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The small Italian city of Cremona in Lombardy. This is where the largest number of violin makers on the planet live. Antonio Stradivari, probably the most famous in the world, brought fame to this place. 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. There are three hundred violin makers living 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 a lot to see here), you will see 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 this is excellent, but you can 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 courtyard.

2 A small garden surrounded by greenery, almost balconies, and in the depths of the courtyard a workshop with windows on the entire floor.

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

4 Trudovik’s desk at school looked almost the same, don’t you think?

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

7 The violin and guitar are almost siblings, despite the fundamentally different principles of playing these instruments. As a rule, violin makers sometimes also 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 both. It all starts with a tree. The sound of the future violin largely depends on the correct choice of material. The most common type among Cremonese violins is maple. The master glues shell, the side surface of the violin (or guitar) body.

8 The biggest difference in the manufacturing process is that the body of a violin is “assembled” inside the bracing, while that of a guitar is built around this bracing.

9 From the outside it seems that the master is simply “planing plywood”? The top of a violin is made from resonant spruce, special acoustic wood. You'll be surprised, but people grow special forests with musical trees! The rest of the instrument is made of maple. Each movement of the plane changes the sound of the future violin. Rough carpentry work performed by luthier becomes almost jewelry work.

11 Stefano Konia is a hereditary master, his father also plays violins, like his grandfather. By the way, our hero is Stepan Stepanovich, my 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. This is such a profession, dynastic.

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

13 The instruments differ from each other, first of all, in their sound qualities; here you can no longer find two equal. You can come up with various decorative elements and designs, but such work will not be the imagination of the manufacturer, but an order of the client. The creator of a violin in Cremona never puts his mark on the instrument, but in a very narrow circle of local craftsmen they will always unmistakably determine who made it. Three hundred people who have known each other closely for a long time is not so much.

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 planet order violins here in Cremona. Among other things, it is also a status.

15 A violin made by Konio son costs ten thousand euros. Stefano Sr. successfully sells his instruments at prices starting from twenty thousand. Orders are individual, but scheduled 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 city. And they also continue the work of the great “grandfather” Stradivarius.

When it comes to talking about craftsmen who became famous for making violins with an unusual sound, two Italian names always come to mind - Amati and Stradivari. The art of these two great Italians is still worshiped by the world. The small town of Cremona became famous in the 16th and 17th centuries thanks to two unsurpassed masters.

But the Italian direction in the manufacture of this musical instrument is not the only one. The German and French schools provide him with worthy competition, or rather, a complement. Each of them is not only unique, but also significantly different from the others, having its own advantages and disadvantages.

To answer the question unambiguously, “What kind of wood is a violin made from?” impossible, because each of its parts or elements is made from a certain breed. Spruce is used for the top soundboard, on which there are two resonator holes in the central part, reminiscent of the English letter “f”. This type of wood has the most pronounced elasticity, which allows you to achieve excellent sounding of bass notes. The top deck is made either from a single piece of wood or from two parts.

The back, on the contrary, is responsible for the top notes, and maple is generally recognized as the appropriate material for this. It is also used for making shells. In addition, for a long time, wavy maple was used, which was delivered to medieval Italy from Turkey, thanks to which violin makers produced their unique creations.

The neck is another important element of the instrument, which is an oblong plank. It is constantly in contact with the strings and, therefore, is subject to wear. It is made from rosewood or ebony (black) wood, which are particularly hard and durable. Rosewood also does not sink in water. Iron wood is not inferior in these properties, but due to its green color, which does not harmonize with the general color scheme of the violin, it was not used.

What kind of wood a violin is made of is only now becoming clear. These are the three main species - spruce, maple and rosewood. It is believed that the best tree will be one that has grown under natural conditions in mountainous areas. As a result of natural temperature fluctuations, such trees have more elastic wood with a minimum moisture content, which is reflected in the sound of the instrument.

The violin has a complex configuration, which has bulges and bends. Each master who creates this instrument has his own style of creating it. There are not and cannot be two violins with the same sound, but not only for this reason. The main one is the properties of wood, which can never be repeated.

