of maple, spruce and ebony is used in almost all stringed wooden instruments: bowed, guitar, balalaika, domra, lyre, zither, harp and others.

Many generations of craftsmen have experimented with various materials for making violins (poplar, pear, cherry, acacia, cypress, walnut), but maple and spruce meet the acoustic requirements best of all. This is confirmed by all modern research.

The best tree for making a violin is considered to be a tree grown in the mountains. It's about the climate. In the mountains, the tree is exposed to sharp temperature changes and is not oversaturated with moisture. Thus, the summer layers become smaller than on the plain and, in general, the relative elasticity increases, i.e. sound conductivity. According to the established tradition, craftsmen use wavy maple with a beautiful wavy pattern for making the back. The historical fact of getting to the Italian masters of wavy maple is known. In the 18th century, Turkey supplied Italy with maple for galley oars. Straight-grained maple was on the oars. But since it is difficult to understand its structure without sawing a log, parties of wavy maple often came, to the delight of the violin makers. By the way, working with wavy maple is much more difficult than with regular maple.

Of particular interest, controversy, and legend is the way the instrument decks are “tuned”. The most difficult and effective method used by Italians. A. Stradivari completely "honed" this method in the last 10 years of his life. It is known from physics that the thinner and softer the material, the lower the tone it emits, that is, it reaches maximum resonance at low frequencies. Conversely, the denser (harder) and thicker the material, the higher its resonant frequency. Thus, by changing the density and thickness of the material, you can achieve maximum resonance for the desired sound. Tuning the decks of an instrument is pretty simple. For each sound "taken" on the string, there should be a section on the deck that resonates to it as much as possible and harmoniously combines with the rest. The problem is that all sounds have several overtones, which must also have their "place" and also harmoniously combine with the rest. In addition, the decks of the violin are in constant tension under the pressure of the strings (for example, the stand "presses" on the top deck with a force of 30 kg.). Tuning the decks is one of the most difficult and important operations in violin making. The genius of the Italian setting lies in the fact that it, being the most complex (total), takes into account any material properties. That is why direct copying of the thicknesses of unique tools does not give the desired results, since there are no exactly identical pieces of wood. Often published maps of the thickness of unique instruments (Vitachek) do not carry any information if there is no deck with which this map was made in the hands.

The plasticity of the vaults is of great importance, not their height. All other parts of the violin (head, neck, shells) also resonate, and therefore participate in the formation of sound. Wood, being an organic, dispersed material, can absorb and give up moisture, thus changing its mass, and therefore its resonant frequency. This property is well known to violinists when, in rainy weather, instruments change their sound. Therefore, the soil is so important, about which there are many legends. Priming decks is very similar to embalming Egyptian mummies. The materials are very similar and absolutely the same goals - to preserve the material in its original form, to prevent moisture and decay. In a violin, this process is more complicated, since by introducing soil into a tree, we change its mass, and hence the sound quality. In addition, changing something on one part of the deck, its relationship with others is automatically violated.

There are many legends about the secret of the sound of ancient instruments. There is a statement that the secret is in the varnish. This is not true. The purpose of the varnish is to protect the instrument from external influences, to emphasize the beauty of the wood and not to constrain the sound. When the varnish was removed from one of the Stradivari's instruments, it began to sound worse. The fact is that the varnish was washed off, and not mechanically cleaned off. That is, they acted with a liquid solvent, which, of course, was absorbed into the wood and changed its mass and density.

But that's not all. In those days, when violins that admired the whole world were created, there were different requirements for the sound, different strings (veins), the neck was shorter, wider and at a different angle to the body, the other stand and the standard of the "A" tuning fork was half a tone lower. That is, now we hear a completely different sound that was embedded in them during production. Acoustically speaking, the shape of the violin is not perfect. Already in our time, research was carried out in this area, and it turned out that the ideal form for sounding is trapezoidal (in the form of a small coffin). But there were no people willing to play such violins. The third string "suffers" the most on the violin. Even on the finest Italian instruments, it is slightly weaker than the rest. Modern firms - manufacturers of strings, take this into account. Now the authentic style of playing and the structure of the violin is being revived. And this is much closer to why this tool was created.

Prepare the wood. Most often, violins are made from spruce and maple wood. The lower body (bottom deck), sides of the body (shells) and the neck are made of maple. For the manufacture of the upper part of the body (top deck), as a rule, spruce wood is used.

• You will need a single piece of maple wood for the back, a long maple board for the neck, a few strips of maple veneer for the sides, and a solid piece of spruce for the top.
• Also, in order to give the violin the necessary shape, you will need a few more pieces of spruce wood, which will subsequently be bent around by maple shells.
• Small pieces of wood are placed in the corners of the violin in order to connect the shells and support the body itself.
• You can find the materials you need for work on the Internet. Try to search these sites here: (for those who live in the UK) and (the site operates worldwide).
• For searching additional information take advantage Google.

Work with a solid piece of maple: cut a thick bar in half. Then glue the panels together so that you get one large canvas. Do the same for the whole piece of spruce timber that will be used to make the top deck. You can find more information here:.

Form the shells from the veneer. Take the money and buy a listogib - a tool for bending wood and metal. You can also use an ordinary iron, but it is more difficult to work with it, and the result is not ideal.

Shape the top and bottom decks as desired. Carving will take you quite a lot of time.

1. Be sure to use a template - you can find it on the Internet or come up with your own. Transfer the drawing to the tree.
2. Cut carefully. Sand the edges with a file. The upper and lower parts of the case should be perfectly flat, the thickness around the perimeter should be the same - around 0.5 cm.
3. You can achieve the required uniform thickness using a file and sandpaper. It is also necessary to get rid of the excess wood inside the decks. Use a chisel for this.
   • You can use a drill to speed up the process.
4. Follow the steps above for the top and bottom of the case.
5. Use a drill to make holes in the top deck - f-holes, use a template for this. Also, do not forget to glue a sweetheart to the bottom deck, which will make the violin sound cleaner and brighter.