As a bow maker, I thought it would be nice to share a list of my top 5 studies that primarily focus on developing bow technique.
Violin Bowing Etudes
Pearl Eye Replacement
This beautiful E. Sartory violin bow was in the shop for a pearl eye replacement. When working with a bow of some age, special attention is needed to ensure an original appearance. I go over the process I use for replacing a pearl eye in this article.
Bow Makers’ Zoom Conference
With many summer workshops and programs canceled and desperate for some sort of interaction with my colleagues, I felt compelled to organize a free online social event among bow makers. We had some wonderful bow makers hosting discussions and included bow makers from France, Germany, Israel, Holland, Scotland, Canada, and the USA. We would like to share our recorded conversations with the larger community of bow makers and musicians who could not attend to hopefully inspire and offer insight to what many of us consider when working with bows.
Button Ring Mandrel
The button ring mandrel is similar to a jewelers bezel mandrel but with a long finished diameter to match the specific internal diameter of the finished button ring. Though a bezel mandrel can definitely be used with sufficient results, these button ring mandrels will give a clean and parallel surface in the internal surface of the button rings.
The Future of Restored Bows
Historical Bows As big name makers such as Sartory, Peccatte, Tourte, etc. are continually raising in value and are pushed out of the the price range of most working musicians. However, a repaired or incomplete example may be obtained for a fraction of the price. I anticipate that within the next decade we will see …
Singing with the Bow
Over the past few years, I have had the wonderful pleasure of working with Eliot Heaton, Concertmaster of the Michigan Opera Theatre and Des Moines Metro Opera, and his bows. The way that Eliot shapes phases and uses his bow is inspiring to any bow maker and much can be learned from such high caliber musicians. We welcome him here on our blog, sharing some insight on how he draws insight from the human voice to produce thoughtful, vocal-like phrases.
Bow Bugs, Eww!
"Bow Bugs" are carpet beetles that find their way into your case. This article describes how to identify and get rid of them.
Measuring Camber
I have a huge passion for sharing with those working on bows around the world, especially those of atypical countries, and have made a wonderful connection with Jack Estephan of Lebanon. Though his country is in a dire state at the moment, Jack continues to pursue his passions in music. It’s an honor to have an international bow maker featured here sharing his insight on camber.
Bowmaking Tools: Hand Planes
I've recently had a lot of people show interest in bow making tools. So this article is the start of a short series of an in-depth look at the main tools that bow makers use.
Cleaning Strings
Duncan Harris is a luthier and bow maker based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We welcome him with his first guest article about keeping your strings clean for a better sound.
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