'Cool Instruments for Hep Cats' is a video podcast (YouTube), which delves into the realm of unusual and intriguing musical instruments. Episode 5, Part 1 just posted on April 24, 2024. It is one of three entire episodes, comprised of 11 parts, specifically about the Violoncello da Spalla.
The host for all episodes is Donald Rickert, a musician and luthier as well, who makes various stringed instruments, including violoncellos da spalla.
The guests for the Violoncello da Spalla episodes are:
Andrew Gonzalez, a professional violist and one of the preeminent players, worldwide, of the Violoncello da Spalla (Cool Instruments for Hep Cats: Episode 5, Part 1)
William Hurd is a professional violist, violoncello da spalla player and highly-respected Suzuki teacher (violin and viola) in the Washington, DC area. (Cool Instruments for Hep Cats: Episode 4, Parts 1-5)
Daniela Gaidano is a violinist, violist and luthier specializing in making violoncellos da spalla. Her husband, Alessandro Visintini makes violoncellos da spalla as well. Alessandro is also a professional piccolo player. Daniela worked for the famous string maker, Aquila, where she was part-owner for 15 years. She and Alessandro are based in Northern Italy near Austria. (Cool Instruments for Hep Cats: Episode 3, Parts 1-5)
The 11 podcast segments comprise several hours of video content. That's a lot of time to sit still! So, as a service to my followers and friends, I have put together an informal indexing of subject matter on the Violoncello da Spalla contained in the Cool Instruments for Hep Cats video podcast. I hope that you find the different perspectives of these three experts enlightening, as well as entertaining.
The index appears below. The prefix numbers are video time stamps. The episode and part references appears in parentheses after each link.
The Guests: Introductions
- 01:06 Daniela Gaidano (Gaidano: 3.1)
- 0:55 William Hurd (Hurd: 4.1)
- 01:06 Andrew Gonzalez (Gonzalez: 5.1)
What is a Violoncello da Spalla?
- 02:21 What is a Violoncello da Spalla? (Gonzalez: 5.1)
- 04:00 What is a Violoncello da Spalla? (Gaidano: 3.1)
How does the Violoncello da Spalla differ from a regular 4-string full-size cello?
- 09:20 How does a Violoncello da Spalla differ from a regular full-size 4-string cello? (Gonzalez: 5.1) [size, sound, playing technique]
- 0:57 Comparison of the violoncello da spalla to a full-size 4-string cello (Hurd: 4.3)
Playing demonstrations
- 10:48 Gavottes from Bach's Cello Suite no. 6 in D demonstration (Gonzalez: 5.1)
- 6:57 Bach Double Concerto demonstration (Hurd: 4.5)
Discovering the Violoncello da Spalla
- 03:15 Andrew Gonzalez (Gonzalez: 5.1)
- 1:54 William Hurd (Hurd: 4.1)
Finding a Violoncello da Spalla to buy
- 08:00 Andrew Gonzalez on acquiring his Violoncello da Spalla (Gonzalez: 5.1)
- 4:00 William Hurd on acquiring his Violoncello da Spalla (Hurd: 4.1)
How they use the Violoncello da spalla
- 4:35 Using the VdS in the teaching of violin and viola students (e.g. basso continuo, etc.) (Hurd: 4.1)
- 02:46 How Andrew uses the instrument (e.g. genres, basso continuo, solo, etc.) (Gonzalez: 5.1)
Becoming proficient at playing the VdS
How to play the VdS and playing tips
- 0:55 William Hurd on how to hold it, technique and various useful tips (Hurd: 4.2)
- 04:50 How the Violoncello da Spalla is played (Gaidano: 3.1)
Genres
- 02:46 How Andrew uses the instrument (e.g. genres, basso continuo, solo, etc.) (Gonzalez: 5.1)
- 7:45 Other genres (e.g. Classical, Romantic) besides Baroque (Hurd: 4.2)
Bows for Violoncello da Spalla
- 3:35 Baroque bows vs. modern bows (Hurd: 4.3)
- 4:45 Bows for the violoncello da spalla (Hurd: 4.3)
- 10:15 Tips on holding the bow for playing violoncello da spalla (Hurd: 4.3)
Geared pegs (e.g. Wittner FineTune™)
- 6:55 Wittner geared pegs (Hurd: 4.4)
Strings for Violoncello da Spalla
- 0:55 Strings for the violoncello da spalla – Will talks about his experience with viola strings and/or 1/8 cello strings (Hurd: 4.4)
- 8:05 Advantages to using viola strings (Hurd: 4.4)
- 9:30 Thomastik, Aquila and Boissoir strings (Hurd: 4.4)
- 10:58 Strings and other accessories (Gaidano: 3.4)
- 12:00 Thomastik strings for violoncello da spalla (Gaidano: 3.4)
- 12:52 Aquila modern strings (Gaidano: 3.4)
- 01:45 Aquila synthetic core with round wire winding (Gaidano: 3.5)
- 02:15 Thomastiks pretty similar to Dominants, not as "colorful" as Aquila (Gaidano: 3.5)
- 03:00 Aquila pure gut strings (Gaidano: 3.5)
- 03:36 Strings by Eliakim Boussoir, gut as well as modern strings (Gaidano: 3.5)
Cases for Violoncellos da Spalla
- 0:55 Cases for VdS (Hurd: 4.5)
- 06:00 Cases for VdS (Gaidano: 3.5)
Historical context and confluence of technological and social influences that made the violoncello da spalla possible
- 08:10 in 18th Century, many musicians crammed into small church balconies; even larger instruments were often played ‘da spalla’(Gaidano: 3.1)
- 09:45 Invention of wire wound string at end of 17th Century – allowed lower pitch tunings for smaller instruments (Gaidano: 3.1)
- 02:50 Discussion of a plethora of instruments in museums, violoncellos da spalla as well as precursors (Gaidano: 3.x)
- 13:20 Close connection between Bach and Lutheran Church (Gaidano: 3.3)
The Bach-Hoffmann connection
- 14:23 J.S. Bach very interesting in technology and innovation. Friend of luthier, Christian Hoffmann. (Gaidano: 3.1)
- 11:10 Bach, Hoffmann and contemporary innovations related to wound string technology (Gaidano: 3.2)
Different construction methods
- 01:10 The construction of a Violoncello da Spalla, with comparison of building with a mold vs. without an internal mold (Gaidano: 3.3)
Factory-made vs. built by an individual luthier
- 09:21 Markneukirchen and factory-made instruments in 19th Century (Gaidano: 3.3)
- 01:08 More discussion on Reinhold Schmidt (Markneukirchen) factory instruments (Gaidano: 3.4)
Other similar instruments in the 18th Century
- 08:17 Several other instruments similar to the violoncello da spalla (Gaidano: 3.4)
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The web address for the “Cool Instruments for Hep Cats” is: @Cool_Instruments_for_Hep_Cats – https://www.youtube.com/@Cool_Instruments_for_Hep_Cats/podcasts
Don Rickert’s main website, ‘D. Rickert Musical Instruments’, is https://www.RickertMusicalInstruments.com.
Online store, ‘Don Rickert Musician Shop’, is https://www.DonRickertMusicianshop.com.
Don Rickert on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/donrickert. This link gets you to ALL of my detailed contact information, my websites and social media.
Email: don@donrickertdesign.com; doctorfiddle@gmail.com
Phone (in US): 706-896-0909 or 706-400-1481 (mobile)
D Rickert Musical Instruments 
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