Brisbane Violin Shop Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Fiddler Dan Violins & Workshop, Brisbane

Whats in a Violin bridge? and getting more from a Gliga

Taking a student violin bridge through a bridge replacement and then a string replacement and then hearing how the sound changes. In general a harder ( better quality) bridge brightens an instrument so here is a bridge intervention on my sons violin.

My son has a Gliga I for a while, Gliga’s are his weapon of choice so the upgrade from a III to a I was always going to happen. Probably I would have liked to find him something else, but violins are a very personal thing, and he is a visual creature so I suspect the look and authenticity of a Gliga is a really important factor for him. Gliga’s have a reputation for being almost works of art and his Gliga I is no exception. To my ear it’s always sounded a bit muted, and a woody tone is a comment more than a few make about the Gliga’s (see my Gliga violin review). One of the reasons for this is the bridge it comes with as its thought to be a bit on the soft side. So I lashed out on a more expensive bridge an Aubert Mirecourt Deluxe and also some brighter strings. I think there is a progressive improvement in the sound.

I’m going to do a bit more on the bridge next to lighten the weight and maybe a sound post replacement as well….

Have a listen if you like… listen as the changes are introduced and then go back to the original …its about 4mins of your life you might not get back though 😉 (just skip through to the playing bits if you like)

Coffee with Timo (violinist, teacher and composer)

Last week I had a visitor to my workshop, a friend from childhood actually. Back in the last century (thats sounds old doesn’t it) we shared the front desk of Pat Mallon’s Mt. Gravatt Area String Orchestra together. After school I went on to pursue a career in Physics (and other things) and Timo went to the Conservatorium of Music to study Violin.

We kinda lost touch….until one day at my sons first violin concert they were playing Wallaby Hop by Timo Jarvela. Now I don’t know too many Jarvela’s and in due course discovered it was the same person, now a prominent area violin teacher on Brisbane’s Northside and composer too and got in contact.

Timo started his musical journey in Mansfield, in his early days having to cycle from Mansfield Primary to another school for his violin lessons, and was one of half a dozen or so violin students at Mansfield State High School, which now has 5 string orchestral groups, and something like 800 people across the entire instrumental music programme.

Dan (L) and Timo (R), an early performance. Image P. Mallon

Timo shared a little of his journey to composing, which started with writing for his own students, requests from other teachers..before he bit the bullet and started publishing with his wife through Laker Music! I quite like his compositions and my kids have enjoyed playing them.

Timo gave me some insights into the process. Its a heady mix of the uniqueness of the Australian music instruction in schools, and finding the right mix with a limited et of notes and rhythms for each level of progression as students develop. I also quite like his approach in “Tricky Fingers”, it develops a students abilities progressively. It achieves this by starting with just the left hand , building ability through reading, fingering and muscular development through left hand pizzicato, then introducing the bow and the fingers down on strings .

The skill acquisition scientist in me thinks this is great, Also it comes with backing tracks online so you can (with the teachers guide) be largely self taught. Checkout out Timo’s compositions here
We also had a good chat about violin brands that come and go, some of the secrecy around luthierin, high street shops, and helping parents support their children without breaking the bank.

Love your work Timo…. I look forward to our next catchup

Teacher preferred Violin

Parents often come to me clutching a teacher preferred violin list and can I sell them the exact brand from the list…and of course for a good price. Why do teachers have a preferred list?

Firstly teachers know the whats best for your violin student and the teacher preferred violin list is a part of making sure they have a good instrument that is right for their student for that stage of their learning journey. Its also done in desperation, because they have seen a few to many ALDI blue violins and Ebay cheapies in their time. As a parent if you knew violins you wouldn’t buy these..but you don’t know and they look like they have everything and the price it good…but they are often sub standard instruments for learning on. See my guide on internet violins for more thoughts on this.

If your learning violin in a group lesson, such as at a state school there isn’t a lot of time week to week, let alone for instrument selection, this is where a preferred instrument list really shines. If you have individual tuition, such as at a private school or with a teacher outside of school there is room for more conversation to get a good instrument. in fact i am often contacted by private violin teachers hunting for a good value instrument for their student.

