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Bow slide material

The slide on the frog of a bow serves a physical purpose, but it is also a part of the bow that can showcase beautiful material.  Makers use all kinds of materials for the slide: Carbon-fiber (Coda bows) Silver (plain or inscribed) Gold (plain or inscribed) White...

2 basses, 10 strings

I’ve written before about the love I have for 5-string basses. The 5-string is not the right tool for every bass player, but for those seeking the extended lower range within a real-world budget, the 5-string can be a compelling option.  The cost of a...

Viola sizes?

We are often asked about viola sizing – what are the sizes and who plays which size?  As a rule in the US, viola sizes are expressed in inches and reflect the length of the BACK of the viola, not its overall length.  If you play a 15.5″ viola, that would...

Frequently asked questions

I spent yesterday evening talking to parents or orchestra students about the merits of higher quality instruments.  I’ve been having very similar discussions for the past ten years and some questions keep surfacing.  I’m going to start trying to answer a...

Back from the national ASTA conference!

Wow…what a whirlwind week!  I was in Pittsburgh for the national conference of the American Strings Teachers Association.  It was an amazing week of sessions, networking, and socializing.  I learned new ways to learn the Popper cello etudes, learned about the...

National ASTA conference

This week is the national conference for ASTA (American String Teachers Association) in Pittsburgh.  I will attend primarily as the President of the Indiana state chapter, but I’ll also get to have my Encore hat on from time to time as I scope the exhibit hall. ...