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Violin Making Classes at Warwickshire College Part 1

Derek Roberts teaches evening classes in violin making at Warwickshire College. The classes are designed for anyone who wishes to make a violin, viola or cello under the guidance of a professional violin maker.

Derek also teaches 3, 4 and 5 day courses in his own workshop.

This is the first part of a feature article on violin making at Warwickshire College. For more about the classes, see part two and part three, or the FAQ. For more on violin making, watch Derek Roberts make a violin by hand.

The classes are held on one evening each week during term-time and are for part-time students. All levels of ability and experience are catered for.

The classes take place in a spacious workshop equipped with workbenches and all the specialist tools necessary for making a violin in the traditional way by hand - bending irons, thumb planes, gouges, chisels, saws, thicknessing gauges. Students purchase their own materials (chiefly wood) but do not need to have their own specialist equipment. They are encouraged to make their own moulds and templates under expert tuition.

Class members are given individual attention by Derek Roberts at every class. Each member is at a different stage of construction of their instrument and can work at their own speed. Here a student is working on the rib structure of a violin. You can see the inside mould, corner and end blocks.

The violin-making courses were started over fifteen years ago by Rowan Armour Brown, the distinguished Cremona-trained violin maker. Derek Roberts (right of picture) was a member of the course in the early days. He has now come full circle to teach the course himself after further study at the Welsh School of Musical Instrument Making and several years as a professional maker and restorer, running his own violin business.

Now read on to part two and part three for more about instruments being made in the classes. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page will answer some questions if you are interested in joining the class. For more on the different stages in violin making, follow Derek's progress as he makes a violin by hand.

Are you interested in learning to make a violin, developing your violin making skills or acquiring set up and repair skills? See our choice of short Violin Making Courses held in Derek Roberts' workshop in Leamington Spa.