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

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Method 2:
The violin is a high-register bowed stringed musical instrument. It is of folk origin, acquired its modern appearance in the 16th century, and became widespread in the 17th century. It has four strings tuned in fifths: g, d1, a1, e2 (small octave G, D, A of the first octave, E of the second octave), range from g (small octave G) to a4 (A of the fourth octave) and higher. The violin's timbre is thick in the low register, soft in the middle and brilliant in the upper. There are also five-string violins, with the addition of a lower alto string “c” (up to a small octave).
The body of the violin has a specific round shape. In contrast to the classic case shape, the trapezoidal parallelogram shape is mathematically optimal with rounded notches on the sides forming the “waist”. The roundness of the external contours and waist lines ensures comfortable play, particularly in high positions. The lower and upper planes of the body - the deck - are connected to each other by strips of wood - shells. They have a convex shape, forming “arches”. The geometry of the vaults, as well as their thickness and its distribution, to one degree or another, determine the strength and timbre of the sound. A damper is placed inside the case, transmitting vibrations from the stand - through the upper deck - to the lower deck. Without it, the violin's timbre loses its liveliness and fullness.
The strength and timbre of a violin's sound is greatly influenced by the material from which it is made, and, to a lesser extent, by the composition of the varnish. There is a known experiment with the complete chemical removal of varnish from a Stradivarius 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 paints 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 of resonant spruce. It has two resonator holes - f-holes (in shape they resemble the Latin letter f). A stand rests on the middle of the top soundboard, on which the strings, attached to the tailpiece (underneck), rest. Under the foot of the stand on the side of the Sol string, a single spring is attached to the upper soundboard - a longitudinally located wooden plank, which largely ensures the strength of the upper soundboard and its resonant properties.
The shells combine the lower and upper soundboards, forming 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 duller and softer the sound, the lower the shells, the more piercing and transparent the upper notes. The shells, like the soundboards, are made from maple wood.

3 way:
Ancient Petersburg takes on a new meaning
Russia 24
Musical instruments from the structures of ancient buildings began to be made in St. Petersburg. It turned out that wooden beams from houses undergoing demolition can find a second life. They are used to make violins comparable in quality to the masterpieces of Stradivarius and Amati.
23.02.2012

4 way:
The hero of the column is the only violin maker in the region. At first, he carved chipped birds of happiness from wood, and he succeeded very well. But when his children went to music school, violin class, they needed instruments. And he decided - 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 have been heard in different parts of the world. In 2015, a large music competition among violinists will be held in Arkhangelsk, where his violin will be the main prize. And we learn about what helps him in his work and the hidden secrets of creating a violin from the story of our journalists...

5 way:
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Academy of Entertaining Arts. Music. Lesson 1. The first musical instruments. The sound of a violin.
People tried to express the sound of music with the help of the first musical instruments. Our ancestor Adam, from the first moments of his life, began to observe what was happening around him and discovered that music was 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, and knocking stones against stones. It is difficult to say when and where the first musical instruments were first played, but archaeologists are still finding them all over the world. They are different among different peoples, but scientists all call them idiophones. An idiophone is a musical instrument in which the source of sound is the body of the instrument itself. Idiophones include many percussion instruments, for example, castanets, spoons, triangles, and bells. Musical instruments are mentioned 29 times in the Bible. After all, music has always been an expression of the feelings of the people.
The title of queen of music was given to the violin well deservedly. Its sound most closely conveys the intonation of a human voice. The violin is capable of different musical techniques and styles. Great virtuoso violinists proved this with their art: 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 mastery. They knew how to make the violin sound gentle, soft, similar to a human voice. All over the world, very few Italian instruments have survived, but all of them are strictly registered. They are played by the most famous virtuoso musicians around the world. The first violins appeared in Italy and France at the beginning of the 16th century. At first, the violin was considered an instrument of the lower classes. Gradually, the violin conquered the space with its bright sound. How does a violin work? This instrument is made from two different types of wood. This is spruce and maple. Only this ratio gives the violin a special sound. The two planes of the violin body are called soundboards. On the top deck there are beautiful cutouts in the form of the Latin letter f - through them the sound comes out. The decks are connected to each other by shells. The strings are attached to the tailpiece and rest on a stand, which transmits the vibrations of the strings to the soundboards. The strings pass over the neck and are tensioned by pegs located on the headstock. A chinrest is attached to the top deck for comfortable holding of the instrument. A damper is placed inside the case, which transmits sound vibrations from the top to the bottom. Also, the sound of a violin depends on the composition of the varnish used on its body.

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Violin , practically the only musical instrument, not countingritual drums and Greek harps, which was deified. The names of the 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 a human voice and a violin. For centuries, the technology, materials and methods of its manufacture have been developed, which have remained virtually unchanged since the mid-18th century. The violin has become one of the most classical instruments.

