I (Don Rickert) am in the March/April issue of Strings Magazine!
I am honored to have been one of several experts interviewed for the article, A Pocket Full of Sound, by Karen Peterson in the March/April 2023 issue of Strings Magazine (No. 311, March/April 2023). I wish I could share the entire article here, but I am pretty sure that that would be a copyright violation. That being said, I feel pretty good about how my comments about the 18th Century pochette were incorporated into the article. Hats off to the author Karen Peterson for an excellent piece.
Unless you are a Strings Magazine subscriber, or chose to spend $10 to download the March/April 2023 issue, you won’t be able to see it, at least now here. I can, however, summarize the key points:
The pochette was a tiny violin-like bowed instrument that was usually tuned to a higher pitch than a regular violin.
Note: Many pochettes, especially later ones, while still having a very small body, had disproportionately long necks, which made possible the same vibrating string length of a full-size violin, and thus, enabling them to be tuned to regular violin pitch. The tuning pitch of the Baroque period was a bit lower than modern pitch.
The pochette dates back to the 1500s, when, in its primitive form, was often played by street musicians.
During the reign of Louis XIV (the Sun King) beginning in the late 17th Century, the pochette came into its own among the aristocratic elite, or at least their support staff who taught them how to dance.
Dancing was an important skill for European aristocrats who wanted to fit in.
Baroque period pochettes incorporated all sorts of precious materials, such as ivory, tortoise shell, ebony and inlaid with precious stones, silver and/or gold.
While pochettes looked fancy, they mostly sounded awful. This was due in part to their diminutive size, but more owing to the fact that they did not have two essential elements for achieving decent sound from a bowed instrument, a soundpost and bass bar.
See the video for an example of how typical early pochettes sound.
Great musicians - ludicrously small instruments!
A later model - marginally acceptable sound (the instrument, that is - playing is great!)
Note 1: I have never been able to find a satisfactory answer to why most pochettes were made without bass bars or soundposts. Their key function to sound production was widely known since at least the 16th Century.
Note 2: Some later pochettes did, in fact, have something like a soundpost and/or a bass bar. Replicas of some of these late 18th Century pochettes actually sounded pretty good. At one time, I built quite a few replicas of a model made in Glasgow and, indeed, they sound amazing for such small instruments.
If you are interested in knowing just how good a Baroque pochette replica can sound, see the following video.
Darci Jones playing a late 18th Century pochette replica by Donald Rickert
Despite their generally horrible sound, pochettes were deemed “good enough” for sawing out a melody suitable for dance instruction.
As the 18th Century progressed, knowing how to dance became very important to the emerging Scottish upper middle class hoping to enter high society, or at least to impress one’s peers.
Due to their portability, the pochette became a key tool for one of the hottest gigs of early and mid-18th Century France and England, teaching dance steps to aristocrats in their homes.
Dance teachers, or as they came to be known, “Dance Masters,” were the era’s equivalent of a personal trainer. As many, probably most, dance masters were French, the elaborately styled French overcoat was commonly worn, any many had a special pocket for carrying a small fiddle. Such a pocket, in French, was called a “pochette”, or “little pocket”. The instrument, at some point, acquired the same name.
Note: The above begs the question, what were pochettes called prior to the era of the dancing master in the 18th Century?
The article goes on to discuss the problem of lugging around a full-size violin from home to home as a dance master made his rounds to his clients. Even if a dance master could afford one, a violin case of the Baroque period was not intended for mobility. Period cases were heavy and often did not have handles. The cases of the period were designed for displaying instruments in a fancy music parlor.
The article finishes with a fairly lengthy exposition of 18th Century Scottish musicians (not dance masters, but, rather, professional musicians) who were known to have played pochettes.
The most famous of these professional players was also the most famous violinist in Scotland, Niel Gow, who was instrumental in creating what we now call Scottish Traditional country dance music.
Gow was among a group of fiddlers associated with a bowing technique known as the “Scotch Snap”, which is either a long note followed by a short note, or a short note followed by a long one. The Scotch Snap led to the creation of the distinctly Scottish tune type known as the Strathspey. The article recounts a popular story that I recalled about how the short pochette bow that Gow would have used while walking to gigs with his pochette contributed to invention of the Scotch snap, as the bow often proved too short, thus requiring a sudden change in bow direction.
