Luthier Denis Wardlow started playing the violin at age seven with an old, beat up violin and when he was 12, his mother gave him a better one, which became his prized possession. He played frequently until 17, when he left home to complete an apprenticeship in traditional small wooden boat building.

Unfortunately, his prized violin was stolen from his home in 2001. Fortunately, Wardlow’s daughter later gave him an inspirational gift; a book written in 1885 called Violin Making As it Was and Is. The book provided history, references and instructions on violin making. Since Wardlow possessed woodworking skills from years of boat building, he decided to make his first violin in 2002. It was a success and he was hooked! 

Violins are made from figured or flamed maple for the back, ribs and neck and fine-grained Alpine, Sitka or Engelmann Spruce for the top. The fingerboard is made of ebony. Most violins are factory-made where artisans specialize in making one part. Modern machinery produces complex shapes in minutes, which would take a skilled artisan many hours. He must select a design then make a template and mould. The wood must be chosen and cut to ensure correct grain direction to make for a good acoustical response when tapped. Ribs are made of maple and are heat-bent to fit the mould. The top and back are shaped to the desired outline and carved to longitudinal and transverse curves of the design. A channel is cut around the outer perimeter to receive a decorative and structural inlay – purfling – preventing cracks.

Graduations of thickness are important. When tapped, plates produce a musical note and the builder controls the note by adjusting thickness in various areas of the plate. No nails or screws are used. The glue is made from animal hides and tissues and can be unglued with hot water to modify the instrument. The neck, pegbox and scroll are carved from maple. Holes are made for pegs to adjust string tension to tune. The ebony fingerboard is shaped, contoured and glued to the neck. The instrument is best varnished with oil-based varnish.

Bows are made in various styles. The best wood to use for bows is Pernambuco, which is in short supply. Today, bows are often made from carbon fibre.

Violins have not changed much since the 16th century when perfected by old Italian masters such as Amati, Stradivari and the Guarneris. Sizes do not vary much and no two violins are the same.

A fiddle and a violin are the same instrument, but may be set up differently. The fiddle is associated with traditional folk music. A violin can fit in with classical, folk, country, jazz, rock and pop music. 

Wardlow has lovingly made violins for personal enjoyment, for others to enjoy and created different models that were inspired by Stradivari and Guarneri. In particular, he made one to be used at a music school by promising students who could not afford a good violin. The violin is not the easiest instrument to play as a violinist’s fingers must find the right position for each note, while the other arm coordinates bow movement.