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

There are many schools and directions of violin making, but the most striking are recognizedItalian, French and German . They all have their advantages and disadvantages and differ significantly from each other both in sound and manufacturing methods. The sound of instruments of the Italian school is recognized as the most timbre, flexible and controllable. That is, the musician can control the timbre characteristics of the instrument. The sound of German school instruments is bright and empty. French instruments sound somewhat glassy and hollow. Although in all schools there were instruments with “foreign” characteristics.

Three types of wood are used to make a violin: maple, spruce and ebony (black) wood. 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 softness and elasticity of spruce is ideal for it. The back, head and sides are made from maple. The back mainly works for the upper register, and the density of the maple corresponds to 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 ironwood 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 instruments, 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 best meet the acoustic requirements. This is confirmed by all modern research.

The best wood for making a violin is considered to be one that grows in the mountains. It's a matter of climate. In the mountains, wood is exposed to sudden 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 established tradition, to make the back, craftsmen use wavy maple, which is distinguished by a beautiful wavy pattern. There is a known historical fact that wavy maple fell into the hands of Italian craftsmen. In the 18th century, Türkiye supplied Italy with maple for oars on galleys. The oars were straight-grained maple. But since it is difficult to understand its structure without sawing a log, batches of wavy maple often came in, to the delight of 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 method of “tuning” the instrument’s decks. The most complex and effective method was used by the Italians. I have completely perfected this method.A. Stradivarius 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. The essence of setting up the instrument deck is quite simple. For every sound “taken” on a string, there should be a section on the soundboard that resonates with 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 be harmoniously combined with the rest. In addition, the soundboard of the violin is under constant tension under the pressure of the strings (for example, the stand “presses” on the upper soundboard with a force of 30 kg). Soundboard tuning is one of the most difficult and important operations in violin making. The genius of Italian tuning is that, being the most complex (total), it takes into account any properties of the material. This is why direct copying of the thicknesses of unique tools does not give the desired results, since there are no absolutely identical pieces of wood. Frequently published thickness maps of unique instruments (Vitachek) do not carry any information if you do not have the deck from which this map was made in your hands.

The plasticity of the vaults, and not their height, is of great importance. 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 release moisture, thus changing its mass, and therefore its resonant frequency. This property is well known to violinists when instruments change their sound in rainy weather. That’s why the soil, about which there are many legends, is so important. Priming the decks is very similar to embalming Egyptian mummies. The materials are very similar and the goals are absolutely the same - to preserve the material in its original form, to prevent moisture and rotting. In a violin, this process is more complex, since by introducing soil into the wood, we change its mass, and therefore the sound quality. In addition, by changing something in one area of ​​the deck, its relationship with others is automatically disrupted.

There are many legends about the secret of the sound of ancient instruments. There is a claim that the secret is in the varnish. This is not true. The purpose of varnish is to protect the instrument from external influences, highlight the beauty of the wood and not hinder the sound. When the varnish was washed off one of Stradivari's instruments, it began to sound worse. The fact is that the varnish was washed off, and not cleaned off mechanically. That is, they were exposed to 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 were created, which delighted the whole world, there were other requirements for sound, different strings (gut), the neck was shorter, wider and at a different angle to the body, a different stand and the standard of the tuning fork “A” was half a tone lower. That is, now we hear a completely different sound that was embedded in them during manufacture. From an acoustic point of view, the shape of the violin is not ideal. Already in our time, research was carried out in this area, and it turned out that the ideal shape for sound is trapezoidal (in the shape of a small coffin). But there were no people willing to play such violins. The third string that suffers the most on a violin is the third string. Even on the best Italian instruments it is a little weaker than the others. Modern string manufacturers take this into account. Nowadays the authentic style of playing and the structure of the violin are being revived. And this is much closer to why this tool was created.

In fact, all ancient instruments that have survived to this day work at the limit of their capabilities and therefore require special attention.

Musicians and craftsmen have a concept of “playing an instrument.” This applies to new, long-unplayed and restored instruments. Even simply releasing all the strings and then tightening them changes the sound picture and requires playing out. There are a huge number of stresses interconnected in a tool. Wood is an organic material that can change its properties depending on external influences: the weather, the way a musician produces sound, and even the weight of the chinrest. When played, the instrument seems to get used to the performer's style. A good musician can extract a very good sound from a mediocre instrument. But not everyone can achieve the full spectrum of sound on a good, expensive instrument. This requires a high performing level, otherwise the instrument will get used to what you can do.