by John Rihani | Nov 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
Learning to play a violin-family instrument is challenging. Holding the bow, proper posture, tuning the instrument, don’t collapse the wrist, keep your thumb bent, etc. Then…where do you put your fingers? There are no keys, no frets, no markings...
by John Rihani | Nov 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
No, I promise I won’t start singing numbers from “The Sound of Music”, but I have been thinking about my favorite things. As you can imagine, there isn’t as much hustle and bustle at the shop these days as people reduce nonessential travel. ...
by John Rihani | Nov 4, 2020 | Uncategorized
A while ago I wrote about putting a full set of Pirastro Eudoxa gut-core strings on a Jay Haide Vuillaume model cello here in the shop to give us a chance to gain more experience with gut strings. It continues to be a fun and educational journey. While the strings...
by John Rihani | Oct 27, 2020 | Uncategorized
I received a great question recently from a local orchestra director. I believe she fielded the question from a student in her class and it stumped me! What a great question! I’ve been using the same fractional naming system for decades without really...
by John Rihani | Oct 6, 2020 | Uncategorized
Last week we talked a bit about gut strings and mentioned we’d be putting them on one of our shop cellos – well, they’re here and they’re on! Ben adjusted the nut groove thickness a bit to accommodate the thicker strings. We also removed the...
by John Rihani | Sep 29, 2020 | Uncategorized
I love gut strings. Well, I should say I love the SOUND of gut strings. The expense, tuning instability, fragility, longevity…let’s just say there are reasons most people have moved to synthetic or steel core strings. And then you hear Steven Isserlis...
by John Rihani | Sep 22, 2020 | Uncategorized
Of all the things I figured we might run short on during the summer, basses were not one of them! It just goes to show how unpredictable demand can be. We got down to the point where the only basses we had in stock were a 5-string and a bass with a C-extension!...
by John Rihani | Sep 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
Rosin. If you play a violin-family instrument and use a bow with horsehair, you are familiar with the stuff. It comes in many price points, packaging, and formulations, but its core purpose is the same – create the friction between the bow hair and the string...
by John Rihani | Aug 18, 2020 | Uncategorized
One of the items that really flies off the shelves at the beginning of every school year are mutes. But which one? When customers ask for a mute, I always ask if it is for playing in orchestra or for practicing at home. In the photo below, the mute on the left is a...
by John Rihani | Aug 4, 2020 | Uncategorized
All you need to do is turn on the news or fire up your preferred social media outlet and you can find an avalanche of articles, studies, and advice regarding staying safe from COVID-19. As string musicians, this virus impacts every aspect of our lives. Concerts are...
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