The Fiddle Maker ...

  With great patience he searches for just the right piece of wood for the instrument he envisions. Experienced eyes and trained fingers guide his choice of hard rock maple or cherry and Sitka spruce. Birds eye, curly, quilted or straight grain, each will play an important role in the beauty that shines from within. He chooses the wood for the fiddle top with care, as the grain must be closely woven to produce the sound he knows will please the ear.

   With a steady hand the Master begins to shape the virgin wood. Fresh wood shavings fall haphazardly as he carves, creating an aroma that fills the air of his workshop. The sweet-smelling fragrance of pine and maple mingle with the strong smell of ebony, familiar only in the shop of a woodworker. Fingers deftly feel for the right curve, arch and thickness, measured in thousandths of an inch. He knows the time given to accuracy is well-rewarded at the end of his quest.

    The sides are steamed and gently bent and positioned into his mold to dry. He picks up his gouges, planes or chisels and painstakingly crafts the neck. The peg holes are drilled with precision and reamed to accommodate the tapered pegs. F-holes are carved into the top to allow the instrument to ring out its music. The hand-crafted parts are glued together, paying great attention to the smallest of details that will set his instrument apart from others.

   The embellishments on the instrument are carefully chosen to complement the wood. Working with the minute pieces of Mother-of-Pearl and abalone he has cut and shaped, the process of inlaying begins as he carves into the dark ebony. The stark contrast of the pearlescent shell and black fingerboard and tailpiece is breathtaking. After many hours of careful sanding, a coat of color is chosen and applied, followed by coat after coat of oil varnish to obtain the desired finish and produce a warm glow.

   The soundpost is placed in the body chamber. A tail piece is fastened to the end pin, riding over the saddle. Strings are attached to this tail piece, passing over the bridge and nut, and through the tuning pegs. Each peg is then turned to the point of perfect tone. The Master quietly pens his name and the year on a piece of parchment and places it inside the body of the fiddle. It is his mark of excellence. Although few eyes will ever see this mark, it rests here in the unseen beauty of the heart of his instrument.

   Then the maker gently cradles the instrument in his hands as if it were a small child and picks up his old faithful horsehair bow, firmly drawing it across the strings. This fiddle, fashioned of wood, glue, varnish and strings, now shines with beauty and has a soul of its own that sweetly sings.

   A legacy will be left for generations that follow to enjoy and marvel at — The Master fiddle maker, born with God’s gift of creative hands and how his touch brings a piece of wood alive.

~Joyce M. Poast