For Subscribers

Making Matters: How to make a lighter viola

2026-04-02T08:29:00

mm1

For some violists, playing on a lighter instrument is their holy grail. Laurent Zakowsky describes his methods to accomplish this, from thinning the back to changing the chinrest

I enrolled at the Mirecourt School of Violin Making in 1982. Like all students, I started out making violins. I was immediately captivated by the craft: building something with my own hands, creating sound from raw materials – it all fascinated me. But I also quickly discovered a more restrictive aspect: in violin making, inventiveness is not really encouraged. The violin maker is expected to respect established standards, customs, almost an implicit moral code…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.