Finding a Way Forward Together
The wood we use for bow making, known as Paubrasilia echinata, or pernambuco, has been in severe decline for many years. Over the last...
Concerns about the Legal Status of Pernambuco
Recently, Brazil put forward a proposal to change the legal status of brazil wood, also known as pernambuco. Their intention is to...
Coping Strategies and the Long Wait
The date of 20th March has varying significance. Typically, it is the date of the vernal equinox. The sun rises due east, passes along...
Lockdown Lowdown
Throughout the spring and summer I have been keen to hear people’s stories, of how we have adapted to cope with the extraordinary...
Fétis and Vuillaume: A mathematical approach to bow making
Simple mathematical problems can be intriguing, and since I have a bit more time on my hands than normal, I decided to see what sense I...
The Ebony Project
Ebony is common on musical instruments and bows, it has become traditional, and expected. Makers choose their materials carefully with an...
It's just a piece of wood, innit?
I would like to take a moment to ramble on the subject of variation in bows. And I mean in particular bows for violin, viola and cello,...
Thoughts on horse hair (part one)
In this article I want to consider the final material to go on the bow, the hair. Usually, no one questions its provenance but being ‘in...
Customer loyalty and satisfaction
At the beginning of the month I celebrated my eleventh anniversary of self employment, and also the first anniversary of my foray into...
A Celebrity Musician in Victorian London
Some ten years ago I started researching the life of Jean Prosper Guivier, a nineteenth century musician thought to be the man behind the...
