Bluegrass showcase includes Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Neil Rosenberg By Grayson Currin The tall, wide stage of the Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, is suited for mid-sized pop and rock shows. Large, parallel arrays of speakers…
Cleaning too much, or not enough, can irreversibly change your instrument’s appearance By Christopher Jacoby Violin maker Chris Jacoby said there was a lovely violin hidden under the dirt and grime. Photo by the author. Q: What is the proper way…
16 pros—from concert soloists and chamber players to fiddlers and jazz musicians—share their string set-up ATAR ARAD Violist, composer, professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music I use a set of D’Addario Kaplan viola strings, heavy tension. I find…
Violinist Daniel Hope's album "Escape to Paradise" pays tribute to the great emigré composers during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including those that fled the Nazi regime.
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The Violin Society of America’s 2014 convention shows the group’s enormous growth and influence in lutherie The over 500 competition instruments and bows moments before eager makers and players raced into the room to sample the entries. Photo by…
A bridge with adjustable feet may help in a pinch, but a tailor-made bridge is unbeatable By Christopher Jacoby Q: After experimenting with a flattened bridge for fiddling, I’m returning to orchestral playing, and I need a new bridge for my…
Raphael Wallfisch’s cello brings enhanced dimensions to his playing Player: From contemporary composers on back to Baroque, British cellist Raphael Wallfisch has recorded nearly every major work for cello. He is also a passionate teacher who has taught cello at…
As the holiday season approaches, our collective minds turn toward thoughts of thanksgiving and gifts. What better way to celebrate the season—and music—than by helping your fellow man (and musicians)? Here are eight non-profit string organizations making a difference in…
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Russian-American violinist Philippe Quint’s chamber ensemble prepares to tour and record by Rory Williams While at a club one night, fate would have it that two-time Grammy-nominated violinist Philippe Quint would run into Fernando Suarez Paz, the violinist of Astor…
I first heard Svend Asmussen play when I was 14. At the time, I had no experience with jazz, but I had heard Miles Davis and fell in love with his sound. When I heard Svend play, I realized that…
Vegan string players wrestle with the moral dilemma of using animal products endemic to traditional violins and bows.
When it gets down to it, do violins and fiddles really differ? By Christopher Jacoby Q: I normally play bluegrass, old time, and Celtic music, but had a hard time blending with the other musicians when I tried playing classical…
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A new digital application delivers Guads, Strads, Guarneri and other fine fiddles to your smartphone or tablet By Greg Olwell A violin lives in three-dimensions: light changes the experience as it reflects a violin’s seemingly endless curves—curly maple can look…
On ‘The Littlest Prisoner,’ violinist Jenny Scheinman reaches out to a new audience By David Knowles For most of her extraordinary career, Jenny Scheinman’s violin has done the talking. On eight diverse and acclaimed solo albums, and a dizzying number…
Part science, part art, changing a bassbar may help, but then again, it might not By James N. McKean Q: If I replaced the bassbar of my violin would it increase the carrying power of the sound of my violin? —Lee…
Electronic-instrument makers bet big on the alt-styles movement By Patrick Sullivan It’s not hard to understand how violinist, educator, and stringed-instrument manufacturer Mark Wood can transform a school auditorium full of earnest young string students into a thrashing mosh pit…
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For classical players, borrowing from jazz and bluegrass traditions can provide the first steps toward improvisation and more confident playing By Louise Lee If you’re a classical player and are interested in spicing up your playing with improvisation, consider borrowing…
Blaine Sprouse’s fiddle has weathered a Tennessee tornado and much, much more in the past 150 years By Blaine Sprouse Player West Virginia native Blaine Sprouse is a Kenny Baker protege and a former member of Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain…
Club DJ and composer Mason Bates has put the American symphony scene in a spin By David Templeton “I love the symphonic space,” says composer Mason Bates. “I love it because it’s one of the last places on earth where…
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