Tag: violin
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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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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…
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Pochettes, Backpacker Fiddles and Ergonomics: A Short Primer
What is a Pochette? A pochette was a violin-like instrument of the 17th and 18th Centuries that was small enough in girth to fit into a longish sheath sewn into one's coat. The sheath came to be known by the instrument's name: "pochette". This is where the modern English word "pocket" comes from. Pochettes were…
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Is it a Tailpiece or a Chin Rest? How About BOTH!
The Tailpiece-Chin Rest Combination from Dov Schmidt Dov Schmidt, himself a violinist and conductor, is also one of the most innovative suppliers and inventor of ground-breaking bowed string instrument accessories such as chin rests and tailpieces (http://www.dov-music.com/). We have begun using Dov Schmidt Harp-style tailpieces on a number of Don Rickert Lutherie instruments. These tailpieces…
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Gut Fiddle Strings: Let the Truth Overcome Your Fear!
Metal wound strings and modern synthetic core strings (e.g. Dr. Thomastik) are wonderful for the modern fiddler, regardless of the type of music he or she is playing. The good ones, such as D'Addario Helicores and Infeld Super-Flexible rope core strings, sound great, are easy on the fingers (and your instrument) and stay in tune. Other…
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Next Trew Ska’ish Tune to Feature a Rickert Neil Gow 21C Travel Violin
The growing number of people who are following the progress of our insane Trew Ska'ish project on FaceBook and iLike will love the next one…Soldier's Joy done as a primarily electronic Ska rendition. It will feature an actual Neil Gow 21C Travel Violin, as well as a Dulcijo (diatonic banjo) by Michael Fox, both played…
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