While the glue was drying I cut some rosewood to make a nut to guide the strings over the fingerboard, and then carefully measured and cut some dowel for the sound post. I didn’t bother with a bass bar as I figured the body was narrow enough to take the strain without the extra support of the bass bar.
I then shaped the bridge and soon it was time to remove the clamps and fit up the instrument. With such a narrow instrument (only four inches wide) I chose a chin rest that mounted over the tail-piece.
And quite suddenly the instrument was finished.
As I tightened the strings I could hear that at least some of my wild guesses were right, and I was rewarded with a warm sound almost as loud as a normal violin. In fact it is as loud as my Maggini copy. That was my first surprise. The second was that with the first tuning up the wood moved to accommodate the strain and the strings quickly went out of tune. But after a couple of hours it stabilised and I was rewarded with quite a reasonable sound at good volume. Not too bad for a first attempt!
Here is the instrument that inspired mine
And finally – what does it sound like? I’ll let you be the judge!
Cheers
Jerry
March 11, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Wow! Great work!
Looks pretty awesome
March 11, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Hey thanks 🙂 I’m really happy with the way it turned out 🙂
March 11, 2008 at 11:28 pm
your welcome 😉
oh, the video just showed .. haha~
you know it really sounds good. don’t know why but reminded me of the movie “lord of the rings” first part when they had some kinda celebration in the village.. eh, nevermind 😀
a very happy song
March 12, 2008 at 7:20 am
This is just great! I love it. You must be very pleased. The video is delightful!
March 12, 2008 at 10:51 am
Hi Jerry!
That looks awesome! Can’t wait to see it in person, have fun 🙂
Weeeeee! Tunes!
March 12, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Yes I’m very pleased with the sound – not too bad for my first violin 🙂
March 13, 2008 at 12:43 am
Thanks for the video…so much fun to see and hear you play! Congrats on your successful violin making, too…
March 13, 2008 at 6:33 am
thanks for your comment Allison – it was fun making the fiddle and I learned heaps too 🙂
March 13, 2008 at 1:46 pm
It was fun following your progress. Nice video too – the sound is louder than expected it would be! Did you really study violin making in only 3 hrs? Can’t wait to see what your next project will be. Keep it up!
March 13, 2008 at 3:14 pm
The music and the instrument is great.The piece played reminded me of Carnatic Music where Violin is used a lot.What is the difference between the Pochette and the Violin?ie.apart from the appearance.The lack of curves ,as in the violin should make the sound different,no?
I really appreciate you work and this is not idle curiosity.so pardon,if I did not express correctly.
March 13, 2008 at 3:16 pm
BTW,I play the Veena,hence the interest.
March 13, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Yes I was surprised at the volume of sound too. I really based the construction techniques on the book “Violin Making – A guide for the amateur” by Bruce Ossman. The instructions were clear and construction was made easier by simplifying the shape, and by the acquisition of a violin neck and fingerboard – which saved a lot of construction time. And yes I read the book in about 3 hours 🙂
March 13, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Thank you Sita – the piece is called “The Cliffs of Moher” – a jig written in honour of some spectacular cliffs in Ireland. Bowed folk music has many similarities across many parts of the world, so it does not surprise me that it could resemble Carnatic music.
The main difference between the pochette and a violin is the size of the body. Many were made with violin shape but with a tiny body – they were made to be very portable and easily carried on horseback as they were used by dancing masters to teach dances in people’s houses. Most have a very thin sound, so I was surprised at the fullness of my pochette’s sound. The lack of curves would be more a factor in its strength (weaker with fewer curves) than its sound.
March 13, 2008 at 9:43 pm
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July 27, 2008 at 12:48 am
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September 27, 2008 at 3:25 am
I enjoyed your video on the making and playing of a pochette. I’m glad that my book “Violin Making: A Guide for the Amateur” gave you enough info to get started. Making a full sized fiddle is not difficult. I encourage you to have a go at that next!
November 1, 2008 at 12:01 am
[…] under Interesting instruments, Violins | Tags: Base Camp, Everest, fiddle, pochete, Tibet | MY pochette fiddle has been travelling with a friend, and it has made another mile high debut – this time on land at […]
June 4, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Sweet blog. I never know what I am going to come across next. I think you should do more posting as you have some pretty intelligent stuff to say.
July 24, 2012 at 1:43 am
Awesome pochette!!! Now that I’ve seen yours, I want to make one. Can you please post directions or a guide and some approximate cost of materials?
Thank You
July 24, 2012 at 8:03 am
Start here:
and you will see step by step how I made this one 🙂
Cheers
Jerry