I answer 10 questions about Violinmaking, Strings, Bows and more

[@JL14858]

"once you meet your maker" 🤣 that made me giggle Thanks for all the advice!

[@elissahunt]

Even though I'm not a string player, I love your videos, Olaf. Still, don't apologize for putting more time into your shop/violinmaking than in making videos. I think we all come here because you're primarily a skilled, experienced luthier, not because you're a "KZbinr."

[@hherroyal05]

Very informative video!! I am personally in favor of the following: 1. MABSA Rosin, dark red - hella expensive, but good rosin can last for a year. This stuff is amazing, it is perfectly sticky without being too sticky. 2. Pirastro Violino strings are what I generally use... got some Evah Gold strings as a treat for myself, but haven't put them on yet - but I can totally attest that Violinos are amazing. 3. For my bow, I invested in a CodaBow Chroma. I did this when I realized that my relationship with the violin was serious, not a fling. I hated all other bows - too heavy, too light, too much focus on the bow itself instead of what it intended to do, which is to honor the violin. Pricey - but a lifetime investment, and I recommend knowing ahead of buying one if you prefer weighty bows or lighter bows. 4. Violin lessons. Start off in the beginning with learning the basics. Allison Sparrow on KZbin offers an EXCELLENT beginner's course for those who are adult beginners or those who are on the fence. You can get started and get the basics down. Once you are committed to the violin, TAKE LESSONS and be patient - it will take at least 5 years to be decent on the violin. I am in year 2 now, and I am just doing this for myself. I love the violin, the loveliest instrument in my opinion. 5. Invest in a decent violin. I cannot stress this enough. My beginner was decent - not great, but she was a good violin - who is being engaged currently by a friend who loves the violin also. I am currently playing on the violin of my dreams. My skill is not there - but I am committed to the violin. 6. Lastly, PRACTICE. You will improve every day - but if violin is not for you, you will know it soon enough. It is the instrument that is truly a labor of love. It is the most physically challenging instrument. The oboe is tough, but physically the violin is much harder. The violin can express emotions that even the human voice cannot convey. 7. TwoSet!!

[@hherroyal05]

Also, it is just my humble opinion as a lifelong classical-music lover - the violin makes its sweet sound because of the wood and the air flow in the f-holes. Wood is an organic material - it breathes at a microscopic level, something carbon fiber does not. Good violin wood DOES age well. So know your wood! Pine is 100% fail. Stradivarius used spruce for the top (for beauty), willow for the violin intestines (for stretch and hardiness), and maple for the back, ribs and neck because maple is the strongest wood. A luthier with skill is a craftsman, an artist. They are engineers, most of all. The musical equivalent of a Reisener. If you want an electric violin, then a carbon fiber version will be a good option. If you want a violin that makes a sweet sound, take your time to find the one for you. I have been a violin classical music fan for decades, played as a teen and missed it my entire life. I am committed to the violin. Not to perform for anyone but to just play for myself.

[@Ekomshiro]

Apparently the first violinist of Titanic played a strad. When he met his end, he kept his strad in its leather case and hold it beneath his life jacket. Later his body and the violin were recovered, and the violin was sent to his girlfriend / fiancée. In 2006 the violin was rediscovered and repaired. It took 7 years of investigation to confirm this is indeed the strad that sank with Titanic and was auctionned for some 6M$ IIRC.

[@darrenbreeze2065]

The violin was never a strad, it was 1800s German.

[@crochetqueen6440]

Yep it wasn't a strad and there's huge debate about whether it really was on the titanic in the first place, whether it could have survived at all.

[@clairedionne559]

@@crochetqueen6440 In the least... all the glue would have melted down a long time ago and the large pieces of very thin wood (table etc) would have been distorted to no recognition...just saying...