Note: While the above story is fun, it is just that, a story. The story I recounted was lore rather than established fact. Further, while Gow was indeed among the earliest composers of strathspeys, whether or not he actually invented the musical form or the Scotch snap bowing technique has never been proven. Other contemporaries of Gow, notably William Marshal, also composed many strathspeys, many of them regarded as the greatest strathspeys ever composed.
The article finishes with an interesting, albeit tenuous, link between the “Scotch snap” and contemporary hip-hop.
We just shipped this left-handed version of our new International Travel Violin. This instrument, while having a full-length scale, is short enough to fit into a 4" diameter x 22" long case. That meets all known carry baggage size restrictions in the world. The instrument, in its case, will fit into many roller bags.
The International Travel Violin is our newest design. It is, of course, a TRAVEL VIOLIN that we designed for violinists and fiddlers wishing to travel without worry with their instruments by air:
To destinations outside of the U.S., especially Europe
From one European region to another or from one country to another
On any small plane (< 50 seats), regardless of destination, within the U.S. or abroad
AND
Desire an all wood, luthier-built instrument with a 4/4 playable string length,
AND
Require an instrument with the sonority and timbre close to that of a full-size instrument.
This completely new instrument has a full-size playable string length of just approximately 13 inches. The cool thing about the International Travel Violin is that it has a body length of approximately 13 inches (normal 4/4 violin has a 14” body) and a cleverly shortened “scroll-less” pegbox. The result is a full-size instrument with a total length of just under 21”! This allows the use of a case that is a mere 22” in length. It will fit into many TSA-certified carry-on roller bags!
The International Travel Violin is a shorter version of our famous full-length Ranger C3 Travel Violin, which fits into a 4”x24” case. If you deserve the very best travel violin available anywhere, Summer is the time to make it happen. If you are planning a trip this Summer, you had better get it going pretty soon—don’t forget that each one is custom-built.
Both the International Travel Violin and the Ranger C3 Travel Violin normally sell for $2600, which is a bargain if you really care about master-level quality, playability and sound. Right now, they are both on sale for only $2195! See them at the Don Rickert Musician Shop (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com). Or go directly to the product links shown below.
Like its larger-bodied sibling, the International Travel Violin, this new travel violin was designed for violinists and fiddlers wishing to travel without worry with their instruments by air:
To destinations outside of the U.S., especially Europe
From one European region to another or from one country to another
On any small plane (< 50 seats), regardless of destination, within the U.S. or abroad
AND
Desire an all wood, luthier-built instrument with a 4/4 playable string length,
AND
Require an instrument with the sonority and timbre as close to that of a full-size instrument as possible for a small instrument.
As with its predecessors, the Mountaineer series (I through VIII), the International Explorer Travel Violin is the instrument of choice for adventurer-musicians for whom any of the following apply:
Willing to sacrifice the full-size violin sound of the International Travel Violin or the Ranger C3 (but still sounds pretty good) in favor of considerably greater durability. The new International Explorer Travel Violin is ideally suited for outdoor adventure, where weather, rough conditions, rough treatment (e.g. being dropped onto the ground or into water) etc. are part of the deal.
Are seeking a travel violin that is less expensive than either the International Travel Violin or the Ranger C3. Indeed, the International Explores is hardly cheap, with a sell price of more than $1400; however, it costs about $700 less than its more expensive siblings.
Introduction and Summary
This completely new instrument has a full-size playable string length of 12.75 inches. The cool thing about the International Explorer Travel Violin is that it has a body length of approximately 13 inches (normal 4/4 violin has a 14” body) and a cleverly shortened “scroll-less” pegbox. The result is a full-size instrument with a total length of only 20”! This allows the use of a case that is a mere 21” in length. It will fit into many TSA-certified 22” (height) carry-on roller bags! We will be happy to give you recommendations for our favorite carry-on bags.
FREE Test Fitting!: If you wish, we will send you a heavy-duty 4” x 21” craft tube for a test fitting with your carry-on baggage. Let us know if you would like to do this before we start building your instrument.
If you already have, or wish to use a slightly smaller carry-on bag, the International Travel Violin can be made even shorter than 20” on a custom basis, often at no extra charge.
You can, of course, take this instrument as your carry-on item in one of our available cases. In most air travel scenarios, you can also take a bow tube for a full-size bow along as well.
