violin matters

Hello everybody,

As I am concern, you should not be interested with what you will read.

No doubt, you are here as you are a violin fan of some kind. However, I being a violin maker, just started an internet marketing business. You are right - for personal reasons. And it will not affect our activities as violin makers.

Title of my new web site is 'Positive aging', web address: http://www.positiveaging.kulvis.com.

You are right - I am aging and I want to age as slow, as possible - smart way.

That are news for today.

Cheers

Czes Kul

http://www.positiveaging.kulvis.com

I again totally updated our web site www.kulviolins.com recently.

There are some new articles included and all design changed.

Probably the most important information is situated in a home page.


Dr. Czes Kul, violin maker

We finished this violin in mid - summer (January) 2006.

It is rich nice saturated brown to red colour.

And, most importantly, it has a consistent and rich sound. It also projects well.

Everybody who tested liked it's sweet singing voice.

Dr. Czes Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

Just today I put a new major update of our web site www.kulviolins.com on internet.

Probably the main change - new design and more convenient navigation.

However, there are several new articles as well:

Violin Essence - In this article I was trying to grab the most important features that make violin a violin.

Stradivarius case - More thorough description of this so multifaceted cultural etc phenomenon.

Have a nice reading.

I am awaiting for comments

Dr. Czes Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

Visualize all the sci-fi movies of your youth that brought secluded and imaginary places filled with animals long extinct to life, at least for two hours... You don't have to imagine any more, thanks to a wildlife expedition (funded in part by the National Geographic Society) that uncovered a treasure trove of animal species never documented before in the Foja Mountains on the island of New Guinea in Indonesia.

Among the "lost" species researchers discovered (pictured here) is the golden-mantled tree kangaroo, the rarest of its kind, and found in only one other place on Earth.

Just shows you don't have to go to a movie or outer space to find wonderful, beautful and new living things.


National Geographic News February 7, 2006

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Czes Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

We are living in NZ for a 3rd year now.

That means we are still discovering this 'secret' country.

We also are improving our living and working conditions.

Presently we found a better property for living and working, so we must sell our present house. So I created a new web site on that ocassion:

* House for sale in Levin, NZ

You are right - that web page is completely not connected with violins. Probably the only direct connection - we create violins.

Best regards for all violin lovers in a new 2006 year -

Dr. Czes Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

.
I read a great news recently. Isn't it nice:

Swedes to build Stradivarius-like violin:-

Scientists at Mid Sweden University are using modern technology to uncover the secrets of Stradivarius violins.

The researchers are using an advanced mathematical optimization method to create a violin with the same acoustic properties as a Stradivarius instrument . . .


Nothing new here. Similar attempts occur for centuries. All those attempts are uncucessful. And the main reason for that - there is no single phenomenon that can be named as Stradivarius sound.

No doubt, there is a huge diversity of beautiful violin sounds - all slightly different. Therefore it is absolutely impossible to seek the one - absolutely special - sound.

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Stradivarius - different story. I am interested in his phenomenon, so I have written several articles:

o - Stradivarius violin sound

o - Stradivarius violin maker

o - Stradivarius' innovations

o - Stradivarius' psychology

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Anyway, I am very interested in these attempts.

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

I am actively travelling in a violin world for well over ten years.

And I still can not stop wondering.

Probably the best violin matters were described by Mr. Gldstone:

Even the locomotive is not a greater marvel of mechanism than the violin

I tried to describe the whole (or at least part of) violin complexity in my article: Violin world.

I am so happy (or lucky) I entered this so special world.

I wish all the best to anybody trevelling this so special path

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

No doubt, the most frequently used word around the world of violin making - Stradivarius. So, I was thinking a lot, what and why created such a situation.

At least some answers can be found in my articles:

* - Stradivarius violin maker

* - Stradivarius' innovations

* - Stradivarius' psychology

Certainly, there are much more questions and probably answers. There are at least some.

