The Italian city of Mantua was home to some of the most important violin makers in history, including Pietro Guarneri, Camillo de Camilli, Tommaso Balestrieri, and Stefano Scarampella.
Every violin f-hole looks like its twin, and they all look the same. But this is not the case with classical makers, especially the Italians of the Golden Period.
The cello has also allowed for some variability in its size, but a key moment in its development seems to have happened in Cremona, in part thanks to Antonio Stradivari.
Here are some tips to find your comfortable string height on violin in a range that is also healthy, and how to recognize high action when things are out of whack.
These days, string players face a multitude of choices when it comes to picking violin strings. Here's how to eliminate the guesswork and find the perfect strings for your instrument.
Cellist Johannes Moser discusses the voice of his 1694 Andrea Guarneri cello, which “has a dark varnish, several procession holes in the back, and was cut smaller and then enlarged.”
Tuning should be the first activity you complete with your cello every day, or every time you get the instrument out. Here's a beginner's guide to tuning your cello.