The bottom line is that you can take our International Explorer Traveler Violin as a carry-on item on most airlines anywhere in the world without worry, provided that you are not flying on what would be classified as a small plane (< 50 seats). Then, it is a crap-shoot. Also, regional flights throughout Europe and elsewhere often do not allow carry-on baggage of any kind, except for small electronic devices (laptops, tablets, phones, etc.), which always MUST be carried on the plane as a “personal item” (i.e. these items cannot be checked baggage).
If you ever would have to check-in your instrument for the cargo hold, our cases are strong enough to protect it.
The new International Explorer Travel Violin by D. Rickert looks essentially like a slightly shorter (but still a full 4/4 playable scale!) and wider at the middle version (with a truncated pegbox) of its renowned predecessor. Because we compensated for the shorter body length by making it wider, the International Explorer has a sound that is virtually identical to the Mountaineer Backpacker Fiddles.
Dimensions
Overall length: 20” (50.8 cm)
Body length: 13” (33.02 cm)
Nut width: 24 mm
Width at middle: 2.8” (71.12 mm)
Rib height (at ends): 1.18” (30 mm)
Rib height (middle): 1.53” (39 mm)
Note: all dimensions have been carefully worked out so that the International Explorer, with chin rest attached (and, of course, the shoulder rest removed) fits perfectly into our 4” diameter case. In fact, since there would be room to spare, and in keeping with the theme of use in extreme conditions, we add some extra padding in the case when ordered with this instrument.
There is also room for your bow and the detachable shoulder rest.
The case can be made to match the length of bow you will be using.
Playing Characteristics and Ergonomics
With its custom center-mounted chin rest and the adjustable shoulder rest in place, holding and playing the International Explorer Travel Violin feels pretty much like playing a regular violin. The Velcro-attached adjustable dense foam shoulder rest is easily removable for stowing the instrument in its case. The shoulder rest is actually more comfortable than many rests for regular violins.
Sound
The International Explorer Travel Violin sounds pretty good for a fiddle of its size. While such a small instrument could not possibly sound as powerful and full-bodied as a good full-size violin (those pesky laws of physics), The International Explorer Travel Violin has a surprisingly big and warm sound. In other words, it is rather sonorous. It is plenty loud enough to jam with other musicians.
See the demo videos at the end of this listing.
Fittings
Wittner FineTune internally-geared tuning pegs
These incredible tuning pegs have a gear system in the buttons. The gearing ratio is a very respectable 8.5:1. A cylinder in the middle of the peg shaft turns in response to turning the button. The pegs are celebrated for their kindness to the peg box. They are held in by friction. Some top violinists have even installed them on priceless antique violins. They look pretty much like ebony.
Custom-made chin rest
The chin rest is a “flat Flesch” type of rest, which we carve and re-shape to fit the tail of the International Travel Violin perfectly.
Tailpiece
The default tailpiece is an ebony “Hill” style. If a pickup volume control is installed, the tailpiece is a special poly-carbonate tailpiece by Wittner.
Adjustable shoulder rest
The new shoulder rest, attached with industrial strength Velcro, is much simpler to use and is actually more comfortable than any of its predecessors.
Case
A case is included with purchase of the instrument.
As described above, there are a number of case options, including a plethora of colors and lengths. We have Super Duty and Ultra-lite cases.
Order the case separately. See the related products at the end of this product listing. You will NOT be charged for the case.
Bow
The size of bow you will use depends on how long of a case that you can work with. If you intend to use a 21” case, you will need to use either a take-apart bow, carry your bow(s) in a separate bow tube or use an Incredibow. A ¼ size bow only requires a 24-25” long case. A ½ size bow requires about 27” in case length. A full-size bow requires a 31” long case. Incredibows are actually a very good option. These unique bows look something like Baroque bows. They are very populate among fiddlers; not so much with classical violinists. Incredibows are available in a variety of lengths, including a 19.25" size, which will fit into our short 21" cases. They are also available in various weights and tensions, which is quite helpful in compensating for short length. You should check out Incredibows. We have a lot of experience with them and can help you select the best size, weight and tension for your needs. Feel free to contact us.
Those of you who know us are aware that we really discourage the use of lousy bows. We also believe strongly that a bow for a travel violin should NOT be wooden.
As with all of our travel violins, we expect that many customers will opt to have a pickup installed. There are many pickup options. Please contact us if you wish to add a pickup.
