Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Back in the Saddle Again! (And the Economics of Attention)

First, thank you for your valuable attention. This will make sense if I can hold on to your attention for a few more minutes. In the words of Aerosmith: I'm back I'm back in the saddle again I'm back I'm back in the saddle again Man, nobody can screech our lyrics like the great Steven Tyler! Gene Autry expressed the same sentiment in his song of the same title, written in 1939 and recorded numerous times by him and widely covered. If you have to ask, it means doing something that you stopped doing for a period of time. I stopped building instruments for a while. Here is why. After the passing of my Partner and Soulmate Alycen in August of 2021, I took a long hiatus from seeking new instrument build commissions. During a period of several months after her death I caught up on a distressing backlog of instrument builds, all of them violoncellos da spalla and a custom leather case for a violoncello da spalla. I also pretty much ignored doing frequent updates to my blogs and other social media, and boy, am I paying for that now! I have been posting lots of articles the past few weeks. I have regained “first page” status on Google searches for anything remotely related to “Violoncello da Spalla.” We have a long way to go with getting the word out on my octave violins, travel violins and such. And the market for mandolins is so large, that it could... Read more →

Violoncello da Spalla in Old-Time Music: A Match Made in Heaven

If you don’t know what a violoncello da spalla is, click here for a description. The short explanation is that it is a very small 5-string cello that is suspended by a shoulder strap and played across the chest more or less under the chin, as shown in the image of our friend Peter Walker in full Scottish Highland dress. The violoncello da spalla has no well-established connection to 18th Century Scotland; however cello was definitely widely used in Highland fiddling as basso continuo to the fiddle. The dominant figure in Scottish Baroque fiddling, Niel (aka "Neil") Gow (1727 – 1807), was usually accompanied by his brother Donald on cello. Anyway, the violoncello da spalla is an early to mid 18th Century (i.e., Baroque) instrument that is enjoying a resurgence of popularity, particularly among experienced viola and violin players who are Baroque period enthusiasts. Why violists and not cellists? (Actually, many cellists have taken up the instrument; however, most of my highly accomplished violoncello da spalla clients are violists). Because of its playing position, one bows from the treble side like a viola or violin, which is backwards to a cellist. Cello has been used in Old-time music for a long time. The first time I saw a cello in an Old-Time string band was at the U.S. National Folk Festival, which was at that time held in Northern Virginia at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, in 1976. And the cellist was playing a 1/2 size... Read more →

International Strange Music Day 2022

Do you have a taste for the bizarre when it comes to music? Well, I sure do! Well, today is our day, International Strange Music Day (August 24, 2022). Here is a snippet from the website, www.daysoftheyear.com. “For those who have a tendency to lean toward the unique and bizarre, this is one day that will feed that strange musical soul! International Strange Music Day pulls out all the stops when it comes to going beyond the normal and opening up to a world with new horizons. When it comes to the ‘strange’ part, this can mean either unfamiliar or bizarre – or both! The choice is entirely personal and up to the individual. In either case, International Strange Music Day is meant to expand the ear toward new sounds.” There are a number of genres that people who are into these things have associated with International Strange Music Day. Click here to learn more those genres. These genres are not necessarily meant to be funny; however, “Chap Hop” (as in "Good to see you, Old Chap") is laugh-out-loud funny. Think of hip hop performed by stereotypical oh so English Eaton (e.g., the cricket and regatta set) types, complete with straw boater hats and striped jackets and rapping in Queen’s English about stereotypical aristocratic English things. So, what about things like fart music? But of course! I will leave you with the following. Happy Strange Music Day 2022! Read more →

What Makes the Difference Between Pretty Good and Great Acoustic Stringed Instruments?

