JAVS Summer 1998

27

France. He worked for a half-dozen years on the idea of changing the bow's hardness and softness , irs elegance, playability, ere. The Spiccato Bow is constructed of carbon fiber. Ir is cast, and because ir is hollow, the kevlar thread is placed inside the stick. When you

when rhey could easily have taken care of ir themselves. The video is called "Suing Stress," and it's about eighteen minutes long. We starr right from the scroll and pegs; we in clude how to rake care of the saddle and the fingerboard, and other things people can rake care of themselves without a trip to the repair shop. This cou lq cause some makers some unhappiness, because it might cur into their business. Bur most players and reachers, I be lieve, will be very happy to be able to serve themselves and rake care of many of their own problems. About five years ago, we also produced another video, "The Sounding Tree," rhar shows the process of violin-making step by step. It actually rakes the viewer through the process from the cutting of rhe wood through the tuning of the strings. Dalton: Have you done a marker study on the videos, or do you simply have confidence that this is going to be attractive and sell? Prier: I think our latest video will sell. I men tioned the idea to several people in the Suzuki Association, and ro rhe president of rhe American Suing Teachers Association, and to others. They all expressed inreresr in the con cept. The video is nor just a camera focusing on a workbench showing the repairs. Rather, ir is more practical. For instance, a studenr is shown playing a concert when a suing breaks and rhe bridge falls, and then the video shows what to do under those circumstances. As for the "Sounding Tree," ir has been quire suc cessful with copies having been sold all across the counrry. Dalton: Do you foresee any future projects such as these that might be considered com plementary ro your main focuses- insrru menr sales, violin-making and repairing? Prier: I can see the prospect of another video production showing the creation of the bow from the raw material to the fini shed product, with the help of my son Paul, of course.

tighten the kevlar string, ir reduces rhe arch of rhe bow stick so as to make the bow stiffer. By the slightest move of the thread, you can ger different qualities of sound, something that cannot be done on a regular wood bow. The weight of the bow, rhe length of rhe bow, and the balance of the bow, all allow ir to be handled like a firsr-dass French bow. To the bow is attached a silver ebony frog and a silver ebony end burton. Rehairing the bow is done the same way as a wood bow. I was introduced to the bow by my son, Paul Prier, who went to France to study bow making with Benoit Rolland. I had bought several wonderful wood bows of his, and Paul introduced me to the Spiccato Bow when he returned to America. Now we make the Spic cato Bow here in Salt Lake Ciry next door to my establishment, and Benoit comes from France to maintain quality control on rhis venture. Dalton: Another enterprise you are engaged in is the video you are producing on how to rake care of one's instrument. Would you de scribe irs contents and why you feel the need for the video? Prier: For the past several years it has come to my attention that reachers and students really have very littl e knowledge of how to rake care of their instruments. When they have a problem, even a minor one, they have to go into a violin shop to find our what to do

Dalton: Are others of your family engaged in your business?