Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Makers of Violoncellos da Spalla and Other Fine Bowed Instruments

For more information about us, including our online store, the Don Rickert Musician Shop, see Introducing the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Don Rickert Musical Instruments is a premiere designer and maker of innovative custom and historic musical instruments. Since starting our musical instruments enterprise in 2007, we have dealt primarily in those of the bowed variety (e.g. violins, fiddles and related instruments such as octave fiddles). We have also designed and made a number of fretted instruments along the way: mandolins, parlor guitars, acoustic bass guitars, tenor guitars and the like. We will soon be branching out in a serious way into the world of fretted musical instruments. Look forward to some really interesting mandolins, octave mandolins, mandocellos, parlor guitars, acoustic bass guitars, tenor guitars and the like. Regular production items are usually available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. If you want something that is not there, give us a call... Our email is [email protected] and main phone number is (706) 896-0909. Don Rickert's mobile phone number is (706) 400-1481 Mailing address: Don Rickert Musical Instruments 726 Hall Creek Road Hiawassee, GA 30546 See: Our new online store, the Don Rickert Musician Shop (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com) Our companion blog, Don Rickert Musician Shop: Latest News (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com/blog) The Facebook page of our owner, Donald Rickert (We still have a large number of photo albums there) (www.facebook.com/donald.rickert1) Our new company Facebook page, also called D. Rickert Musical Instruments (www.facebook.com/DonRickertMusicianShop) Our YouTube Channel: www.YouTube.com/DoctorFiddle >>>>>>> Click here for Our full contact information <<<<<<<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... Read more →

Don Rickert Musician Shop: Your Source for Unique Bowed and Fretted Instruments and Accessories Ranging from Baroque Period to Today’s Cutting Edge

Don Rickert Musician Shop (D. Rickert Musical Instruments): Your Source for Unique Bowed and Fretted Instruments and Accessories Ranging from Baroque Period to Today’s Cutting Edge Introduction It is quite clear that we are the place to come for the unique stuff…things you just cannot get at either the corner music store, traditional violin shops or the online mega-stores. What are these things that musicians, and the occasional museum, come to us for? Over the 9 years we have been in business, our analysis of search engine “hits” to our websites and online store, corroborated by actuals sales records, indicates that we are best known, in descending order for the following: Modern Travel and Backpacker Violins The world’s finest and more models (to meet different player needs)…5 base models; all customizable! We sell more travel violins than anything else, by a long shot. Yup, real musicians are willing to pay 3 to 5 times as much for a real luthier-built travel violin than for a toy instrument. See the Bowed Instruments (Regular Offerings) > Travel and Backpacker Fiddles at the Don Rickert Musician Shop Octave Violins, Violas and Octave Violas (aka “Chin Cellos”) Best and most innovative. Ours have been played by some of the greatest fiddle innovators in the world. Our instruments are on some CDs by some of the greats, including the musician responsible for the re-birth of the octave violin, Darol Anger (and most recently Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, their “Abundance” CD). For our current offerings,... Read more →

American Civil War Re-enactor Musicians and Their Instruments

About Re-enacting Recreating every detail of the military aspects of the American Civil War (early to mid 1860s) is more than just a pastime for many thousands of dedicated people known as “Re-enactors.” Re-enactments of encampments and major Civil War battles draw thousands of enthusiastic participants and spectators in U.S. States where the major action occurred, especially North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania and to a somewhat lesser degree, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas and West Virginia. Meticulous attention to historical accuracy with respect to even the smallest details of uniforms, tools, personal accessories (such as eyeglass frames), weapons, music and so forth is very much a part of the culture of re-enacting. Don Rickert Design has been a source of period instruments to re-enactors on a limited basis for several years. Our 1860s style cigar box fiddles and whiskey bottle box fiddles, pictured below, are quite popular among period music enthusiasts. Click on thumbnail images for full-size views. I myself have witnessed many Civil War re-enactments and have even participated in a few many years ago. Attention to Musical Detail As with every of aspect of re-enacting, there is great attention given to the music that is played and the songs that are sung. For example, there are “Yankee” songs and tunes and there are “Rebel” songs and tunes, as well as songs that were popular with both sides in the Conflict, such as “Home, Sweet Home” (also quite popular in Japan, as curious... Read more →

Irish Traditional Music is a LIVING Tradition!

