Violin Making Courses

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Violin Making Classes Part 1

Derek Roberts taught evening classes in violin making at Warwickshire College for several years. The classes were designed for anyone who wished to make a violin, viola or cello under the guidance of a professional violin maker.

Derek currently teaches 3, 4 and 5 day courses in his own workshop in Leamington Spa.

This is the first part of a feature article on violin making classes. For more about the classes, see part two and part three. For more on violin making, watch Derek Roberts make a violin by hand.

Derek Roberts' classes cater for all levels of ability and experience. The workshop is equipped with workbenches and all the specialist tools necessary for making a violin in the traditional way by hand - bending irons, thumb planes, gouges, chisels, saws, thicknessing gauges. Students purchase their own materials (chiefly wood) but do not need to have their own specialist equipment. They are encouraged to make their own moulds and templates under expert tuition.

Class members are given individual attention by Derek Roberts at every class. Each member is at a different stage of construction of their instrument and can work at their own speed. Here a student is working on the rib structure of a violin. You can see the inside mould, corner and end blocks.

The violin-making courses at the college were started several years ago by Rowan Armour Brown, the distinguished Cremona-trained violin maker. Derek Roberts (right of picture) was a member of the course in the early 1980s. He came full circle to teach the course himself after further study at the Welsh School of Musical Instrument Making and several years as a professional maker and restorer, running his own violin business.

Now read on to part two and part three for more about instruments made in the classes. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page will answer some questions if you are interested in joining a class. For more on the different stages in violin making, follow Derek's progress as he makes a violin by hand.

Are you interested in learning to make a violin, developing your violin making skills or acquiring set up and repair skills? See our choice of short Violin Making Courses held in Derek Roberts' workshop in Leamington Spa.