Nils Bultmann’s viola duets evoke the spirit of improv By Louise Lee Composer Nils Bultmann has created works for string quartet, solo viola, and solo cello. Writing music for two violas, though, carries unique challenges of its own. “It’s challenging…
Ever wonder how firms develop the latest strings? In 2004, Strings enlisted James Keough to find out Everyone in the stringed-instrument field agrees on one thing: The perfect string does not exist. Players and string manufacturers alike say the instruments, playing styles,…
Mark O’Connor’s 2002 Cooper fiddle is a “remarkable collaborator” Player Specializing in American music, fiddler, composer, pedagogue, and multiple Grammy-Award winner Mark O’Connor topped many fiddle contests as a child, before embarking on a wide-ranging career. He’s a prolific composer…
A new generation of cellists is pushing the boundaries as singer-songwriters By Miranda Wilson “There’s always been a place for the cello in pop music,” says Rachel Johnston, a cellist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. “Cellists were often part of…
Advertisement
By Greg Olwell Taking its name from the Italian word for “the lightest,” Cremonese case maker Musafia has introduced the Lievissima violin case, and true to the model’s name, it’s the boutique maker’s lightest case yet. With weight as a…
Black German velvet? Custom inlay or gold fittings? Tough enough to survive a car crash? Buying an instrument case—when money is no object By Erin Shrader Case shopping is usually an exercise in compromise, balancing weight against protection, carrying capacity,…
Bluegrass showcase includes Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Neil Rosenberg By Grayson Currin The tall, wide stage of the Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, is suited for mid-sized pop and rock shows. Large, parallel arrays of speakers…
Cleaning too much, or not enough, can irreversibly change your instrument’s appearance By Christopher Jacoby Violin maker Chris Jacoby said there was a lovely violin hidden under the dirt and grime. Photo by the author. Q: What is the proper way…
Advertisement
16 pros—from concert soloists and chamber players to fiddlers and jazz musicians—share their string set-up ATAR ARAD Violist, composer, professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music I use a set of D’Addario Kaplan viola strings, heavy tension. I find…