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Traditional Irish Music is almost a misnomer, as it is such a wonderful LIVING tradition, adopting new instruments all the time. We talk about traditional Irish Bouzoukis and Octave Mandolins. Fact is, it was Andy Irvine, I believe in the Irish band Planxty at the time, who starting playing a bouzouki he obtained in Greece, retuned and set up for traditonal Irish tunes...about 35 years ago. The Irish "Cittern", later more properly called the Octave Mandolin quickly followed, as Irish luthiers quickly noticed the trend of players using a mandolin-like instrument tuned an octave lower...and re-purposed bouzoukis were REALLY unweidy, with the longest neck length to body ratio you have ever seen...and the bowl back of the bouzouki makes it a real pain to hold. My brother, Bobby Rickert, artist/maker, noted Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, tenor guitar and Irish cittern player and luthier, modified a number of Greek bouzoukis for use in Irish music, shortening their necks by as much as 8 inches. Bobby was known for sawing parts off of instruments' necks the minute he got to his shop with a new acquisition (we won't talk about the fact that some of these instruments were rented!). The surprises of evolution are such that we now have Irish Bouzoukis, Irish Octave Mandolins as distinct instruments. Some would say that the Irish Cittern is distinct, but it is usually used as another name for the Irish octave mandolin: See the images below of... Read more →

Tenor Banjo and Irish Tenor Banjo: Is There a Difference?

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. This is an excellent question, and it comes up all the time from smart musicians. The difference between the Tenor Banjo and Irish Tenor Banjo is, on one level, analogous to the difference between a violin and a fiddle. They are played differently. But Irish Tenor Banjos are also tuned differently than regular tenor banjos, so maybe another analogy: A tenor banjo is like a classical viola (tuned CGDA) and an Irish tenor banjo is tuned like an octave (often called a baritone) fiddle (GDAE, an octave lower than a violin). Not captured by the analogies is the fact that Irish tenor banjos are usually set up differently, the most notable difference being a capo on the second fret (or even higher on some vintage instrument with long necks) in order to allow for less string tension and to shorten the scale length for faster melody playing. The videos that follow illustrate the radical differences in tuning, setup and playing style. Both players are extremely good. Classic Tenor Banjo, played by Clifford Essex: Tiger Rag (direct link to this video on YouTube) Irish Tenor Banjo: medley played by Gordon Johnston by using fingerstyle (less common than use of a plectrum, but allows for smoother playing on complex tunes like these) (direct link to this video on YouTube) I am sure that you could hear the differences in pitch and playing style between classic tenor banjo style and Irish tenor banjo. They might as... Read more →

Photos of the Three Basic Types of Old-Style Banjos

These photos are being posted in preparation for adding old-style banjos to our online store www.AdventurousMuseStore.com. From left to right, a Gourd Banjo, a Tackhead Banjo and a Minstrel Banjo Read more →

Banjo in Irish Traditional Music: Part 2 UPDATE (The Tenor Banjo)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The Mythology of the "Irish Tenor Banjo: According to none other than the acknowledged expert on Irish Banjo, Dr. Mick Maloney ( see The Banjo: A Short History by Mick Maloney), in the 15 or 20 years prior to the introduction of the Tenor Banjo, many banjo players, including Irish players, used either a 5-string banjo with the 5th string removed or its commercialized form, the Plectrum Banjo. At some point early on, tuning these former 5-string banjos or Plectrum banjos in 5ths became common practice for melodic playing, regardless of the nationality of the player. See and hear Mick Maloney play tenor banjo with two fiddles and guitar The Tenor Banjo in Irish Traditional Music From About 1915 to the 1960s During this period, tenor banjos used in Irish Traditional music were generally tuned to the standard c g d' a' tenor banjo tuning (exactly like a viola, a 5th lower than the fiddle) or d a e' b', the later of which could also be accomplished by a capo on the second fret. The point is that tenor banjos in Irish Traditional music were tuned much higher than what one is accustomed to today. The 1960s and Later According to Mick Maloney, it was the popularity of the traditional music group, the Dubliners, that ultimately led to the different "Irish" tuning (G d a e') for tenor banjos, which is an octave lower than the fiddle. Barney McKenna, the tenor banjo... Read more →