So what makes “the list” ? well generally they need to sound OK, be reasonable priced and also be widely available in shops at the moment. So , depending on the teacher you will see Enrico, Arioso, Arco, Gliga and a few others (that are commonly stocked in stores) listed – or they might say anything from the XXX store. Brisbane has most of the popular national brands, but not all of them so there are a few that you won’t see, like the Kreisler from the Sydney String Store and the Glanville family of makers . The other thing about these instruments are they are usually setup well, thats is the bridge height, fingerboard and nut heights are all good, pegs greased so they turn without getting stuck. All violins, these ones included, need to be ‘setup’ to be playable, an ebay or ALDi instrument isn’t and I suspect this is what the teacher is most concerned about…as well as the quality of the build.

Secondly there is also the *dark side* of the musical instrument business, where teachers receive an undeclared commission or gifts from music stores(2Set violin have a nice video about this) . This is more common on the expensive violins and is a practice that might be fading, but its definitely a factor.

As you get to be a more advanced violin student, it can take a lot of time to find the instrument that is right for you…and usually won’t be a list instrument…but thats a story for another day.

The violins I have are a mix of the “teacher approved violins” and others. I encourage people to play a few instruments to decide what they like best. My Krieslers, Montinari Elites (4/4 intermediate) and Neos (1/2 beginner) new violins do surprisingly well, as do the assortment of secondhand instruments that I bring up to spec.

Matthew’s Antique Violin case restoration

I sometimes pick up antique violin cases from the fabulous Animato strings on Brisbane’s Northside. They usually come via old European instruments, sourced and hand picked from attic’s all over Europe as they make make their way to Dietrich, who specialises in fine one of a kind European instruments.

The cases while potentially beautiful, need quite a lot of work to get them up to standard for the exterior and interior, and they come less protective of a violin than their modern counterparts. All up they take around 20hours to get them up to scratch ( Antique cases ) and make a fun project, but you need a lot of different skills to get them there, so are not for the average punter. Hence you can buy them quite inexpensively for around $30

This beauty is a timber finish on the outside and felt on the inside and made a good project for my 11yr old. First up the outside is sanded and repainted (we like Danish oil which is a fine furniture timber finish), is a combination of tung oil – which gets in deep and a urethane for the surface and surface protection.

Inside the felt and lining frames need to be taken out. Then we add a frame near the neck to give the case some more rigidity (this makes sure it closes properly by reducing flex) and gives somewhere to attach the neck support later on too. matthew also replaced the rosin box and added some frame elements for the bow spinners to screw into. Then we put down a layer of polar fleece for padding. We lined the sides with EVA foam , this is a closed cell foam, which gives good protection. Next up is the velvet, Matthew favourite colour is green and a quick trip to Spotlight Haberdashery gets us a meter. Then we add the bow spinners. Finally some Velcro goes onto the neck and we add the foam pads for the suspension elements, so the violin floats on its frame rather than resting on the lower table. The tolerances are really fine here , as these cases weren’t made quite height enough to accomodate this, so it s a bit of fiddle with foam thicknesses to get it right .

It’s a lovely compliment to Matthews European Gliga violin, and something he can show off at school and his scout group (this was a special interest badge he did). What I like most is seeing his pride in the work and instrument it houses, my hope is to continue to foster a love of all things violin as he grows up.

Hanging out my shingle

Its taken a while but finally got around to hanging my shingle out. It’s a surprisingly difficult thing to do, in a world of anonymity, to put a mark in the dirt and put yourself forward in my village. I’d like to thank all the neighbourhood for their hand in it. Grant on the ivories just around the corner who hung his Grub Mountain studios out 20 years ago, and never looked back, BP Laser down the street who custom cut the sign out for me, Glen around the corner who I bounced a lot of ideas off, Dave, Ross and Dwight – luthiers of violin and guitar who said have a go, John a former music store owner for the encouragement and all the blokes at the Mt. Gravatt mens shed with centuries of wisdom.

Special thanks to wholesalers Chris, James, Max & Andrew and who have trusted me with their brands and taken a punt.

