Off to Good Homes

Cello numbers 6 and 7 have been delivered to their rightful owners, and while I am pleased to be finished, it's always a little sad to see them go.  I hope you enjoy them, guys, but make sure you bring them all back every now and again to visit, y'hear?'

My making schedule is now open if anyone would like an instrument hand made by me, you can jump to the head of the queue.

Meanwhile, back to a real sized  instrument. My version of the Francois Rabbath Quenoil Double Bass. A beautiful French form, focused sound and easy to play due to the sloping shoulders. I'll fight you for it when its finished!

Remember, I will be leaving for France in April so the shop will be closed from 1st April until the 25th May. If you would like any repairs done or bow rehairs, now would be a good time to bring them in. 

I will also be away working as one of the Double Bass tutors and fixer of broken hearts (no, no not hearts, instruments) at the LYCO Strings camp from the 25th to the 30th January. 

Gravy Day

It's a big day today for Cello No. 7. The back has been glued on to the rib structure. This morning the internal collapsible mould has been removed. Today will see shaping of the internal blocks and and linings and before the day is done the top will be glued on to minimise distortion of the rib structure. Hence

the collection of pieces from last week

will take on its own unique form. This is a good day. 

Have had the first accident for the day - gouged thumb. You would think after all these years and about 537 such accidents I could avoid the gouge injuries. I feel like Bart Simpson with the electrified cupcake - doh!

S"il vous plait

So, it's been a while between posts but the story remains basically the same. Still cello making but loads of progress has been made.

Cello No. 6 is being varnished and is beautiful. This one is a lighter colour than the others. Golden yellow with a coat or two of warm brown have made this honey glow. Funny stuff varnish, you never know quite how its going to turn out. Its part of the alchemy that goes into the complete instrument and its bloody hard work to get it right. 

Plans for the trip to France stalled until contact was made with

Jean Luc Tauziede,

master archetier,  who has willingly agreed to take me on for four weeks of training in the art of the French bow. How exciting! Such an honour to be learning from such a master craftsman. Next April is the planned departure time. 

It was very daunting  but great to speak to Jean Luc. The conversation highlighted the need  to get some French language skills together. The Tasmanian accent was a challenge  for him. Not sure how far " Je m'appelle Phillippe." will take me.  There is a  story about a friend of a friend who went around Paris with the simple request - " S'il vous plait pie?" ( with the 'pie' pronounced 'poy').  Not sure how far he got with that.

Cello No. 7 is in a collection of parts but will be taken on its own unique identity very shortly. 

Who's your Gov'ner then?

Apologies for the lack of blog posts, things have been a little busy in my neck of the woods. Cello No. 5 is finished and off to its owner in Hobart very soon. She is a beauty.

Speaking of Hobart, I had to pop down there a couple of weeks ago to receive my fellowship award from the

Governor

. Very nice event it was too - apart from the strangely abrupt version of the national anthem they played on the Governor's arrival, it was literally the first couple of bars then cut to the last couple. They call it "the Royal Salute"! The

Mayor

of our small town and his wife even travelled south to be at the presentation which was very kind of them. The fellowship dinner followed and it was great to meet other fellows, recent and past, and hear about their trips and ideas. It is an incredible opportunity so if you need info or skills which you can only get overseas, then

apply

. 

Back to reality after my moment of glory and back to my cellos. Cello No 6 and 7 both have the ribs complete and I am now working on the tops and backs, arching and purfling. 

And I have a new motorbike -

an Aprilia Mana 850

. I am now complete. 

The instrument chooses the musician ...

A boy of about ten walked into my shop with his father today, looked around and with eyes wide, whispered " Dad, this shop looks like Ollivander's!"

It made my day.

Fine Fellow

From the Paris end of St John Street, to the Paris end of, well ....   Paris!

Official confirmation came through today that I have been awarded a

Churchill Fellowship

to study bow making in France this year! Woohoo! I am thrilled and honoured and, quite frankly indulging in a little gloating for a minute. I have already taught my one and a half year old daughter to say "Fellow" as a regular tribute to me.

Thanks to my referees for giving me such glowing praise in the application. I am sure it is thanks to you that the application was successful. 

It's really excellent news and now the adventure of planning the trip begins. My mind keeps drifting towards figuring out how I can sneak as much motorcycle riding into the itinerary as possible. (Motorbikes are my other obsession.) Aside from the incredible experience and opportunity of learning the traditional craft of bowmaking from French masters, I fancy taking the opportunity to also ride a

cool bike

 through the French countryside, stopping for the occasional

fromage et baguette! Oui

!  

Back to reality, cello number five is progressing well.  It looks like a good cello to me. I'll be taking it down south for a test run in the next few days and I am confident that it will sound like a good cello as well. 

Cello number 6 and 7 have also been started.  

And now back to cellomaking ...

Cello Making

One of my clients (he has commissioned a cello) just dropped in to check out the cello wood that has just arrived. He is a fellow instrument making enthusiast and we embarked on a great discussion about instruments, making techniques and adventures to find interesting

wood suppliers hidden in various beautiful parts of Tassie. Great stuff!  

A good distraction from the cello making itself, which is consuming most of my work time at the moment. Whenever my wife rings and asks "What are you doing?' the answer is invariably "Cello making."

Interview

This week saw travel south to the capital for an interview for a Churchill Fellowship. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least.  This luthier is more comfortable in a workshop behind a plane than making public presentations, but did his best and took the double bass along for moral support. The applicants had to make a ten minute presentation to a panel of 9 people around a boardroom table, after which they are peppered with questions. The reception by the panel was quite warm and most of the questions they fired had been anticipated but who knows? Great references and the double bass hopefully gave me an edge.

This week's musical selection in the workshop is featuring

Alberto Ginastera

,

Variaciones Concertantes

. Check variation 11 for 'shredding' bass solo.

Leave a comment. Any feedback you have on the blog, the work or the official web site will be gratefully received.

Violin No.10 and Cello No. 4 have now been completed and have gone to good homes.  Two more cello commissions have arrived  and two more may be in the wings so the work schedule for the year is filling up fast.

Good news arrived today with confirmation of an interview for a Churchill Fellowship to study bow making in France.  A very exciting prospect so fingers crossed that the interview goes well and I'll be off to France for six weeks later in the year. Sounds terrible, doesn't it!

March Progress

It's been a busy few weeks. Lots of back-to-school repairs and feverishly working to finish the violin and cello.

The varnishing is always tricky but I am pretty happy with the results.

Another cello is underway as the wood arrived from Germany a couple of weeks ago.

The trip to the capital to show off the instruments in the white gave some really positive feedback.

My eldest son has begun his double bass career. He is about to turn 8 and is playing an 1/8th size instrument. So far he has mastered holding the instrument and can play 'Twinkle. Twinkle Little Star' in two lessons.

He's a natural - of course.