In my line of work as a violinmaker and dealer, I’m frequently examining and playing instruments of different calibres; this helps me to appreciate the variety of tonal qualities that are possible, and to understand what physically contributes to this. I use all of this to think about how an instrument can be optimised acoustically, and I offer this service to you.
My sound adjustments focus on troubleshooting the setup first- strings, bridge, soundpost, and even the materials used for fittings.
I especially enjoy doing soundpost adjustments. By concert standards, time is spent to find the ideal overall position where:
- The violin has a nice balance in response across all four strings. It won’t work well if one end is lacking.
- It should be able to carry a clean sound from the lightest to heaviest playing.
- It should also be able to help achieve the contrasts you want, whether that is digging into darker colours or playing sweetly.
- Most importantly, a good adjustment should make your violin a joy to play on, you’ll know when it feels *right*. There shouldn’t be any barriers between you and your playing!
I also offer live sessions for soundpost adjustments where I use your feedback as a player to push the sound/response in the direction that you are after. These come with great results and can be arranged for a negotiable fee.
If you would like me to help unlock the potential of your instrument, get in touch here- contact