Talks and Articles

I've been invited from time to time to give talks to violinmakers and to players and teachers.  I've also written articles for specialised publications.  Click on the links below to read articles and transcripts of talks.

Steam-bending fronts: a practical demonstration  
Transcript of lecture/demonstration given to the conference of the British Violin Making Association at Dartington, Devon on 14 September 2008.  It gives a detailed description of the theory and practice of steam-bending the spruce to make fronts for instruments.

Trade Secrets: Making the ribs for a cornerless viola  
Article reproduced by permission from The Strad Magazine, October 2007

How to look after your instrument
Downloadable sheet giving straightforward guidance about maintenance and care of a new instrument.

Violas: Sizes and Proportions
Talk given at Viola Day for Teachers at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester on 30 January 2004, to an audience of viola teachers.   It discusses the issues of size and string length for viola players and includes a chart of sizes and suitable strings for child-sized violas.

Making Violas: Reconciling Size and Sound
Talk given at Lutherie 2006, an annual conference for violin makers held under the auspices of the Newark School of Violin Making.  It covers many aspects of making violas, with particular reference to the possibilities as regards size, string length etc and some ideas about approaches to making good-sounding violas.

A Suitable Model: making a reduction of the 1620 A & H Amati viola
Article written for the Autumn 1999 issue of the Newsletter of the British Violin Making Association, describing the design and making processes for a commissioned 17-inch Amati model  viola