by John Rihani | May 4, 2022 | Gear, Gig
Gig. I’ve used that word for as long as I’ve been a musician, and it’s never sounded as odd as when I just went to type it here. Originating in the late 18th century to describe both a carriage and a boat, our usage here dates from the 1920s…but we don’t know much...
by John Rihani | Apr 19, 2022 | Carbon Fiber, Cases
Carbon fiber. Once a highly esoteric, expensive, cutting edge piece of materials technology, it is now nearly ubiquitous in applications demanding a high strength-to-weight ratio. The aerospace industry pioneered the modern use of carbon fiber composites in turbine...
by John Rihani | Apr 13, 2022 | Rosin
The number one call we get from parents of beginning string students is, “the bow is broken, we pull it across the string and there is no sound.” Some of you have already guessed at the problem – no rosin. Rosin is an essential component of the vibration chain that...
by Rigo Barrozo | Mar 23, 2022 | General News, Staff
Taking a break from going around the shop, I’d like to give you some cellists who I would consider my “cello heroes.” Steven Isserlis – his playing has captivated me since I first started playing cello. His use of gut strings on his Stradivarius gives a unique...
by John Rihani | Mar 18, 2022 | General News
This week we take a break from describing the differences between various items in the shop and focus instead on musicians who inspire us. Here are a few of my cello heroes from when I was a young cellist: Yo-Yo Ma – my formative years studying the cello were in the...
by John Rihani | Mar 11, 2022 | Cases
We’ve been taking a slow tour around the shop, explaining the differences between the instruments first, the bows second, and now the cases. While I’m not going into the kind of detail that will explain the differences between every single model of case and bag for...
by John Rihani | Feb 28, 2022 | Uncategorized
This week’s discussion of the differences between bows will feel like a bit of a repeat of last weeks’ discussion of instruments. In the end, workmanship and material quality are two of the biggest differentiators when it comes to the cost and performance of a bow. ...
by John Rihani | Feb 22, 2022 | Uncategorized
“What makes this one cost more?” “What’s different between these two violins?” “I don’t see any difference between these two when I look at them?” These are a few variations on one of the most common questions I hear in...
by Rigo Barrozo | Feb 14, 2022 | General News, Staff
Now that I am settled in to my new position and John has reintroduced himself, I thought it would be a good time to introduce myself as well. My name is Rigo Barrozo and I am the new specialist at Encore Orchestra Strings. I began my journey with Paige’s in June of...
by John Rihani | Feb 9, 2022 | General News, Staff
As we begin the second month of 2022 and look out at the horizon – hopefully at a post-pandemic world – we decided it would be a good idea to reintroduce the members of our team. My name is John Rihani and I am the manager of Encore Orchestral Strings. Paige’s Music...
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