Introduction 
These recent posts on www.RickertMusicalInstruments.com, by luthier Donald Rickert (me), will be of particular interest to players of such instruments as 5-string violins, octave violins, tenor violas, 5-string violas, octave violas and revival instruments such as the violoncello da spalla. With the exception of maybe the violoncello da spalla, classical repertoire is NOT the norm for alternative strings. The violoncello da spalla is becoming common in contemporary Baroque ensembles, which is sometimes thought of as Classical.
What are Alternative Violin Family Instruments?
They are non-orchestral stringed instruments played with a bow. In other words, you will not find them in the normal lineup of a modern orchestra. Rather, Alternative Violin Family instruments are generally used for every musical genre besides classical, such as jazz, experimental, rock, Celtic, Scandinavian folk revival (e.g. Vasen), new age, world, folk, old-time, blues, bluegrass, "psychograss", rock and other “exotic” genres. Many, if not most, of these alternative string instruments ARE widely used in the teaching of classical orchestral strings, especially 5-string instruments such as 5-string violin, 5-string viola octave viola and violoncello da spalla. The common scenario would be a violin teacher who use an alternative violin family instrument for the viola and/or cello parts when accompanying their advancing students. With a 5-string violin or viola, the teacher can effortlessly switch between violin parts and viola parts. Octave violas and violoncellos da spalla make it easy for a violin teacher, a violinist, to play cello parts when necessary.
The instruments covered in the new articles do NOT comprise an exhaustive list; rather they are the alternative violin family instruments that I build for my clients, all adventurous souls, including:
- Modern travel violins and violas,
- 5-string violins and violas
- Octave violins
- Modern tenor violas
- Octave violas
- Violoncello da spalla
* There are alternative violin family instruments that I have not built to date, such as 6-string and 7-string violins.
If you play or are interested in any of these alternative bowed instruments, or you are just interested in this topic, see:
- Alternative Violin Family Instruments: What Are They For?
- Alternative Violin Family Instruments: Relative Sizes and Shapes of Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Range Instruments
- Brief Descriptions for Various Alternative Violin Family Instruments
Contact Information
The web address for the “Cool Instruments for Hep Cats” video podcast 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: [email protected]; [email protected]
Phone (in US): 706-896-0909 or 706-400-1481 (mobile)
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