The Rowan Armour-Brown (RAB) Trust recently launched its inaugural bow course at Cambridge Violin Makers, addressing a critical shortage of trained workers who can rehair a bow or put a new lapping or thumb leather in the United Kingdom. According to the Trust, the initiative aims to bridge a gap in formal lutherie education, where bow repairs—a vital component of string instrument care—have been neglected as part of the curriculum in the UK.
Why is there a shortage of bow repair training?
Professional violin making courses in the UK have neglected to teach bow repairs, creating a vacuum in the market for essential services like rehairing, lapping, and leather replacement. Libby Summers, Chair of the RAB Trust, identifies this as a significant issue for the trade. Because musicians cannot play their stringed instruments without bows, the lack of accessible training is described by the Trust as “more than unsatisfactory” for the industry.
While short courses exist, they are often prohibitively expensive for a student budget. This financial barrier, combined with a decline in apprenticeship opportunities across the UK and Europe, has made gaining the training required for bow repairs a challenge. The RAB Trust project, two years in the making and planning, seeks to provide these skills by training a cohort of students hand-picked from more than 30 applicants.
The RAB Trust’s new course builds on a legacy of education in Cambridge. The workshop, owned and run by Chris Beament, has deep ties to the charity; Beament’s late mother, Juliet Barker, had been a trustee of the charity for many years, and Rowan Armour-Brown herself had taught on the summer courses back in the late 1980s.
How are new students learning bow rehairing?
The inaugural cohort of eight students—four from the Newark school and two each from Merton and West Dean—received intensive instruction from tutors Jutta Walcher and Gilbert Cox. The curriculum focuses on the techniques and skills required to rehair and revitalise worn out bows, starting from basic assessment and disassembly to the cleaning and internal adjustment of the bow’s mechanisms.
Students learn to:
- Remove old hair and clean the bow safely.
- Examine the internal mechanisms and make adjustments.
- Cut wedges to hold the hair in place.
- Tie and secure knots, sort and comb the hair, and fit the hair to achieve an even, perfect ribbon.
According to the Trust, the presence of two tutors with slightly different methods allowed students to see two ways of carrying out the same process and choose which way suited them better. Student Evelyn Marten noted that the course moved her from having “no experience working on bows” to feeling confident that she can now “rehair a bow using the proper methods.”
What is the future of bow repair in the UK?
The industry is looking to make the UK a centre of excellence for bow repair and re-hair in the future by handing down professional knowledge to the next generation. Chris Beament, of Cambridge Violin Makers, noted that overall, the week turned out to be an excellent one.
A couple of the students who are professionally trained musicians reported that they had not appreciated the level of skill involved in the rehairing process. By training violin makers in these skills, the Trust notes that these students will now convey this to their musician colleagues.
If you are a student or professional maker looking to broaden your skill set, keep an eye on the RAB Trust website for future training opportunities. The Trust continues to support students of violin making through workshop placements, grants and funded places on short courses run by the BVMA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the RAB Trust bow courses?
The course was designed specifically for violin making students. Participants are selected on merit from a pool of applicants.
Why is bow rehairing considered a specialized skill?
Beyond the physical act of replacing hair, the process requires assessing bows, taking them apart, cleaning them safely, examining internal mechanisms, and making adjustments to achieve an even, perfect ribbon.
Can professional musicians attend these courses?
The course was designed specifically for violin making students. However, the cohort included a couple of students who are professionally trained musicians.
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