[@clairedionne559]

Olaf, I cannot stress how much your sharing with us your working artistic and scientific skilled moments in your lutherie studio is giving me hours and hours of great, exciting, artistic, at times overwhelming emotional moments of such unique quality. To put it way more simply: I love your unique life in your studio, and I cannot get enough of what you present and convey to us! You are making so much difference in the very specialized live of so many string players who would be nothing without your specialized input! You are ALSO a therapist of emotions for all of the musician who happen by your lutherie. What mesmerizes me and gets me so emotional besides the fact that I really want to satify my dream of being a luthier in my NEXT life, is the amount of skill, care and utmost precision you take in putting each instrument just right to give the upmost of it's possibilities ...and beyond! We never know how far we can take any instrument which has been adjusted, just like a human body should be: each one detailed, tweaked to the best of what we can expect of it... and it never fails to demonstrate all the intricacies of it's possibilities... the human body as well as the string instrument. I have unfortunately seen repairmen and women go from a skilled lover of near-perfection to a more and more disinterested worker who cuts corner after corner, knowing full well that there are no witness to the precision and dedication of their work. Which is a pure shame, as instrument repairing is so personal, yet has so much influence on so many people; from the string player to the original stringmaker who both have put so much of themselves, so much of their personal time and other sacrifices, to see their effort being put at risk in the hands of an unscrupulous repairer/restaurator. In contrast, we see day in day out just how much love, care, dedication and personnal detailing you put in each instrument, no matter the value of the instrument you have in hand. This, Olav, makes me quite emotional, specially in these peri-pandemic days and months, where people have readjusted their own values, either for the best or for the worse. You just stayed the same very dedicated man, lover of your skilled art, and lover of life itselve. Please, keep on showing our group of unique followers, your skills and also your outlook on life which is such a great lesson... and a colorful one at that, just because of your bright personality. Your Dad appears to have had such a positive influence on you (!); and I am sure your very own children can say just the same about you!

[@AskOlaftheViolinmaker]

Thank you Claire. My goal is to support the string playing community, so this comment means a lot ❤️

[@nathalietremblay686]

Thank you for answering my question. I've got 3 bows and I don't have a clue of their price or how good they are. I have my favorite and I guess this is the best bow for me.

[@elishashmalo3731]

Ok I found your channel yesterday and can’t stop watching!! I want to learn how to make violins soooo bad! And the quality of your content is so good. Thank you so much for making these videos. I honestly enjoy them so much.

[@10data10]

Have you ever thought about getting a DIY Violin kit from Amazon and sharing your experience of putting it together?

[@mellissadalby1402]

I am a hack Luthier, and a guitar one at that. Those "repairs" done by your client's other "luthier" are definitely substandard and might even contribute to further damage. If someone brought a guitar to me with cracks like that, I would refer them off to a proper Luthier. I'm good for setups and refretting, but tha is about the full scope of what I can do and I would not take in work that I could not handle. That is one of the reasons I enjoy watching this channel, because I can watch a real Luthier do repairs that I would have thought to be impossible to fix. So far you have not only fixed them very soundly, but also (in some cases) you have made them look like they were never ever damaged in the first place. I am a fan, and in awe.

[@tabriff3832]

If I'm not mistaken, that was the inimitable 'Peak Fiddler', at 6.11. Like yourself, what an excellent fellow.

[@ValiantVicuna]

I love the answers, but even more than that, I just love the unique shots you use to answer each question XD They really kept me engaged with what you were saying, for some reason lol

[@michaelwhisman7623]

I have found wonderful violins among the millions of violins made in the last 200 years.

[@brettsglasses]

I once had Dominant strings on my new student violin, but they were too metallic and too hrash at the beginning that they even hurt my left ear... I suffered from overly sensitive hearing and pain in my left ear, had to use some earplugs in daily life and stopped practicing for 2 to 3 weeks or so. Lucky enough that I gradually recovered fully after that. After the harshness disappeared, the strings sounded pretty okay and no longer hurt my ear, but I'm not sure if I'll try that first-2-week harshness again lol. I talked to my teacher and asked if she had harsh-free strings recommendation, and she recommended me Vision Titanium Orchestra strings which are my favourite now.

[@janlesinski4719]

A master of his trade with great knowledge

[@bohopper2314]

Hi Olaf! Thanks for this video it was great! My all time favorite videos of yours are the ones where we just spend the day with you in your shop! I hope you do more of those this year!

