allViolin.com

Mark Wood

HOW WOOD VIOLINS CAME ABOUT

"When I was a kid, my father would bring my brothers and me down to our woodworking shop where they hand-carved wooden furniture and let us loose to build practically anything (at age 9, I actually built a life-sized coffin to carry my brothers in - hmmm... ). This experience gave me the freedom to pursue my vision as did growing up with three other brothers who also played stringed instruments (we became known as the Wood String Quartet). And so I developed a true sense of self-respect and discipline working with the traditional 4-string violin.

"But there was something missing. "So, after leaving the Juilliard School of Music (which I attended on full scholarship), I had a mission. Since there were no really cool looking electric violins to buy, I had no choice but to build my own by hand. After several experimental efforts, I finally reached a level of mastering the construction of these strange 6-stringed instruments. And, since the traditional way of holding a violin wasn't right for me (because it severely limited my movements), I decided to get rid of the chin rest and shoulder pad and I invented (and patented!) a support mechanism that enabled me to strap the instrument onto my body. Now I would be able to race around the stage and perform the way I wanted to.

"Frets came about because I needed to be able to play a wide variety of chordal patterns up and down the fingerboard like electric guitarists do. Without frets, it's difficult for a violinist to maintain accurate intonation for this particular kind of playing style. Although adding frets may sound like a simple proposition, I soon discovered that it is a very difficult task to build a fretted instrument which maintains all of the violin's unique expressive qualities.

"In the course of my experiments with different styles, I built over ten different models, most of which are now in my private collection. In fine-tuning these models, I decided that the Viper should be made available to the public and so I started my company Wood Violins. I also developed the Sabre and Stringray for people who wanted to experience these violins on a more conventional level (since they are played with a chin rest and shoulder pad). Although to call any of my violins "conventional" - well, you decide for yourself!

"Since I developed the Viper violin, it has become my instrument of choice and when I perform, it's most often with my 6 or 7-string fretted ones, of which as you can imagine I own quite a few! One of my other favorites is my Spaceolin which I've fitted with neon lights which outline the body. Along with one of my bows on which I've also wrapped these lights, it looks really wild when the lights are turned off. Lately, I've been using this violin on my version of Hoedown. Audiences love it!

"All my instruments are played with a bow and since I'm a violin player and not a guitarist, the playing of these instruments is based on violin technique. The tunings are in 5ths, from high to low E, A, D, G, C, F but it can also be tuned like a guitar. In fact, many of the people buying 6-string fretted Vipers right now are guitarists looking to open up new realms of playing.

"Whether you are a violinist, violist, cellist, guitarist or you're just passing through, I hope you enjoy visiting the Wood Violins website."