Project Partners
The LGRP Partner Group consists of lutherie schools, independent luthiers, academic researchers, experts and organisations in the field of musical instruments, wood technology, music, acoustics and psychoacoustics.
Collaborating, advising, supporting and sympathizing partners since 2018
• Laboratoire d'Acoustique de l'Université du Mans, France / LAUM
• Department of Environment, Laboratory of Wood Technology, UGent-Woodlab / Ghent University, Belgium
•Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music, Ghent University, Belgium
• Association Professionnelle des Luthiers artisans en Guitare et autres cordes pincées / APLG
• European Guitar Builders association / EGB / 'Local Wood Challenge' Project.
•ITEMM, Centre international de formation, Pôle d’innovation, centre documentaire et technique / Le Mans, France
• Jacques Carboneaux; representing Chambre Syndicale de la Facture Instrumentale (CSFI), & participating aux comités de la CITES pour défendre les fabricants d'instruments de musique dont la ressource bois est de plus en plus réglementée.
• Claudia Fritz; Chargée de recherche CNRS en acoustique musicale, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
•Iris Brémaud, Chargée de recherche au CNRS, WOOD Team of LMGC, a joined Laboratory between CNRS and University of Montpellier.
• Tim Duerinck, PhD researcher at Ghent University, / HoGent / KASK & Conservatorium Ghent, Belgium
•John Sloboda, professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and researcher in the field of music psychology and pshychoacoustics.
• Samuele Carcagno, Department of Psychology Lancaster University, United Kingdom.
• Bernard Michau / scieur en bois de lutherie / France
• R.M. Mottola, provider of design, research and educational resources to the lutherie community. Technology editor and contributing editor for American Lutherie, the journal of the Guild of American Luthiers.
Initial LGRP partners, funded by the European Commission from 2012 till 2017
NEWARK College (UK) College of Further Education
French guitar maker and musicologist with training in Cmb.
Irish guitar maker, for almost 40 years specialising in the use of non-traditional and locally sourced woods
LGRP Board Meeting in Belgium, 2014
LGRP Board Meeting in Ireland, 2014
LGRP Board Meeting in Finland, 2015
LGRP Board Meeting in UK, 2015
LGRP Board Meeting in Italy, 2016
Final LGRP Board Meeting in France, 2017
More info about the initial Project Partners:
CMB and CVO - Belgium
The Centre for Musical Instrument Building, called "Centrum voor Muziekinstrumentenbouw" (CMB), based at Puurs, Belgium, is a training and documentation resources centre whose aim it is to spread and promote the knowledge and the richness of the craft. They train people to become true professionals in the art of musical instrument making and we provide opportunities for both those who either wish to top up their existing skills and those who wish to attend a particular session, workshop or lecture.
Together with their school partner "CVO- Rivierenland" (Centre for Adult Education) , they offer a large variety of top level training programmes. The CMB/CVO tandem is the only place in Belgium and even on mainland Europe to offer the full range of practically based courses in the making of all string instruments:
- Violin, viola, cello, double bass, viola da gamba and bow making
- Classical and flamenco guitars, lute, Arabic ud, steel-string acoustic and electric guitar, jazz guitar, solid body guitar, acoustic bass guitar, electric double bass, resonator guitar, mandolin and so on…
- Harpsichord, clavichord, and spinet…
Every week, the CMB welcomes students from Flanders, Wallonia, the Netherlands, France and other countries. They have a very diverse student community with a mix of ages, nationalities and backgrounds.
All teachers are specialists in the trade and apart from teaching, they maintain their workshops to keep up with an ever evolving practice.
They set up activities like complementary lectures and workshops, meetings with prominent musicians, makers and experts, study trips to museums and schools for instrument making and exhibitions and meetings with large audiences.
Furthermore, the CMB offers the following services:
- An extensive documentation centre (books, instrument plans, professional journals)
- A shop for the purchase of tools and accessories specific to instrument making.
- A fully stocked store of mature wood.
IKATA , Arts and Crafts School - Finland
Departments: Gunsmithing, Metal Work, Scale Model Making, Community Arts and Crafts, Wooden Boat Buliding, Cabinet Making, Furniture Restoration, Building Restoration, Guitar making, Accordion Building, Clothing, Textiles, Glassblowing, Stained Glass, Glass Jewellery Design, Modeling and Object Design, Exhibition Construction, Graphic Design.
The Guitar making department of the IKATA school, Ikalinen Finland
Luthiers build and repair plucked instruments as well as provide maintenance services as independent entrepreneurs or in music instrument shops. Studies at the department cover the whole range of instruments from acoustic to electric guitars as well as bass guitars, mandolines and some more rare varieties of picked instruments.
The department has exceptionally good contacts with the working life; the majority of luthiers currently active in Finland are former students of IKATA.
For further information please contact Tero Siroma, teacher guitar making > tero.siromaa@sasky.fi
http://ikata.lpkky.fi/dynamic/1/603.html
Newark College, UK
School of Musical Instrument Crafts
The School of Musical Instrument Crafts, based at Newark College, enjoys a worldwide reputation as a centre of excellence for the traditional craft of Instrument Making, Restoration and Repair. The School is the only centre in the UK to offer a full range of practical courses in the making, restoration and repair of the stringed instruments of the violin family, the repair and making of woodwind instruments, classical guitar making and training in piano tuning and restoration. The Diploma students can achieve at the College is highly regarded by professionals in the trade.
