“I took delivery of a violin from Anne a year ago. I had searched the Internet looking at different violin makers. All the makers I researched seemed to make violins, then sell them to people. One buys what is available at the time. They seemed so tied to building on the "mold" method that there was very little difference from one instrument to another.

“Anne is different, and each violin she creates is unique. She loves to have the client involved from the start of the process. One is welcome to be as involved in the process as possible.

“We started with Anne asking me basic questions such as the size of my hands, how I would like my violin to sound and how I would enjoy the instrument's appearance. As Anne loves to explain, "you are creating a violin that will be played for hundreds of years. So, what you like to leave to the world?" I chose the wood for the back and sides from a selection of three choices. Anne discussed the belly wood and selected an excellent piece of spruce.

“Anne supplied me pictures of each stage of the carving and building. It was like watching a family member come to life. Part of the unique process is that Anne likes to design a personal picture inside that in some way reflects her client. In many ways, the violin takes on a persona from this point. So, I encourage you to take advantage of this unique violin maker and her process of creating a specific work of art for you. She welcomes your input in the process and you will be rewarded with something personal and irreplaceable that you will cherish for the rest of your life.”

--Randal Walker

My Way: Violin Construction From Start to Finish

PART III: CARVING AND SHAPING

The violin top, back and ribs have been cut out. Real time consuming and tedious hours of work are looming ahead. I will put in 30 hours carving out the top and back (the number of hours varies according to instrument size) shaping each piece inside and out roughly like a shallow canoe.

On the left, a very big gouge used to start things off. As the arching is developed, progressively smaller planes are used.

Wood chips and curls pile up as Anne works on the arching of a cello. Wood can easily be cut away but can never be put back.

The back and the top are painstakingly graduated in millimeters ranging from 4.5–2.5 mm for the back to 3–2.5 mm for the top. In both top and back, the thickest part is in the center.

During the graduation process a tricky procedure influences the final thicknesses of the top and back. In the midst of painstakingly scraping bits of wood away here and there, the plates are constantly "bonked on" with the forefinger or knuckle. The maker does this to test for the tap tone. This step consumes many hours. When a ringing bell-like tone is finally obtained for each plate, then the process is complete. In the photo above, Anne explains to a seventh grade music class how to tap a cello back so that the ringing tone will come out loud and strong.

Notice the smoothed out appearances of all these parts. The canoe shape of the arching is apparent as are the ff holes and bass bar which I will detail in the coming pages. Driftwood, the cat, also decided to pose at the same time for his portrait.

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