This article has been updated. See: What Makes the Difference Between Pretty Good and Great Acoustic Stringed Instruments? (Revised 6-2023) Introduction Before I start, what are the criteria for judging the sound quality of musical instruments? I hope that the reader can agree that this is largely subjective, and often, culturally relative. Take the Great Highland Bagpipe. That there are two kinds of people in the world; those who love the bagpipes and those who hate them has been attributed to many, including, as I recall, Winston Churchill. Many of us love (at least in limited doses) the uillean pipes; however, I have known many Irish, meaning those who actually live in Ireland, who refer to them as “rat-chasers”. Finally, some might describe an octave mandolin as a bouzouki that is too bassy and boomy, or a bouzouki as a thin and weak-sounding octave mandolin. While the criteria for judging the sound quality of a musical instruments are, to some extent, subjective, culturally relative and even arbitrary, there are some sonic attributes of plucked acoustic stringed instruments, which I believe are widely accepted as desirable, such as: Sonority (i.e., “power” or loudness) Balance (i.e., low notes on the low strings are just as loud to the ear as notes on the high strings) Focus (i.e., not “muddy”) Richness in harmonic overtones Sustain (largely a function of overtone richness) It can be demonstrated that high-end instruments and cheap instruments differ greatly with respect to the aforementioned attributes. See Can you hear... Read more →

Your Amplified Violin Not Working with Effects Processors?: The Problem is With Your Pickup! (UPDATE 11-2017)

This is an update of an article published in 2015. Introduction Many violinists with an “amplifier-ready” (i.e. has a pickup) instrument try to use effect processors to extend their sound palate. Effect processors are usually called “guitar effect boxes”, because such devices have historically been marketed to electric guitarists. In recent years, there has been a growing number of effect processors marketed for use with amplified acoustic guitars. Such devices are often referred to by their nickname, “stomp box” (referring to the way they are activated, by stomping on a switch with one’s foot). Many amplifiers come with a selection of common effects built into the amplifier housing. Widespread Mistaken Beliefs Study of a large number of discussion threads on online violin and fiddle special interest websites reveals that there is a lot of misinformation about violins and effect signal processors on the web. Widespread wrong information on the web?...say it ain’t so! Here are a few: Most effect processors do not work with violins. A bowed note is different from a plucked not and, therefore, somehow does not “track” with many effect processors. All guitars, regardless of their pickups, do work with most effect processors. Hopefully, this article can dispel these mistaken beliefs and set you on your way towards using just about any effect signal processor with your violin. Warning: You may have to get another violin. This may be the first time that many of you would have to spend serious money in furtherance of your art.... Read more →

What Is a Master Violin? Not a Simple Answer

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. "Master violin" is one of those phrases that can confuse rather than clarify. There is no international violin grade classification policing organization. The term is actually used very loosely, at best. Hopefully, this brief article is helpful in evaluating claims of "Master Violin" status. What is meant by the descriptor, “Master Violin”? There are at least three meanings, which are summarized below. 1) Expertly restored (by Master restorers) old violins that are well-authenticated as having been made by renowned violin makers of the 17th, 18th or early 19th Centuries Instruments in this category would include those by such makers as Paulo Maggini, Gaspar da Salo, Andrea Amati, Jakob Stainer, Joseph del Gesu Guarneri and, of course, Antonio Stradivari. There are many other Masters who are lesser known to the general public, but whose instruments are masterpieces of great value. The image to the right is a a Strad. The instruments in the “Old Masters” category sell in a wide range, from tens of thousands of dollars to more than $1,000,000. Violins by the “Big Three” (Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri) generally fetch the highest prices. 2) New custom made violins by living violin makers who are widely regarded as Masters The makers include such notable figures as Jonathan Cooper and Joseph Curtin. In fact, Bernd Dimbath, owner of Heinrich Gill is regarded as one of these contemporary Masters. The image to the right is a Joseph Curtin. Violins by these violinmakers typically sell in the... Read more →

The Tenor Guitar: An Odd Loner without a Real Family

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The Tenor Guitar: An Odd Loner without a Real Family http://www.rickertmusicalinstruments.com/2015/08/the-tenor-guitar-an-odd-loner-without-a-real-family.html Prelude This article is by D. Rickert Musical Instruments and its online store, Don Rickert Musician Shop. We hope that you find this article interesting in its own right. That being said, the article is a background piece to an article that proposes a new graduated family of 4 or 5-string steel-strung instruments, tuned in 5ths and intended primarily for melodic playing rather than rhythmic chords. The instruments are designed to be played with a plectrum (pick). The instruments, as well as plans and kits for building them, will be available very soon at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Introduction The tenor guitar is more or less a fluke (i.e. an accident) of musical instrument design history. It is a bit smaller than a 6-string guitar with a slightly shorter playable scale (23” vs. 25”-25.5”). It has four strings tuned in 5ths (just like the violin and mandolin families). Okay, an instrument of the tenor guitar’s size tuned in 5ths would be appropriate for a melody instrument tuned an octave lower than a violin or mandolin; essentially a single course octave mandolin. Note: The Octave Mandolin did not appear until about 40 years after the tenor guitar. Well, it is not. What we call the “Historic Tenor Guitar” is tuned way higher than an instrument of its size should be (rather, it is tuned like a viola: C-G-D-A) and traditionally is NOT... Read more →

