Mindsigh

Making an electric violin

Posted by Jerry on March 16th, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Music

Here’s a great short vid on making an electric violin 🙂

Neat eh?

Happy St Pat’s Eve – I’ll be playing down at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra tonight 🙂

Cheers
Jerry

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Violin repaired – German Maggini copy

Posted by Jerry on March 10th, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Music

One of the best bits of news I received on my birthday was that my concert violin is fixed. Four cracks repaired, new bass bar, new end block – so it was fairly major. But worth it 🙂

Let me tell you the story of this violin. In the early 1980s I was touring in the northwest of Western Australia, with the Mucky Duck Bush Band and we played a show at a mining town called Mount Newman. After the show a woman came up and said how she enjoyed my playing – and how it reminded her of her uncle who used to play. She then said that she had had her uncle’s violin for the past 20 years since he had passed away. And she said she’d like to give it to me so that it can be played again the way he played it. On one condition. I would need to have it rebuilt as the dry hot summers in Mt Newman had taken its toll and the plates had separated – it was in pieces!

I pointed out that I would be leaving for the next town early next day, but if she could bring it round I’d love to see it. And I thought nothing more about it.

The banging on my motel room door at 06:30AM woke me with a start and I quickly threw on jeans and tee-shirt and opened the door. And there was (as I recall her name) Mrs Richardson? Simpson? bearing a box. A quick glance at the double purfling and the inlay in the back convinced me that this could be something special. We shook hands warmly as I duly promised to have the violin rebuilt. I knew just the person – Scott Wise a then up and coming luthier – and very fine musician in his own right.

It was several weeks later that Scott phoned me and told me I’d better get down to his workshop. He wouldn’t say anything more. When I arrived he handed me a bow and the newly restored violin. I must’ve played it for an hour in his workshop before I could bring myself to put it down. The tone was amazing and very loud – as perhaps only a German violin could be.

It instantly became my concert violin – at least until the hardangerfiddle was built – but that’s another story – and from then on the concerts were shared between the two instruments.

The side decoration is consistent with 1870s-1890s (Arts and Crafts Movement), the single turn on the scroll is not characteristic of Maggini and there is a label on the inside of the top plate in German which doesn’t give a makers name, just a quote that translates loosely as: “joy comes to he who brings joy to others“. A delightful sentiment 🙂 The back is flamed maple, the front is spruce, and the belly swell is unusually deep, yielding a rich mellow tone. I’ll post an audio link soon so you can hear it too 🙂

If anyone can shed any further light on the maker of this fine instrument, or if you have a similar one, I’d love to hear from you.

One possible clue is an uncertain dating by a US violin shop that lists a similar violin one as ca1930s from a ‘sears’ catalogue! Again if anyone has info on the maker I ‘d love to hear from you 🙂

Cheers
Jerry

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Billy Moran (1928-2007)

Posted by Jerry on February 16th, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Music

I was saddened to hear a couple of days ago of the death of one of the great stalwarts of Irish music in Australia, Billy Moran.

A fine accordion player, I shared a number of great sessions with him over the years at the National Folk Festival and other places. I was privileged to share a stage with him at the 2005 National in Canberra. And at the sessions if you sat too long without playing, he would raise an eyebrow and suggest you start the next tune. Of course he would know it – I doubt there are many tunes he didn’t know.

Billy was a rough diamond who played music since he was a lad. According to IrishAustralia.com he spent some time working in the Midlands of England, and his accent was a mix of Irish and north country. Migrating to Austrlia in 1950, he worked on the Snowy Mountain scheme and at Maralinga – site of the British nuclear weapon tests. He finally settled in Melbourne and he haunted the sessions. He certainly had stamina. At the National Folk festival several times he would start a session mid afternoon, and if you were around at two or three in the morning, you could still hear his accordion playing.

Billy, we will miss you.

Jerry

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Future Museum

Posted by Jerry on February 5th, 2007 — Posted in History, Journal, Music

Now here’s a gem – one of the pieces in the Future Museum of South West Scotland is a sheet of parchment comprising part of a medieval music manuscript found reused as the cover for a book of records from Stranraer.

The museum covers key people, key industries, social history and arts and crafts and the site is well worth a visit. Thanks to Linn Skinner of ‘The Embroidress’ for pointing it out 🙂

Cheers
Jerry

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Guarneri violin and the Australian Chamber Orchestra

Posted by Jerry on February 4th, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Music

It might be hard to imagine a small wooden box with a handle on it being worth AUS$10million – but when it’s a Guarneri violin the sound is priceless. The un-named benefactor of the Australian Chamber Orchestra obviously knows a thing or two about violins. They have to be played in order to keep their tone and suppleness. So rather than just keep it in a museum, the mystery buyer of this wonderful instrument has decided to share it with the world. And if it hasn’t been played for fifty years, its tone will just get better over the next several months as Richard Tognetti – lead violinist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra gives it a thorough workout on a tour starting next week. The Australian Chamber Orchestra is playing in Canberra on 10 Feb.

The instrument was made in 1743 by Guiseppe (Joseph) Guarneri (1698-1744) – known as del Gesu as he signed his violins with a cross and the initials IHS – the Greek abbreviation for Jesus.

The “Carrodus” violin – named for one of its owners, 19th century British violinist John Tiplady Carrodus (1836-1895) was one of the last of around 250 violins known by this maker. Around 100 of these violins survive today. Interestingly the Carrodus violin was made from timber from the same tree as another authenticated Guarneri violin known as ‘the canon’ for its big sound.

Guiseppe was the grandson of Andrea Guarneri who, like Antonio Stradivari had trained under Amati, and the two rival families had workshops just a street away from each other in Cremona, Italy – both families making superb instruments, each as good as each other. The Guarneri style stayed more true to the Amati design than did Stradivarius, and the Guarneri violins tended to be less refined in appearance, but richer in tone using a soft oil varnish.

What struck me when Tognetti played a little on ABC TV was the depth of tone in the lower strings, when compared with his own $300,000 instrument. There was really no comparison.

Here is another image of a Guarneri violin, similar to the Carrodus violin.

The thought of this instrument being played again is indeed a rare treat!

Cheers
Jerry

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