This practice violin was made by R.J. Hammel of Maquoketa, Iowa in 1904. It was designed as a teaching tool of normal violin length. The narrow solid body widening at the lower bout is attached to a commercial German neck, pegbox and scroll. R. J. Hammel in a letter of 1913 describes the instrument as a “Practice Violin . . . to assist in the correct technic of the left hand used mostly without the bow altho the bow can be used as there is enough tone produced to ascertain pitch . . .” This practice vioin is made of a narrow body of solid walnut, neck, pegbox and scroll of plain European maple, and a golden yellow varnish.
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