Extra special thanks to my two sons, though whom a need and discovering the joy of fixing violins emerged….

A coffee with Grant

I caught up with near neighbour Grant recently, someone who’s been hanging his music shingle out for a bit longer than me ..like 20 years. Grant is an accomplished piano player and teacher…with a pretty full book of students. His real passion I think is composing for which he has quite the setup down his Grub Mountain Music Studio. Grants compositions appear in the current AMEB piano syllabus as well…which is seriously impressive!! He also has a violin tucked away in the corner…talk about multi talented.

I was privileged to be able to hear a little of the Sonata he has been composing for the last little while. Sonatas are classical in form, but you can hear his other influences coming through. We didn’t quite get around to the coffee…sometimes music is more sustaining I think?

Anyway its finally finished and lovely to listen to.

I can’t imagine the journey towards and the process of undertaking such . Here are Grants reflections on the creation process of the Sonata

Bagpipes and a violin…what could go wrong?

Best buddies Angus and Matthew…also know as MATGUS, wanted to do a duet together, surprisingly there are somewhat limited opportunities for bagpipers and a violinist to play together.

Both being lovers of celtic music and with the likes of the Barefoot Bagpiper and Fiddler Dan working in the background (Its great when your parents are players of the instruments as well ) the Highland Cathedral was settled on. It’s a haunting light air on the violin and a stirring tattoo favourite for the bagpipers. Its available in lots of keys but they both said the Key of D was about right, its seems violins and bagpipes both have a healthy distain for anything with flats in it!

With a bit of luck the Carina Senior Citizens Association had a concert coming up and were in need of something to rock the zimmer frames and get the wheelchairs rollin’, so they both set about learning it in earnest.

After they both reckoned they knew the piece the first practice together was set. One afternoon in between swims, a Fortnite seesh or two and pizza (no anchovies thanks mum) they started playing together….but only in the most optimistic sense, something didn’t sound quite right. It was put down to the chanter sans pipes not quite sounding right. The chanter is the mouth piece and recorder like bit with the holes in it ( but without the bag and pipes)

A week of so later, after the parents had recovered, they got together with everything in place (and at a decent hour so as to not wake sleeping neighbours) but the sound was even worse. After a bit of detective work it was found that the bagpipes are in fact a B Flat instrument, meaning they are a semitone higher when playing the same written note as the violin. Now we all love a minor second as much as the next person, it brings a bit of tension into a song, but sadly a whole song of minor seconds doesn’t quite work.

Matthew and Angus had three rounds of paper, scissors, rock to see who would have to play in D Flat or E flat at the next practice – which went a whole lot better.

Dial forward to performance day and they were both able to done full regalia including sporran and kilt. They were both pretty interested in wearing the sgian dubh dagger in their socks too…but the parents felt that a violin and a set of bagpipes were quite deadly enough weapons in their hands.

Anyway here is their performance, thanks to Brian’s missus for the recording

Rumour has it they are working towards a special interest badge at Victor Scouts for their efforts

Arco Violin Review

The Arco violin is the entry level instrument for Animato violins on Brisbane’s Northside and mail order superstars. Its their house brand and has changed a bit over the years. I’ve even seen an Arco II that would put a Gliga to shame with the timbers on it. The Arco violin is a solid little performer, the wood are a dark stained attractive appearance and the running gear is quality.

While the woods don’t look all that flash, the proof is in the sound and for a starter instrument the tone on it has really surprised me. Dietrich, Animato Strings owner takes pride in his instruments and I think the selection of this instrument is a testament to ensuring that even if you only have a little bit of money to spend on a violin it’ll still sound OK.

I see quite a few Arco violins of all sizes, but mostly in the smaller sizes, as its priced for a first instrument. Most beginners are young and thus on the smaller sizes when they start. Nothing goes wrong with these guys except for misadventure. I think I’ve only had one needing a fingerboard reglue…which was more a reflection of the product testing my son gave his Arco violin instruments in the early years, than the violin itself 😉

Arioso Violin Review

One of the instruments I see a lot of are the Arioso violins, so here is a review. Its a popular instrument in Brisbane and I suspect what a lot of string teachers recommend. For $400 you get a lot of instrument (tonally and quality), of course add on spare strings and a shoulder pad and its closer to $500 though.

