Violins, Violas & Cellos

“Dots Music is hugely grateful for the expertise, care and attention Ludivine has brought to collaborating with us to develop responsive and expressive violins with charmingly different characters. In addition to her own beautiful hand-made models that will bring customers years of joy and professional pride we also have branded instruments that she infinitely upgrades and improves so that they also have a sound and quality unique to Dots. Friendly, prompt and with exceptional attention to detail, we couldn’t be happier in our working relationship with her.”

“Ludivine was great in advising us as to what was required (and what was possible but not essential) to renovate my grandmother’s professional violin. Ludivine did what we wanted, delivered on time and charged what we had agreed. A great service and would certainly recommend to others. Martin Decent”

“I have been very happy with the viola that Ludivine made for me. The experience of commissioning a luthier to make me a viola was exciting and it was very straightforward discussing and agreeing the details with Ludivine. Obviously being able to have some dialogue with the maker about my preferences in regards to the style of the make and importantly for a viola, the size, was a great benefit over buying one that was already made, but the most important factor is the sound and playability of the instrument. From day one of receiving the instrument I liked the sound and it worked well for me. In the past year, having had an intensive period in which I have been writing, practicing and recording with the instrument the sound has really opened up and the richness of its tonality and range of expression have come to the fore. I find the tone even across the range and it is very willing and responsive in a lot of different playing conditions. So the commission was a definite success and the viola makes an excellent contribution to our live performances and recordings. Thank you Ludivine.”

“Ludivine has looked after my violin for several years now and her service and care of my instrument has always exceeded my expectations. The quality and standard of her work is exceptional and she is an absolute pleasure to deal with. My violin has had a new set up by and sounds balanced with great projection and I regularly go for tonal adjustments when I need to. Her patience and calm nature have always given me good faith and trust that my instrument is in great hands! I have recommended Ludivine to my colleagues and acquaintances who have also been very satisfied.”

“Private tuition with Ludivine is immensely enjoyable and a true highlight of my week. The flexibility it offers (both in terms of content of sessions and pace of work) is undoubtedly a huge perk. We typically discuss what I would like to focus on from week to week (whether it be making, set-up or repair) and then Ludivine plans and steers each session accordingly, working to a pace that suits me. Ludivine is always positive and encouraging and I come away from each session with a great sense of achievement, feeling that I have made good progress and with greater confidence in my abilities. She offers just the right level of support and supervision, first providing clear instruction and then giving me the space and time to progress with my work by myself, but always remaining attentive to my needs. She checks in on my progress regularly and drops what she is doing immediately to help me if I have a question or am struggling with anything. She is great at explaining and demonstrating not only the methodology required for whatever I am working on, but also the techniques for using the various tools (and also, crucially, for sharpening them). She respects the integrity of my work and will seek, where possible, to demonstrate something on an alternative piece of wood or by explanation alone. If it is necessary to demonstrate something on my own piece, she will never do so without first seeking permission and will then keep it to an absolute minimum, such that I never feel that my work is no longer my own. Ludivine is generous with her knowledge and expertise and is always keen to show me what she is working on and explain the methods and techniques behind it, which I find fascinating and enlightening. She is also generous with her time outside the classroom, having, on a number of occasions, prepared or fixed tools for me between lessons, a kindness which is much appreciated and suggests to me a genuine desire to support me and help further my progress.”

“Recently Ludivine taught me how to cut f holes in a cello front. She highly skilled and very precise and always insists that the tools are really sharp. She has all the attributes of a great teacher; she explains and demonstrates techniques clearly and well. When she had explained and demonstrated what to do and provided a plan she left me to get on with the work but was always immediately available to answer any questions when I ran into difficulties. She is pleasant to work with, patient, good at explaining and a very able craftswoman. The resulting f holes were much better than previous ones I had cut.”