Instruments
A matter of personal taste
A good instrument is one that you enjoy to play. Each musician is unique, therefore your taste in instruments is as well. Tim Duerinck has experience working with musicians that have very different requirements for their instruments. The playability and sound of an instrument are influenced by the materials used, the design and the set-up of the instrument. As such a wide variety of sounds can be created by changing these parameters! The best way to find out what you prefer is to meet, try some instruments and discuss your personal taste.
In some cases, meeting in person is not possible or advisable due to travel restrictions or travel cost. Do not hesitate to make contact and discuss alternatives.
Wood
Contemporary instruments inspired by a century old making method. Due to the large number of wood species, there are numerous possibilities to create unique instruments in both sound and design.
Making instruments from wood by hand is very labor intensive, because of this reason they are more expensive than instruments made from fiber-reinforced composites.
Carbon fiber
Extremely stiff and strong, carbon fiber is a versatile man-made fiber that can be used to make high quality instruments. In contrast to popular opinion, there is no specific sound property or quality that can be assigned to carbon fiber (Duerinck et al. 2020). Instead, carbon fiber allows the creation of instruments with a large diversity in sounds depending on how it is used in the creation of the instrument. Because of this reason it offers the possibility to change the sound of an instrument to your personal preference.
Flax fiber
As a fiber with a strong local history in Belgium, flax can be considered an alternative for carbon fiber for many applications. The material’s unique properties lend themselves to create warm and round sounding instruments that have an easy response. Instruments can be made entirely from flax fiber or in combination with other composites such as carbon fiber.
Research into the application of this material and other natural fibers to music instruments is ongoing and shows great promise.
Other materials and designs
Tim Duerinck experiments with other materials to create artistic music instruments. Ranging from alternative wood species to other fiber reinforced composites, the only limitations are those imposed by physics. These instruments are made in collaboration with musicians and composers or as part of a personal artistic research. They tend to venture further away from a ‘conventional’ sound and in doing so, reveal new artistic opportunities.
Materials
Traditionally, bowed instruments are made from wood. By working with new materials such as carbon or flax fiber instruments become more durable, less susceptible to enviromental conditions and the sound of an instrument can be altered.
Design
Inspired by the past but fit for a contemporary world: Tim Duerinck’s instruments are design objects that challenge dogmas in the violin making world.
Set-up
An instrument is only as good as its set-up. The fittings on an instrument are adapted to your taste before they are sold.