[@clairedionne559]

I agree with you wholeheartedly!🌺

[@runrig97]

I took some old-time fiddle lessons long ago and the (no longer existing folk music) shop recommended the lop-sided flatter bridge to make the double and triple stops easier, and it also makes the bowing 'distance' between the high and low strings less.

[@gregcampbell8888]

Hi Olaf - really enjoying your videos. For the instruments you restore or set up, I love to hear the owners play something where they are willing and at a high standard!

[@randolphfriend8260]

❤️ Yes! & to LOVE the materials, the process, the sound, the people. 🙉

[@mikeoakley3623]

I only started playing the violin this year and the pirastro tonica string make my student violin sound amazing

[@kaistinakemperdahl9667]

I used to have dominant but they didn’t work on my violin, it sounded too metallic with those. A luthier suggested vision by the same producer and I fell in love with my instrument again.

[@Oldman808]

Love your channel! I have a question about what is the best and simple method to humidify an instrument kept in a case in a desert climate - Arizona? A whole room humidifier is not an option. I’ve read comments about some hard case humidifiers causing mold in the case. Thank you!

[@Offending_Everybody]

Hi Olaf, me again. I was wondering where I could buy decent replications of baroque cellos. I am asking this because I want to play a baroque cello that is not actually from the baroque period since they are way to expensive. Thank you!

[@nathanb9165]

Thank you for answering my question! I now feel more confident in these repairs 👍 you are a incredible mentor, and I thank you for the help. The next skill I want to acquire is re-hairiness bows. Any video recommendations 🤔?

[@oskar8021]

I think Olaf has two videos on his channel!

[@neonsamurai1348]

For me, my favorite rosins are the Andrea solo (now called Cecilia solo), and their newer signature version which is warmer and smoother than solo. And I tend to use Dominant strings with either Pirastro gold(wondertone) steel e, or Goldbrokat e. The dominant strings are nice as they are right smack in the middle of the spectrum for warmth/brilliance and Clarity/Complexity. It is well worth spending money on good rosin, as a cake can last most people 1-2 decades or more. So even if the rosin is 40$, you are still talking about 2 dollars per year. You also may want to spend on good strings. Ideally I would try to figure out the character of your violin first, then use one of the charts to figure out what strings might work well on your instrument based on how you want it to sound.

[@kgjhskgskgskgskdgfsk]

Thank you for educating us on a very important topic! I have a rather unusual question. How do you identify where an instrument was made if there’s no stamp inside? When I bought my viola the luthier had no idea where it was from and up to this day it’s a complete mystery.

[@mccypr]

Good stuff! Thanks much! ✌️😎🌞🎻

[@MR-ub6sq]

3:23 Sorry. Now when I went to change the settings to allow notifications - then this link appeared in the video. Of course, at a different top corner than what you point to your camera with your finger... So it depends on the user's settings whether notifications are shown or not. That's why it's probably worth always adding the thought to such a situation: "if you've allowed notifications in the Player". You know: There may be someone other than just me who is ignorant...

[@kevinfelton4886]

We in Dallas, Texas, USA have a couple of good luthiers. However, we also have a small shop that specializes in student intruments. They primarily rent and sell Chinese instruments. They will do minor repairs, but readily acknowledge that they are not full fledged luthiers. I believe that, in a large urban area, there can be room for mid-level practitioners, as well as the full-on professionals, such as yourself.

[@CopShowGuy]

I'm somewhat new to the Dallas area. What luthiers do you know of? I've been to Cadenza in Plano but they're more of a sales and repair shop.

[@BluegillGreg]

I've taught string orchestra in a good public school district, and have had experience with both sorts of shops you mention. I'd recommend using the better shop every time. They are only a little more expensive, but are a lot higher quality. Texas has great music education, Dallas must have a number of excellent shops. Our students who get the better instruments with the better set-ups, better service, and better customer/proprietor relationships stay with the instrument nearly 100%, and the other students have noticeable attrition. The better shop also lets families keep the rental instrument over the summer when they pay for the following year at the end of the previous year (in June). 12 months of practice and performance on a good instrument for a slightly higher price than 9 months with a mediocre instrument averages to a lower monthly fee. It also makes for much better playing come next orchestra season.