Mostly I see them as 3/4, as they are a step up from the entry level instrument you get your child when they are on a 1/2 size and not sure they are going to continue. Then by the time they are on a full size instrument they are ready for something quite a bit better (product placement see my new and preloved fullsize ). Having said all that they are great for a complete beginner regardless of size.

The Arioso violin (Simply for Strings instrument) is a nice looking instrument that comes in a variety of finishes from that classic Amber colour through to a darker stained antique look sold more recently. It fitted with quality ebony running gear, wittner style self adjusters and D’addario Prelude strings. These strings are a good match if you are just starting, but a bit underpowered otherwise. They are steel strings, so an upgrade of these to a synthetic core as your playing develops helps the violin keep pace with you (Thomastik Alphayu are what I refit them with usually, or perhaps Tonicas). I have seen Evah Pirazzi strings fitted to these violins, at $180 a set I think thats like Ferrari tires on a Hyundai though. Matching the strings to the instrument and player saves money and/or gets the most from the instrument and player (See my Violin String Selection Guide)

Nothing really goes wrong with these instruments, apart from misadventure at the hands of your 10yr old 😉 I see a few with some weakness around the end pin, so if you are in the market for one second hand check for a small split on the side timbers near the end pin (its not uncommon in young wood used in student instruments that is not all that seasoned) or an end pin pushed in too hard when made or dropped on. A small split here is cosmetic, but hiding behind that might be an issue with the internal end block, a tell tale sign is the angle of the end pin has been pulled up ( as there is a lot of tension from the strings pulling upwards).

A look inside an Arioso (see the inside $400 violin) shows why his might be so. To make a violin that sounds this good at this price some compromises need to be made, and usually thats where you can’t see it, there might be cleats to help the fit of the back, the end block’s been drilled out a bit quick and split, internal pieces might not quite fit together. The bass bar is carved, rather than fitted as seperate, which can be a strength and tone issue. But hey if you want all this, then you are paying for a master maker and need to spend quite a bit more.

Usually when an Arioso comes my way it needs some love, a string change, minor bridge work (or replacement), peg service, lubing the fine tuners, removing a few years of rosin and attending to any cosmetic chips and scratches. Pride and care in an instrument comes from playing one that looks good, your youngun needs something that looks nice and takes pride in it. The bow where needed is serviced or replaced too.

I tend to sell serviced Arioso from $150 up to around $250 mostly in 3/4 size depending on condition and new parts added. One of the nice things about an older secondhand instrument is the tone woods have had time to season a few more years and be played in a bit more – they actually sound better than new! (have a listen to a new and secondhand Montanari instrument sound comparison )

DISCLAIMER: I have no financial relationship with SFS

Violins Wanted Brisbane !

Calling all lonely violins sitting in Brisbane cupboards. I’ve been servicing/fixing up student violins ready for the next family. But I always need a few more , all sizes ! So if you have a violin in your cupboard just keeping the spiders company; or are upgrading, are interested in selling your violin in Brisbane , I’m interested and can give you a few $$$ too.

Its also a chance to contribute to reduce-reuse-recycle locally, help another Brisbane family along their journey and help fiddler dan be a sustainable enterprise too!

See How much is my violin worth? to get an idea of how much you might get for it on the open market.

I prefer violins that are playable, but can always use the really neglected as organ donors, to get another one on its feet. Well known brands are preferred but will look at anything. I can usually offer something reasonable, depending what I have to do to get it up to scratch again.

I particularly enjoy bringing an old violin back to life – sometimes the cost is close to the value of the instrument though 🙁

So get in contact and and send photos! Then you can come by the shop, I might be able to visit you…or you can drop it in the post. Violins are so light they only cost $10 to post Auspost (by weight) ..sometimes Auspost want “cube it” which is $20. It include insurance and most cases are protective enough for the journey with a bit of extra bubble wrap inside. I pay the agreed price on delivery