violin

My mother was told she had to learn to play the piano because it was a necessary part of a ladies portfolio, consequently she played the piano well but hated playing it. We therefore did not have a piano in the house but had to secretly learn on my grand mothers piano, my grand mother was forbidden to help us. My father had learned to play the violin and play to a good standard but even this did not stop my mother having a ban on the playing of the violin in the house, it was only Roy who seemed to get around my mothers ban when he bought a guitar and the Bert Weeden book of `Play in a Day´. When mother went to the shops with Lila, a friend from when she was four years old, my father would zoom to the garage and retrieve his violin and bow, put the music stand up in the back sitting room and play, often Hungarian gypsy music.
For the sake of interest I guess, Graham made a very good violin and my father was very impressed, Graham is a very good cabinet maker and extremely meticulous, his love of models and model making as been there all is life I guess that is my grand fathers influence. I had a workshop for many years at Rotherithe in London, there I shared a building with many instrument makers and repairers which naturally included violins and guitars. The making of instruments shows very much the techniques that are needed for restoration work and it is only the lack of musical ability that stops me trying to make them, however for those interested here is a marvelous site to help you.
http://www.centrum.is/hansi/construction.html