Grandpa Bud in his workshop
Let us introduce you to our current "Guest at the Inn." For our first "guest" we've chosen to spotlight a fiddle maker who is very near and dear: our Grandpa "Bud" Bigney.
Grandpa has always had a talent for working with his hands and he especially enjoys woodworking, so when a friend introduced him to fiddle-making, it seemed a perfect fit. He set about teaching himself the craft mostly through books and good old trial-and-error.
Fiddle-making is a demanding art. A craftsman fashioning a musical instrument must first have a sense for what wood to choose to create the best tone. Then he must be absolutely precise when creating the joints and carving the curves that will give the instrument its stability. Finally, the craftsman needs an artistic eye to put the finishing touches on the instrument that will make it a work of visual as well as tonal beauty.
Over the years, Grandpa Bud has given away his finished instruments, mostly to family. His current project is a cello for Simeon, which is turning out to be a titanic venture.
To find out more about the process of fiddle-making, here are a few sites you can check out:
www.centrum.is/hansi/construction
www.theviolinsite.com/violin_making/index.html
Our "Guest at the Inn" feature is a way for us to recognize modern craftspeople who are keeping traditional skills alive. If there is someone you know who you think should be spotlighted, send us an email about them at kirkmount_music@yahoo.com. With their permission, we will write a short article about them and their craft and publish it on our site.