Stradivarius and Guarnerius Violins: The curve of the Back and the Mystery of How it's Done so Well.

Secrets of the violin connoisseur, secrets of the magic within the violin: from The Romantic School of Music and Kevin Lee Luthier.
Also within this series: how to tell if a Stradivarious or Guarnerius violin is real.

Subtle Nuances aren't just important when performing music, they are "everything" when it comes to creating a work of art like Stradivarius and Guarnerius. When it comes to the varnish , what happens to the instrument before it's applied, is just as important as the final coat.

Books mentioned, and shown:
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PETER BIDDULPH - GIUSEPPE GUARNERI DEL GESÙ = A fabulous book, yet very tough to find now.
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ANTONIO STRADIVARI The Cremona Exhibition of 1987
BEARE Charles, CARLSON Bruce = You can find it, but wow, it's expensive now.

Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers 1751 = It's on google books, but tough to navigate.

Music: The Mystics, by Kyle Preston

Photos and Video Clips:

Parthenon picture by dimitrisvetsikas1969 / 18060 at Pixabay

Parthenon video by Gisselere Michael at Artgrid

Flowing Gold by Soraphotography at Artgrid

[garymcaleer]

Throughout my career, I played my '72 Sergio Peresson. A copy of a Guarneri, it was before he increased production with luthiers building his instruments, and Sergio would do the assembly and staining. A powerful and lovely sound. I sold it when my wife got sick. One day, I hope to find a similar quality. When that day comes I will contact you.

[DerekHerbst]

Hi Kevin. I am neither a violinist nor a violin maker, however I am so appreciative of your videos that I always look forward to the next one. I believe it's because of some common thread we share both musically and spiritually. Thanks for your ever engaging and informative content.

[WEdHarris]

Such a brilliant and informative presentation! Liked and Subbed! It is refreshing to see Master Craftmanship and those who can appreciate art in it's many forms! Thank You for this!

[charlesblithfield]

Some of your comments remind me of a course I took in film making many years ago. The instructor repeatedly emphasized that auteur directors left not one frame of the film to chance or happenstance. Every element of the film, from composition to lighting, sound and music, everything, including credits, was necessary to create a masterpiece of filmmaking. Directors such as Kubrick and Hitchcock are exemplars of this philosophy and I take it to heart when making a violin.

[riccardo-]

Great video, keep'em coming, noble Sir.

[catherinewhite]

This is a fascinating video. Thank you, Kevin!

[lustucrugf]

Hi, nice video.
I'm pretty sure the convex arching on the back side of the ribs of the instrument is a result of deformation, isn't it ?
endping and neck heel being pulled by the string tension, in many instances this effect is mirrored on the top side of the ribs, which end up being concave rather than flat.

[gogotrololo]

Man, i never knew i had to turn on notifications like that. Nice reminder!

[kiwiviolin]

i never liked antiquing in vioilns, yet your violin is so gorgeous! the little specks of yellow that radiates through the rich brown varnish on the belly is just very tasteful, subtle..back is a little more bold for my liking, in my opinion something like the top would have been more suited, but then again back wears down more than the belly. i am just in awe of your knowledge and more importantly the quest for the secrets and sharing with us! waiting eagerly for the next episode. regards from new zealand.

[hinga]

Could you please share a bit more info about that gluing fixture?

[dvides]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing . I see you’re also flexing on that production value. Wonderful to see some fresh ideas in your collaboration. Greetings from Honduras.

[windalkaid]

Love your videos always, really like your style!

[charlesblithfield]

I felt like using sandpapers and even certain rasps at times is not traditional and therefore to be avoided, it certainly is more time consuming, but I realized how much exacting control they can give. Making art to me is a meditation as much as anything and “cutting corners” antithetical to why I am even doing it. I avoid power tools for this reason. I am no professional and appreciate your perspectives very much.

[marknichols]

I am curious if you know what the center hole purpose is in Stradivari's cradle that was used to hold the belly and back while he carved the wood. It seems to be an odd place for fixturing. My guess is that perhaps he glued the back and belly in place while carving and then used the holes to put a tool through to knock them out.

[kyproset]

Although I'm subscribed and have the bell for all notifications on, I wasn't alerted for this video. I found it by accident.

[michaelwhisman]

Have you heard of the old masters using horsetail plants as sandpaper??

[sadhbhdelahunt]

Very informative. Im in Australia. I would like to see one of your violins, are there any in Australia?

[michaelwhisman]

Where can I buy one of those large holding devises??

[cjc]

Best vid yet. Amazing info!
Kevin, you are to modest. You are not only a violin maker, you are the only living human who was certified by Jacques Francais! If anyone is reading this and doesn't know who Mr. Francais was, he would just glance at an instrument and just wave it along like rubbish if it didn't show any sign of greatness. Just a glance is all he needed! For him to actually look at an instrument, handle and value it, it would have to be a Guarneri or Strad or Rocca, Bergonzi, Ruggieri (Or Kevin). He was the greatest appraiser that ever lived. He sold half of the Stradivari and Guarneri instruments in the WORLD during his lifetime.
Kevin, I think Carlo Bergoni inherited Strads tools after his sons gave up the workshop. Do you have any knowledge of this?

[cmkaco]

This is fascinating. It appears that there is a concave curve in the C bouts, but then it looks like it gets flattened out when you sand the upper and lower bouts. Yet, when you are explaining the curvature, it looks like it is there. So, is there a concave curve at the C bouts and a convex curve at the upper and lower, or does the whole back end up being flat at the end? Thanks!