Tag: Don Rickert
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Dr. Don Rickert Revisiting the Best Bow for Octave Violins and Fiddles Question
In an earlier post, I (Don Rickert) presented more or less a summary of what various musicians use to play octave violin or octave fiddle. In that post, I mentioned that the extraordinary 'cellist and also really good fiddler, Natalie Haas, uses a French-style 'cello bow on her octave violin. Natalie has since informed me…
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Don Rickert a Finalist in the 2012 Guthman Musical Instrument Design Competition
The 2012 Guthman Musical Instrument Design Competition is sponsored by the Georgia Teach Center for Music Technology. With his entry, an Electro-mechanically Augmented Acoustic Violin (EAAV) Don Rickert of Don Rickert Musical Instruments has been selected as a FINALIST in the "Augmented" category of the 2012 Guthman Musical Instrument Design Competition . The finals, involving actual live performance, will…
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NEW YouTube Videos by Don Rickert Design (and Don Rickert Lutherie)
First, you might have noted that we are starting to use the name Don Rickert Design rather than Don Rickert Lutherie. The reason for this is that we are branching out from just designing and making stringed instruments. Lutherie only refers to the design, making, setup and repair of STRINGED instruments. We are also in…
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Guest Appearance by Dr. Don Rickert at GA Tech Guitar Design Studio Course
I recently had the privilege of being invited to review and comment on outstanding electric guitar design work by students in a GA Tech studio course on electric guitar design, taught by Sam Harris, IDSA, Adjunct Faculty Member and also President of Form and Function, Inc. The web site for Sam's Industrial Design/Product Development firm, Form and…
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Reinventing the Wheel and Musical Instrument Design
In response to one of my recent posts, a short "teaser" article for a new line of free reed instruments by Don Rickert Design, my friend David Mills commented that he once proposed the idea of replacing the bellows of organ-type free reed instruments with a foot-powered air pump and was accused of simply reinventing the…
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Video of Dr. Rickert Installing Pure Gut Strings: UPDATE
Yesterday (Saturday, June 11) we shot most of the video of Dr. Rickert of Don Rickert Design installing 18th Century type gut strings (copper wound g string and unwound pure gut d', a' and e' strings) on a an 1780s style pochette. We were also shooting video for a demonstration of the use of basso continuo fiddle accompaniment using our new…
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Video of Dr. Rickert Installing Pure Gut Strings on a Pochette
On Saturday, June 11, we will be shooting video of Dr. Rickert of Don Rickert Design installing 18th Century type gut strings (copper wound g string and unwound pure gut d', a' and e' strings) on a short bodied (but 4/4 playable scale) pochette. The principles apply to the installation of gut strings on any fiddle. The demonstration will…
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Kira and Her Adventurer IId Travel Violin Save the Day at the Abbey in Conques
Before Our Story, A Little Bit About the 1,000 Year-Old Sainte-Foy Abbey Church The Sainte-Foy Abbey (of the Benedictine Order) Church in Conques, France (the Southern part of France) was a popular stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, in what is now Spain. Its construction began sometime in the 1020s and…
