Violin Making
Violin making is a craft that is officially listed with the Registery
of Qualified Craftsmen. The training lasts for three years and can be
completed at the following schools:
Or this training can also be offered by local
violin master builders.
Over a period of three years, knowledge will be acquired which can be
utilized in violin building or repair. Prerequisites for the profession
of violin builder are high manual skills, a sense for music, creativity,
patience and idealism. Anyone who decides to become a violin builder
should also be able to master the playing of a string instrument, not
only to check the quality of his or her own work, but to also better
understand the musicians wishes. The violin builder works in the same
artisan tradition as his predecessors 200 years ago did. Machine-made
instruments do not belong to this tradition and are more the exception,
at the most acceptable as beginner instruments produced by larger
companies. Highly-complicated repair work is also common in violin
building. A violin builder can be called upon to restore a 100-year-old
instrument to concert performance condition.