[@MattLeGroulx]

Hi Olaf, love your videos and thanks for making them. Was just wondering how often strings should be changed and how much of a difference new strings would make. As a guitarist I know that new round wound strings brighten the tone considerably but is the difference with new strings as great with flat wound strings on a violin. Thanks!

[@ALAPINO]

I moved to Canada ages ago and our market prices are quite similar because our similar economies and dollar value. Tonica sets are $45-$50, Dominant sets are $80-$90, Evah P. sets are usually $120-$140, Obligato sets $145-$160. Annoyingly, many retailers don't discount for less than 4/4 size length strings and things very rarely go on sale. It seems that fine instruments and their associated costs are pretty even world wide, at least in the developed world. I think it's time to sell a watch for a decent outfit. :(

[@clairedionne559]

I am in Canada. A time when strings and many accessories come on sale is end of August-early September, when classes re-start in our part of the worle. Look also for great sales on almost everything musical (music staples), musical partitions also, between Christmas and New Year. I wait as much as possible to buy during these two periods!

[@fannybuster]

The World's Greatest Violinist .Hilary Hahn ,uses Dominant Strings with a silver e string

[@tammylaronde8593]

Great video Olaf! I'm a beginner in regards to the violin. I use D'Addario Ascente strings. I really like them. For Rosin, I use Jade L'Opera rosin. (Hypoallergenic rosin.) What would you recommend for a beginner baroque violin bow?

[@AmandaViolinGirl]

Quite some time ago I thought I was buying a German violin online. The label was fake. It looked terrible and I took it immediately to my local luthier because how terrible it looked. He said throw it in the rubbish bin. Of course I didn't want to do that and just left it in the house for no reason to just take up space so one day I decided to smash it. When I did I realized the inside of it was even worse than the outside of it with the terrible glue that was used and far too much of it too. Sad but true.

[@ajsorensen2585]

As a violinist I like Evah Pirazzi regular and gold as well, sometimes the gold E sounds better but depends on the violin, the one I play most has Evah Gold right now, it plays really well. Start with regular if it sounds harsh try gold and if it still sounds harsh go with the gut core strings, gut core are less bright and less responsive closer to old school gut strings in sound with modern reliability and playability. If you're new to violin try a few different types and use what you think sounds best, if your violin sounds good to you, you will play better and you'll sound better to your audience if you play your best! So keep that in mind when choosing strings - also make sure if you change your strings that you set them up right, the setup of your violin is also important to your sound, lots of good tips from violin makers!

[@clairedionne559]

There are also lutheries that set aside different types of strings for us to try in their own showroom, free of charge. It is not the same as trying them out at home; however for the price...

[@heathermcdougall8023]

I like Evah Pirazzi's, but my spare violin has obligato's. However, I'm principally a cellist. I play the violin for fun.

[@violagang842]

I've always used Dominants but I recently added the Warchal amber E. It's supposed to suppress whistling. I found it sounded distinctly better on my violin so I'm going to be a bit more adventurous with string changes from now on! As to your thoughts about carbon fibre bows vs. fibreglass boats, I'd point out that boats are generally exposed to solar radiation 24/7 which does break down the material over time. Most violins would not be left outside in such an environment, so perhaps they will last significantly longer. I also wonder if it might be possible to reproduce the hard grain/soft grain using composite materials?

[@randolphfriend8260]

🤔 I WAS a wunderin': the "EFF hole," Have you explained the name choice? Does it make the F note pitch sound better, stronger? than the others. i.e. Is the F note sound a weakling, sickly? Did "Figorini" invent it? 🤭 Did it have to do with the "Fullness" of sound? Thank you Olaf ❤️

[@zainab58]

Yes, it should really be called the S hole, because it looks exactly like the italic long ſ.

[@BluegillGreg]

It's just Freaking Fantastic, is all... That's why there are two of them, of course. They're named Freak and Fan, obviously. You're welcome.

