Lutherie Books By Chet Bishop
Lutherie is the art and craft of building and repairing stringed instruments. I have chosen to work primarily on instruments of the violin-family. Over the last 25 years, have taught a number of students to build instruments: Some of them in person, some by distance learning.
This will include short booklets, as well as longer works, all available for purchase online. (Each title, in blue, is also a link to the Amazon page for that book):
Books
Building an Oliver Five String Fiddle
My first book on lutherie was a compilation of a series of web log posts, thereby chronicling the building of a commissioned five-string fiddle. I offered it for years as a free .pdf download, but it did not work well on phones, or other small screens as the text was too small to read.
New Format
So, I have revised and re-formatted the book as an electronic form, and am releasing it as a Kindle book. I hope to offer an online series of lutherie lessons later, in keeping with this style. (Not in audio, as it is largely a photo-essay.)
137 pages, profusely illustrated in photos.
The Journeys of the Swan
Sometimes Lutherie requires repairs or even a total rebuild. Kai Jensesn, a NASA engineer who loved violins, began to build a cello…but he was getting up in age, and his health failed before he could complete his beloved project. Fortunately, years later, long after his passing, his daughter brought the instrument to me to complete it for him, so that she would have her father’s cello to play.
As a result, this is the story, step-by-step, of how Kai Jensen’s dream was fulfilled and blossomed into a beautiful cello. In addition it is also the story of how his daughter inherited her father’s joy. And, she named the completed instrument “The Swan,” because the first music it played was Saint-Saen’s “The Swan.” These are the Journeys of the Swan. (Not in audio, as it is largely a photo-essay.)
Customer review:
“This is a sweet story for anyone who has a cello that they love. I remember reading about the Swan cello years ago. Mr. Bishop has told the story of a daughter’s wish to honor her father and of a luthier’s effort to make her wish come true. It’s delightful reading and a lovely tribute to all string instruments.”
Linda Jensen Monk
Booklets on Lutherie
This will probably become a list of articles or short books on resurrecting old fiddles. Obviously there are only two, for now, but more will come. However, these will appear on Kindle for their minimum price.
The Bread Bag Fiddle is a short work on repair (resurrection) lutherie (3,800 words, 30 photos) chronicling the transformation of a “junk-store special”…a sadly neglected and abused violin, into the daily player of a gigging fiddler, playing in a professional band. (Not in audio, as it is largely a photo-essay.)
“Resurrection of Another Dead Fiddle” is a little shorter, still, but it includes lutherie details of internal structural repairs, as well as replacement of missing rib wood and a full neck-set. The customer had sadly set this one aside and bought a cheap violin on which to practice, but after the repairs shown here, this violin returned to being her daily player. She has become a Happy Customer! (Not in audio, as it is largely a photo-essay.)
Other Recommended Lutherie Books (Not by me…)
Henry Strobel wrote some excellent books on violin making, viola making, and cello making. (In fact, I would recommend all his books…I think there may be nine, all told.)
All of Henry Strobel’s Books at https://henrystrobel.com/
If you want to learn to build a violin, Henry Strobel’s book “Violin Making, Step-by-Step” is an excellent place to start. He keyed his other making books (viola and cello) to the book on violin making, so you need the violin book along with the others. Each of those three books also includes a very workable pattern.
Violin Making, Step by Step (Comprehensive)
Viola Making, Step by Step
Cello Making, Step by Step (4/4 & 7/8)
The “Making” books above include full size working drawings.
