Making a Violin

This passage describes how to make a violin.

Lexile Level: 750L

Categories: Art & Music

A violin is a stringed instrument made by a skilled craftperson. It is not easy to make a fine violin. The wood must have been aged for at least 200 years. This means that someone has to cut the wood and put it aside for many years before it is used. The wood must be dry. If it were wet, it would shrink and cause the violin to be ruined. So the violinmaker uses only wood that rain has not touched for over five years. The wood must have had sunlight to help dry it out, yet the wood must still be soft. The kinds of wood used most are maple, pine, or fir. Last, the violinmaker applies a coating to the violin. The coating is called a varnish. The varnish cannot be too thick, or it will dull the sound of the violin. A varnish that is too thin will cause the sound to be muffled. It takes a very gifted person to make a violin.