It Went Horribly Wrong.
I am so good at these header titles.
Pictured above is what happens when you not only use the wrong tool for the job, but also course correct in the wrong direction when the drill bit gets stuck in the work piece. As you might have guessed, there’s no recovering from here. It’s time to start a new back.
(I did keep the screwed up back; I figured I could use it for an experiment I’ve been thinking about for a while. More on that much, much later.)
With significant help from my wonderful, self-appointed apprentice Craig (who helped me at every step, but especially here), we managed to get a new back done by lunch the next day. With two days left until I fly back out. And though I had doubt, my apprentice was certain I could get some color on this fiddle before having to leave. We got the back glued on, the body (now in-the-white) cleaned up and ready for varnish. Before recounting the last day of making, I figure I should tell you how I ended up naming this instrument.
Violin #3’: "Anansi"
(I’m using 3’ rather than 3 to differentiate between instruments made outside of school. This is my third overall instrument, though when I get back into school, I’ll be starting my third school instrument toward the course requirement. It’s what makes sense to me. Speaking of school, I’m still a ways away from my first GoFundMe goal. If you want to keep seeing instrument updates like this, consider donating or sharing with someone who might. Every little bit helps and goes towards getting another luthier out in the field. :)
The Story of Anansi
Strap in Folks…He’s About to Ramble…"
In West African folklore, there is a figure who comes up occasionally by the name of Anansi. Anansi stories (which would modulate into Brer Rabbit stories amonsgt enslaved African-Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries, and, for some reason, Aunt Nancy stories in South Carolina. What’s going on over there?)… I'm not a very superstitious guy, but spiders kept popping up aroud the shop during my stay, and the idea quickly set in my mind of what this violin should be called.
This is how Anansi became the keeper of stories: by finding crafty and cunning ways to complete the taks at hand. That right there is the reason Anansi came to mind while building this violin. I’ve already mentioned that some of the working method that Craig Danner uses differs greatly from that of CSVM’s, and there are plenty of reasons for that: availability of tools, space, time, etc. I also wanted to name the violin after a notable storyteller because damn if I didn’t hear a ton of Craig’s stories when we weren’t at the workbench, and I truly say that positively. The man was a doctor, travelled the world with his late wife, became an author, practiced general medicine until COVID, and has been a full time violin maker since. I’m leaving out so much because I simply don’t have the space on this website to chronicle the life that is Craig Danner! (Send him an email and ask him for yourself…then ask to trial one of his violins, they sound and play amazingly well!)
I’ve rambled on this part long enough. The point is: stories are essential and integral to music making, include the making of the things that make the music. So, the question is, after moving past my horrible mistake necessitating the making of a new back, how can I further honor this theme while finishing Anansi?
Finishing the Hat
Now, if you look directly below this text you’ll see a violin in the white, ready for some color and glazing.
Okay I lied there's a little bit of color from the initial layers of varnish. Don't trust everything you read on the internet, kids. As far as adding a personal touch to this fiddle, I didn’t have the time or skillset to try anything extravagant. However, a quick trip to the local art supply store reminded me that I can steal an idea from another violin maker I admire. This is an image of the underside of a fingerboard on a violin by Itzel Avila, modern maker out of Toronto. She does a bit of decoration here and on the visible part of the heel of the neck to give the player a little something to look at.
My last night in the shop, mere hours before my flight back to Chicago, I’m watching the premiere of the season of Dimension 20 while applying ground and varnish to the violin. The goal was to have a playable violin by the time I left and damned if we didn’t get close! Craig, my wonderful apprentice, would leave it in the light box for me, add a couple layers of varnish, and ship it to my apartment, where I set it up for the first time. I’ll spare you having to listen to a violist play viola rep on a violin, but I was able to get a decent setup on in time for a concert with South Loop Symphony, in which my friend Sophia Bellino played Anansi on the piece I arranged for said concert
They’re also a fantastic tattoo artist, check out their work here!In Conclusion…
Altogether, this was a great, albeit a bit stressful, experience. I can confidently say that I will not try to make a full violin in such a time crunch again if I can help it, though I did pick up some tips, tricks, and working methods that will help me along the way. Now comes the hard part: selling the violin. I cannot thank Craig enough for helping me with this; next year we’re making violas. I’m bringing two forms and forcing him to whether he likes it or not. :)
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