Gary Leahy, bow maker
It is always difficult to make a bow: it's a slow thing to learn and it requires great concentration to get the details right. My style is very much influenced by Noel Burke, who taught me, and who is one of the best bow-makers alive today. I first did an introductory course in violin making in Cork and later trained as a restorer in New Zealand, where I lived for six years, gradually ending up doing almost all the bow-restoration and repair work in a violin shop. That got me interested in making my own, so when I came back home on a visit in 2001, Noel Burke in Westport offered to teach me. I have been living and working here in Mayo ever since.
The materials for bow-making come from all over the world. The mother-of-pearl for the button is from an abalone shell, which comes from the west coat of South America, and is sawn with a jeweller's saw. The ebony for the frog (the nut of the violin bow) comes from Africa, Sri Lanka and India, the best from Vietnam and Cambodia. If it's good you won't see the open pores of the wood. The rare pernambuco wood for the stick comes from Brazil and the quality and curve of the stick determines the quality of the sound. The horse-hairs come in bundles from Siberia and Mongolia. The mastodon ivory for the tip face is ancient tusk of the woolly mammoths which is dug out of the tundra.
Everything in the bow, every beautiful aspect, conceals a function. The lizard skin is the thumb grip and it not only looks great, but is very resilient. The lapping is made from silver and silk thread and the player's first finger will sit on that. There are very strict guidelines but there is room for creativity. I love the method and the tradition that has evolved over a few hundred years in French bow-making. The Italians may be the best at violin-making, but the French have stolen a march on them when it comes to bow-making.
I start by making the frog up to a certain point and the stick up to a certain point. Then I will fit the two together. That's very important. I first make the bow octagonal and then I take all the corners off, so I gradually bring it to round in a controlled way. First 16 sides, then 32 sides and then it is sanded and French polished. I do the bending and adjustment to the curve with a camping gas stove. Controlling humidity is important. Getting the curve right is a process of heating the stick, bending it, letting it cool and then flexing it and slightly aligning and adjusting it until it is right. The whole process takes me two weeks.
My bows sell in shops all over the world and to individual musicians. One of my best customers is the French violinist Gilles Apap. It is a great satisfaction to see musicians produce beautiful music. We bow-makers all know each other, particularly the French crowd. One of the things I like about this trade is that it is full of lovely people. I love visiting bow-makers.
I will probably spend a lifetime perfecting my bows, as there is always so much to learn, and it's always a challenge to do better.
In conversation with Deirdre McQuillan
Gary Leahy's bows are available at Kilbride, Newport, Co Mayo. Contact 098-42569/086-3068084 or www.garyleahybows.com