A beginning...

I should begin by stating for the record that I am not a violin player. Nor am I a woodworker, per se. I am an artist and musician and filmmaker (see www.NowTheMorning.com for details). Growing up and living in Minnesota, along with the air you breathe you acquire a certain Scandinavian awareness. Being Swedish and Norwegian in heritage myself, and living in a place that celebrates these same roots, it has been easy to be inspired by Scandinavian music and traditions. With the advent of global communication, it has also been an inspiration to find documentation of several people modifying basic and readily available instruments to make them more closely resemble and function as a Hardanger Fiddle, most notably the stories found here: http://dennishavlena.com/hardangr.htm http://feedbacksolo.wordpress.com http://www.fiddlehangout.com/archive/979 http://ecotonalinstruments.blogspot.com/2011/11/hardanger-project.html
 I enjoy working with my hands and being creative, and after some further research and deliberation I decided attempt the project, and placed an order for one of the many available pre-assembled violins 'in-the-white.' You can find these everywhere from the International Violin Company to ebay, and they generally can be had for around $50 (2013 pricing) having been mass produced in some factory - often in China (by Song Chung Musical Instrument Co. for example). I've seen these advertised as great pieces on which to practice your finishing techniques (the art of violin finishing apparently being a somewhat incomprehensible mix of fine art, alchemy, and outright chemistry).

Though it doesn't appear there is much difference, I ended up ordering through Amazon - and within a week a blank-slate of a violin was delivered to my rural home. Again I am not a violin player (or instrument maker) so I can't give a truly professional appraisal, but the instrument appeared to be what you might expect for such a small entry fee.

It seems solidly put together, and the sound post is even still in place. Of course there are some spots that will need additional scraping/sanding - the purfing (especially on the back) has a few less-than-perfect areas, and the grain on the spruce top gets a little torn-out looking around the lower portion of the body.

There's no real quilting or figuring of any kind on the bookmatched maple back, but that's fine since I'll be scrawling Scandinavian designs all over it anyway...

I wasn't expecting something that would pass for antique Cremonese craftsmanship, and for now I think this particular canvas will be sufficient to allow me to experiment without fear of destroying something priceless.