PHILOSOPHY
Although my instruments are usually based on classical originals, these models are only a starting point and the results are never true copies. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the violin was new technology and in a state of fervent development, akin to electronics and computer technology today. It is this excitement and freshness which must be incorporated into modern violins, rather than a slavish and stultifying seeking after the past.

During the classical period of violin making, the violin was continually developing, in step with the demands of composers and players, pushing technique to the furthest limit and demanding ever-increasing carrying power. Most instruments from this period would scarcely be recognized by their makers today, either by sight or sound, having been fitted with modern necks, longer fingerboards and heavier bassbars. Therefore , although the violin has now settled into a fixed format, it does not seem sensible to study exclusively the great makers of the Baroque period when making a modern instrument.

Above all a violin is a tool, enabling the player to generate seemingly effortless subtleties of sound, and the achievement of that must be the overarching impetus in the construction of modern violins violas and cellos.