Make your very own violin.
Are you interested in learning how to make a violin? We offer in person instruction at our shop, where you will get the chance to get hands on and create your very own instrument! If you are interested in making a viola or cello, first learning how to make a violin will help you in that journey, and will give you the foundation you will need to make any instrument of the violin-family quartet.
Scheduling is flexible and will depend on the availability of the student and the availability of the instructor. Pricing will vary depending on how many students are present at a given time, but as an introductory rate, we are offering lessons at $15/hr with a $450 initial fee, which will cover the cost of materials. In addition, there is a minimum $45 session fee, and a maximum session fee of $75. This means that costs will never be less than $45 nor greater than $75 in a single day. There also is a capped monthly rate, where dedicated students will not spend more than $750 in a month. These lessons are not meant to compete with or replace traditional violinmaking schools which train students to become professionals in the field, yet one can certainly use this as a starting point, should one want to take the route of pursuing violinmaking in earnest.
Why violinmaking?
My answer would be why not? There is both wonder and a feeling of peace in lutherie, or violinmaking. Violinmakers tend to use mostly hand tools, and tend to create violins the same way they have been doing so for centuries. In this way they are very traditional, or atavistic even. By slowly and methodically crafting an instrument, one finds a certain kind of joy in the repetitive, diligent, deliberate, and meditative process of violinmaking. In other words, it is a very enjoyable pursuit.
Things to know about violinmaking for prospective students.
Violinmaking is a very time-intensive activity. It will likely be several hundred hours before a student finishes their first one, but it could also take a much shorter time, or maybe even longer. It requires patience, commitment and perseverance. Mistakes will inevitably occur, but that is of course part of the learning process!
The tools can be very expensive as well. Trying to get into violinmaking either as a hobby or as a profession does not come cheap. One could always try to find the most economical route, but either way, there are must-haves when it comes to making violins, and that includes having wood, tools, varnish, and a workbench. We allow students to use our tools, so students don’t have to worry immediately about making the initial investment in tools.