Going Electric: Part II of A Different Way of Achieving the Range of an Octave Violin and Octave Viola

Attention!: This is an older post. Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. This article is by D. Rickert Musical Instruments, a highly regarded designer and maker of acoustic purpose-built octave violins and violas, as well as 4-string and 5-string electric violins. All of these instruments are sold via Don Rickert Musician Shop. Introduction This is the second (see Part I) in a three part series on the topic of using a 4-string or 5-string electric violin (and acoustic instruments with the right kind of pickup installed) together with the necessary effect signal processors to achieve a sound either one or two octaves lower than the violin’s or viola’s actual tuning. Part I of this series introduced the possibility of “going electric.” It also acknowledged the reasons why someone would want to stay with an acoustic solution. Further, Part I also suggested a compromise approach, an acoustic instrument with the right kind of pickup installed. This installment is all about the advantages of the electronic approach to octave synthesis and the challenges associated with a purely acoustic approach, especially with 5-string octave violas. Advantages of a Real Electric Violin (as Opposed to an Acoustic with a Pickup) The best electric violins come in a wide variety of shapes. Most are some variation of a solid body, chambered body or “skeletal”. They all have several things in common: A substantial mass of material (usually wood) directly under the bridge A bridge pickup with greater mass than a regular bridge (almost always... Read more →

A Different Way of Achieving the Range of an Octave Violin and Octave Viola: Part I

Attention!: This is an older post. Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. This article is by D. Rickert Musical Instruments, a highly regarded designer and maker of acoustic purpose-built octave violins and violas, as well as 4-string and 5-string electric violins. All of these instruments are sold via Don Rickert Musician Shop. We have no reason for bias on the topic of acoustic vs. electric instruments, as we make both! Hopefully this lack of bias is reflected in the following article. Introduction This is the first in a three part series on the topic of using a 4-string or 5-string electric violin (and acoustic instruments with the right kind of pickup installed) together with the necessary effect signal processors to achieve a sound either one or two octaves lower than the violin’s or viola’s actual tuning. Our focus here is on achieving lower octaves; however the principles apply to other amazing sonic feats as well, such as playing harmony to your own playing in real time, or generating the sound of sympathetic strings, such as would be found on a contemporary Hardanger fiddle or a Baroque Viola d’Amore. In this first article, I address the matter of whether an electronic option to violin octave synthesis is a desirable alternative for you. Our Acoustic Bowed Octave Instruments When we started our company almost a decade ago, it was the musical instruments division of Wiederholt & Rickert Partners, LLC (DBA Don Rickert Research & Design), a design research and new product... Read more →

Your Amplified Violin Not Working with Effects Processors?: The Problem is With Your Pickup!

Attention!: This is an older post. Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. You will want to see the updated version of this article, entitled Your Amplified Violin Not Working with Effects Processors?: The Problem is With Your Pickup! (UPDATE 11-2017) Introduction Many violinists with an “amplifier-ready” (i.e. has a pickup) instrument try to use effect processors to extend their sound palate. Effect processors are usually called “guitar effect boxes”, because such devices have historically been marketed to electric guitarists. Such devices are often referred to by their nickname, “stomp box” (referring to the way they are activated, by stomping on a switch with one’s foot). Many amplifiers come with a selection of common effects built into the amplifier housing. Widespread Mistaken Beliefs Study of a large number of discussion threads on online violin and fiddle special interest websites reveals that there is a lot of misinformation about violins and effect signal processors on the web. Widespread wrong information on the web?...say it ain’t so! (sarcasm). Here are a few: Most effect processors do not work with violins. A bowed note is different from a plucked not and, therefore, somehow does not “track” with many effect processors. All guitars, regardless of their pickups, do work with most effect processors. Hopefully, this article can dispel these mistaken beliefs and set you on your way towards using just about any effect signal processor with your violin. Warning: You may have to get another violin. This may be the first time that many... Read more →