The School continues to lead the way, developing standards and qualifications that are recognised throughout the world by the trade and producing prize winning students.
Our strength lies in the fact that training is based at the bench, rather than at the desk, ensuring that students leave with the highest quality skills and understanding. All our students make their own precision tools to use for instrument making and repair tasks. They gain an additional qualification for this work.
All our teaching staff work as professionals in the trade so they stay up to date with the changing demands of the trade and its customers. All staff are committed to tailoring the course programme to individuals’ own particular needs and aspirations by offering one to one support.
Our graduating students are equipped with the necessary practical and business skills to gain employment or self employment within the trade.
The Guitar School at Newark College
The Guitar school offers a highly specialised practical programme that has been established since 1984. It is situated at the heart of the college campus. It teaches the craft of making classical guitars using the traditional Spanish method.
The tutors are all professional makers offering a range of techniques and expertise in making bespoke classical and steel stringed guitars. The course has strong links with many professional musicians and makers who visit us to lead special workshops and lectures, as well as providing students with valuable feedback and comments about their work. The quality of student’s work is highly regarded by musicians and the lutherie trade. Internationally renowned musician Pierre Bensusan is a Patron.
The whole programme consists of two stages enabling students to join it with woodworking skills that are basic or more advanced. By the end of their studies, students will have built a minimum of three guitars of contrasting designs. When students complete the whole programme they will be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to enable them to be guitar makers in their own right.
www.lincolncollege.ac.uk/school-musical-instrument-crafts/guitar
Rémi Petiteau - France
Petiteau Rémi was born in Auvergne, Moulins, historic capital of Bourbon in Allier,
After obtaining his baccalaureate S, he earned a degree in musicology to Saint Etienne. He plays the guitar (gypsy rock) in various formations and trying several instruments (oud, piano, bagpipes ...). He then decided to train in several cabinet Auvergne. Meanwhile he fills his passion for nature, especially plants and trees.
A CAP woodworking in his pocket, he followed a comprehensive lutherie training in Cmb (Belgium) which appears as a revelation.
He received several degrees thus validating its expertise maker: manufacture of steel string guitars "flat top" (electric guitars, acoustic gypsy jazz) guitars "archtop" carved lute (oud and) and finally classical guitars and flamenco.
As top of the bill Rémi received the Golden Fingerplane 2011, an award for excellent builders.
He has his own workshop now in France
Chris Larkin, Ireland /
Chris Larkin made his first guitar in 1977 and, as of today, he has created more than 700 instruments built by hand and sold all over the world.
He is self taught and from the beginning was keen to use Irish woods in his instruments and this ideal continues today.
Chris was delighted to be asked to join the board of The Leonardo Guitar Research Project as their aims are a good fit with his philosophy concerning the use of non-tropical hardwoods.
He lives on the west coast of Ireland with his painter wife Syra. They have a floor each in their purpose built workshop and studio overlooking the sea.
http://www.chrislarkinguitars.com/
Lorenzo Frignani, Italy
Lorenzo Frignani's general interest in lutherie begins at the end of the 1970’s. His professional experience commences in 1986 and since then he has received numerous prizes for his craft on both a national and international level. He has also won several lute-making competitions (Bagnacavallo and Baveno) and has been a member of various national and international juries (Baveno and Pisogne). He is consultant of several boards, foundations, associations and museums of musical character and is also artistic consultant of the Commune of Pieve di Cento (Bologna) for all activities relating to stringed instruments (exhibitions, conventions, courses, concerts, etc).Lorenzo Frignani was member of the French A.L.A.D.F.I. for 10 years and has been Vice-President of the A.L.I Professionisti (Professional Italian Association of Lutherie).
His primary activities are the production and restoration of both fretted and bow instruments. He is publisher and founded the LF Editions in 2007 and has written and edited various catalogues as well as several publications on the themes of classical lutherie and antique plucked instruments, the latter of which he is also a renowned collector and expert.
He lives and works in Modena (Italy).
Thomas Holt, Spain
Thomas Holt is a Danish born guitar maker living and working in Spain where he has specialized in the making of fine classical and flamenco guitars.
Before dedicating himself to the guitar he worked (among other things) with acoustics and fine woodworking, which has provided him with a broad knowledge and experience on woods not commonly used in guitar making.
Due to this experience and a general interest in the project, he willingly accepted the invitation when asked to participate as a professional partner in the Leonardo Guitar Research Project.
His work is deeply rooted in the Spanish tradition and to ensure the quality he has only a limited annual production of instruments of the highest craftsmanship that are valued by guitarist and prestigious dealers all over the world.
Markjan Vermeer (Netherlands) was part of the LGRP-Team from 2012 till 2014
Markjan had luthery training in the Centre for Musical instrument Building in Puurs, Belgium. Aside from luthery, he is a mechanical engineer and he has a background in machine building.
In September 2011 he took off to California to join the Santa Cruz Guitar Company for a few years. Working at this company was for Markjan a great opportunity to build up his flight hours as a luthier. He was part of the production crew and responsible for the service and repairs.In return for this opportunity he is using his experience and old profession as a mechanical engineer. He spends half of the time advising and working on production- and tooling improvements.