[@rob_odd]

Hi Olaf! :) I would like to know what kind of music (genres) do you play when you play the violin. And do you listen to music while working in your shop? If yes, what kind of music do you listen to? As always: Thank you very very much for your videos! Greetings!

[@clairedionne559]

Olaf says he always listens to baroque to classical music day in, day out. This is quite a "common atmosphere" in quite a lot of music shop... if not all (?).

[@joshcorcoran5655]

Surely if you flattened the bridge and tuned to different notes, you'd be in need of a soundpost adjustment to compensate for the altered setup? Or am I very wrong?

[@davids6081]

Is there anything in particular that I should look for when choosing a bow for playing folk fiddle music?

[@heathermcdougall8023]

Yes. You should look at 2nd hand bows at your local luthier's. It's about "balance" of the bow. I would also avoid a really heavy, professional level bow, as they are way too pricey. Start out looking for a medium weight bow, with a good balance. I tend to like a wood bow, but there are some very good carbon fibre ones out there these days.

[@WilliamJohnston]

Love your videos! If you don’t mind me making a small criticism - your audio in the videos always seems quite weak and roomy sounding, maybe look into a better audio setup. Just a suggestion! 😅👍 Keep up the great content!

[@sibylnitschke3763]

Hello from Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 Can you give me a recommendation? I play violin and hurdy-gurdy. The hurdy-gurdy sounds ungraciously scratchy and stubborn in warm, humid weather. Which resin would you recommend me, what i can use on both instruments? Herzliche Grüsse Sibyl

[@chuziano9974]

how is the piece in the introduction called?

[@Anfxyz]

You mention Dominants (as used, purportedly, by Itzhak Perlman) and (steel-cored) Helicores in the same breath. Just saying!🙂

[@alisonbench5557]

I was watching another ‘violin maker’ on u tube and he used turpentine to clean a 200 year old violin, and wood glue to attach the fingerboard and nut! Wouldn’t turpentine damage a violin? He also used alcohol to clean off old glue.

[@clairedionne559]

This sounds like a self-taught violinmaker! Stay away from someone who tells exactly the opposite of good sense, and/or what all other reputable violin repairmen are saying!

[@zsadon]

Here you can see what is a totally flat bridge for kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZKsonWnn9OpndU

[@clairedionne559]

Interesting! However, one cannot say the man is playing a melody on his violin. This musician is playing the very same set of 2 chords all through. He is using his instrument as a rythmic tool, nothing else. Have you noticed there are only 3 STRINGS on this violin. The three strings are centered on the FLAT bridge, but NOT on the tailpiece! There is NO string on the G hole; however... the G Peg is "occupied" by a string, but which one?!. Whichever peg is "unoccupied" (either the A or D peg?), it is clear that the 3 strings are NOT set up parallel to the fingerboard. I wonder where the soundpost is situated! What an unusual set up! One thing appears clear: a flat bridge does NOT allow to switch from one string to another. You may not even be able to seperate the strings: it appears you can play ONLY the three strings together. If you try to play one of the two outside strings alone, your bow hairs would possibly hit the lower bout or the possibly the top part of the waist. Still, quite interesting; thanks for showing this!

[@zsadon]

@@clairedionne559 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kontra

[@Darkapple93]

What are your thoughts on 3D printed Violins ?

[@AskOlaftheViolinmaker]

It depends what method... I don't think additive would work well because of the materials. CNC can help to a degree. To make truly good sounding instruments you have to have hands on, because each piece of wood is totally unique.

[@francoisvillon1300]

Как скрипка могла попасть в океан???

[@exopliest]

u all know , some countries are like as hell for a musician. In my country we struggle while paying for 16 euro strings .I use tomastic alphayue strings for 6 months now and they will be break soon. I can sense they lives their last parts of their lifes. What ever do anyone have a cheap but quality string recomments. p.s:please not alice they sounds like as shit...

[@Taylorswiftsleftarm13]

Hello! I have a question. I currently have a violin worth $230. I know it's not a lot, but it has proper fittings and decent varnish. Its real spruce and maple with no flames though. Is it technically a VSO? It was made in Washington state by the way.