So You Think You Know About the Banjo In Irish Traditional Music?: Part 2

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The Second Myth: There is Special Type of Tenor Banjo Called the "Irish Tenor Banjo" It is a common belief that the Irish Tenor Banjo (4 strings, tuned in 5ths) is somehow different from a Tenor Banjo, which was introduced around 1915 in America and was also known as the "Tango Banjo". The tenor banjo generally had 19 frets; however, shorter 17-fret necks were available. According to none other than the acknowledged expert on Irish Banjo, Dr. Mick Maloney ( see The Banjo: A Short History by Mick Maloney), in the 15 or 20 years prior to the introduction of the Tenor Banjo, many banjo players, including Irish players, used either a 5-string banjo with the 5th string removed or its commercialized form, the Plectrum Banjo. At some point early on, tuning these former 5-string banjos or Plectrum banjos in 5ths became common practice for melodic playing, regardless of the nationality of the player. See and hear Mick Maloney play tenor banjo with two fiddles and guitar The Tenor Banjo in Irish Traditional Music From About 1915 to the 1960s During this period, tenor banjos used in Irish Traditional music were generally tuned to the standard c g d' a' tenor banjo tuning (exactly like a viola, a 5th lower than the fiddle) or d a e' b', the later of which could also be accomplished by a capo on the second fret. The point is that tenor banjos in Irish Traditional music... Read more →

So You Think You Know about the Banjo in Irish Traditional Music?: Part 1

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. There are many myths about the banjo in traditional Irish music. It is commonly believed that a special type of tenor banjo (a 17 fret, 4-string banjo tuned in 5ths to G d a e' ), called the "Irish Tenor Banjo", has been part of Traditional Irish Music since at least the 19th Century. There are several myths implied by this notion. The First Myth: The idea that a tenor banjo, "Irish" or otherwise, has always been part of Irish traditional music could not be further from reality. It was most likely the American Minstrel Banjo, introduced to Ireland and England in the 1840s, that was first adopted for use in Irish Traditional music. The Minstrel Banjo, the fretless precursor of the modern 5-string banjo, had evolved from the early gourd banjos (originally with 4 strings) invented by Black slaves centuries earlier in America, inspired by, but not copied from, similar instruments in Africa. Most banjo historians agree that what we know as the banjo was invented in America, by descendants of Africans (i.e. slaves). This is but one of a multitude of inventions by African Americans. The fretless Minstrel Banjos were probably used mostly for simple accompaniment in Irish Traditional Music. Upon the introduction of the modern fretted banjo in the late 1870s by Dobson (a famous banjo manufacturer), this newer type of banjo became the type of banjo used in Irish Traditional Music. The simple Minstrel style of playing evolved into... Read more →

The Most State-of-the-Art Banjo in the World (in the 1870s)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. In the 19th Century, all three of the banjo types listed below were being played, but the tackhead banjo became more popular than the gourd banjo. The tackhead was probably the most popular among Civil War soldiers; therefore a favorite of re-enactors. Tackhead banjos could made in camp and were light in weight. The more state-of-the-art Minstrel Banjo, introduced in the early 1800s, had tensioning hardware (i.e. brackets) and are the precursor to the modern banjo. They were a more expensive instrument played by professional musicians or amateurs with some money to spend for a "store-bought" banjo. These precursors to the modern banjo generally DID NOT have frets. If they did, they were more likely to be tied gut (like a lute or viola da gamba) rather than inset metal frets. From left to right, a Gourd Banjo, a Tackhead Banjo and a Minstrel Banjo, all made by Master Banjo Maker, Jeff Menzies Here are some really nice recordings of a gourd banjo (played by Jeff Menzies) and a tackhead banjo (played by Donald Zepp): Cuttin at the Point Jeff Menzie Wendy Robinson Travis McCauley Year of Julilo tackhead Donald Zepp The Early Modern Banjos of the 19th Century In the second half of the 19th Century there began to appear factory-made early versions of modern banjos with metal frets. Many of these new banjos had spun aluminum (a very expensive commodity at the time) pots. We have some actual photos of one... Read more →