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

Violin making

Is it complicated to create a violin?

No doubt - it depends.

Probably the most exact explanation of a process could be this:

'To make a violin, take the wood and carve away all that is not the violin'

Some ansvers, ideas, thoughts ... can be found in the article: Violin making.

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

Living in New Zealand, we see lots of Asia people around.

Being violin makers and repairers, we see some Asia people (especially young) playing violin family instruments.

We also see, what happens in a musical instruments market - more and more of them is produced in China.

So, it was not a surprise, when I read article from 13/5/2005 'Shanghai Daily news':

She began playing the violin before she was four and has won awards all over the world. Now Hilary Hahn has added Shanghai to her crowded concert schedule, writes Michelle Qiao.
"The young Menuin is back" was the reaction of Shanghai music critic Li Yanhuan when he first heard the playing of American violinist Hilary Hahn -- over the telephone -- in 1997. But this Sunday, a Shanghai audience will be able to hear the Grammy Award-winning musician in person when she gives her first recital in the city.
"I thought she was just another ordinary, if beautiful, violinist when I saw her innocent face on her first album," says Li, who is also council member of Shanghai Symphonic Music Lovers' Association...

Hilary Hahn also maintains a busy concert schedule with appearances in front of orchestras worldwide. They include the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony. She was named "America's best young classical musician" by Time magazine in 2001...

These words appeared in a China newspaper.

this article, along with other, shows that Western classical art (aspecially music) becomes more and more popular in Asian countries.

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

Lots of good staff can be found on internet. Really.

Would you like to get a qualified answer to a question:

All my life I have heard that Strads and Amatis are the benchmark in terms of "being the best." All the great players seem to have at least one of those makes in their possession. Are there modern instruments that are the equal (or even better) than the ones those old masters made in Cremona?

Interested in answer? You can found the answer (along with some other violin related) in an article Ask the Experts.

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Exploring the violin world - newer ending journey.

Good luck for everybody travelling.

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

Searching articles about Stradivarius violins, I found an abstract of an Colin Gough from School of Physics and Astronomy University of Birmingham article "Science and the Stradivarius" in a journal "Australian Acoustics" Vol. 28, No. 2 pp 57-64 (2000):

ABSTRACT: Stradivarius violins are among the most sought-after musical instruments in the world. But is there a secret that makes a Stradivarius sound so good, and can modern violins match the wonderful tonal quality of this great Italian instrument?

Almost seems to be understndable. The only detail I can not agree with is Stradivarius sound.

Sradivarius lived long life and made over 1000 instruments, mainly violins. It is well known that he extensively experimented, changed violin dimensions, mould etc - to create better sound.

So, is it possible to speak about the only Stradivarius sound?

More details and my point of view - in my article Stradivarius violin sound

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

This morning (2 May 2005) I looked for news in a violin world and I was somewhat surprised. Please take a look at an article: China's cheap instruments hit chord. Factories turn out thousands of violins, pianos, guitars each month for Western markets

That's understandable - China market is booming. I can see and feel it very well, living in New Zealand - part of Australasia.

However, my question remains - can chinese factories produce top quality (fine) violins? To my knowledge, it is absolutely impossible to do that in factories - the only possibility remains workshop of experienced violin maker.

Though our family resides in New Zealand for only 18 months, Wy both (my wife Birute and I) sold 5 fine instruments - 1 viola and 4 violins - to Asian players. So, we can see again and again - quality is much more important than quantity.

So, my thinking remains the same - is is absolutely essential to create fine violins. We usually create around 6 instruments a year, but these are appreciated by professional players.

I was thinking a lot what 'fine violin' means. Details - in my article: Fine violin

Dr. Ces Kul, violin maker
www.kulviolins.com

Stolen centuries-old violin found in LA Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN - Apr 22, 2005
... The violin was crafted in 1742 by Sanctus Seraphin, the top violin maker of his time in Venice, Italy. It is considered several ...