Travel violins and fiddles are specially-designed instruments for adventurers and other travelers for whom small size, extreme durability and easy portability are essential. Travel violins/fiddles are also commonly known as “backpacker fiddles”.
Travel Violins and Fiddles by D. Rickert Musical Instruments
D. Rickert Musical Instruments has been designing and making historic pochettes (e.g. Baroque-period dancing master’s “kits”) and best-in-class modern travel violins (aka backpacker fiddles) since 2005. Continuous improvement based on customer and market feedback and our own continuous evaluation, is just the way we roll. This has led to the design and production of more than two-dozen models over the past 13 years.
We currently make three regular production models of travel/backpacker violin. We also make various custom variants, including “lefty” and 5-string models, as well as travel violas. All of our regular production travel violin models have 14” bodies with 13” playable scale lengths; the same body and scale lengths as full-size violins. All of these instruments are available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. See the Travel and Backpacker Fiddles category of the Don Rickert Musician Shop website (online store).
Late Baroque Pochette
While our modern travel fiddles look superficially like Barqoue pochettes (pocket fiddles), they are, in fact, full-length violins intended for backpacking and travel. All of our travel and backpacker violins are full 4/4 length instruments with chin rests and shoulder rest adapters.
They are very popular among traveling classical violinists as well as adventure-loving fiddlers. Unlike the cheap travel fiddles that cost much less than ours on the market, our travel violins respond to the bow like a full-size instrument and are quite sonorous.
What Is a Modern Travel Violin or Backpacker Fiddle?
Baroque Dancing Master w/ Pochette
Modern backpacker and travel violins are the highly-evolved descendants of the pochettes (pocket fiddles, also known as “kits” or “kit fiddles”) of the late 17th through the late 18th Centuries. The Baroque period in music (1600 – 1750) fell within the time period during which the pochette was commonly used. Anyone interested in learning more about the Baroque pochette should see my recent article, Things to Know About the Baroque Pochette (a.k.a “Kit”).
When one refers to a backpacker or travel violin, he or she is talking about a small and physically robust instrument that:
Will withstand far greater physical and environmental impacts than a regular violin or fiddle would normally be subjected to
Is substantially smaller in width than a regular violin (usually between 2” and 3.5” wide); in other words, “skinny” enough to fit into a high-strength tubular case (usually about 4” in diameter) that is often attached to a backpack or bicycle luggage rack.
Has the same important ergonomic attributes of a full-size violin in modern configuration
The Physical and Environmental Impacts
The physical impacts include being constantly being jarred due to be being attached to a backpack and even dropped.
Environmental impacts include:
Extreme high and low temperatures
Extreme low and high humidity levels
Radical rapid changes in temperature and humidity
Instrument Size (and Shape)
While some backpacker violins are shorter in length than regular violins, the norm is a playable string length (nut to bridge) identical to a 4/4 size violin, with an overall length approximately the same as a 4/4 violin. Sometimes, backpacker violins will have a slightly shorter body and/or peg box.
Ergonomic Attributes
Many, but certainly not all, designers of modern backpacker/travel violins and fiddles, pay great attention to the ergonomic aspects of these small instruments. Primarily, these "human-centered" ergonomics efforts are focused on removable chin rests and shoulder rests that, when installed on the backpacker/travel violin, replicate the critical ergonomic dimensions of a full-size violin or fiddle. The overriding criterion we adhere to is that a travel violin, whatever its size, should feel exactly like a regular violin when it is played.
A modern travel violin without its ergonomic fittings
This instrument, one of our designs, is 2" wide but full 14" long body and a full 13" +/- playable string length. Nevertheless, as is, it cannot be played like a modern violin or fiddle.
The same instrument with its ergonomic fittings installed
Owing to the high adjustability of the shoulder rest (fore and aft position, height, lateral angle), this instrument with its fittings installed is actually more ergonomically optimal than the average violin.
Sound (Timbre, Sonority and Power)
When it comes to sound, travel violins fall into two distinct groups:
Instruments primarily used for practice when traveling
Instruments for players for whom timbre, sonority and power approaching that of a full-size instrument is a priority
Instruments primarily used for practice
These are slim-bodied (about 2” wide) instruments that, when fully assembled with their chin rests and shoulder rests, simulate the hold, and afford the manner of playing and bowing technique of full-size instruments. This small-bodied class of travel violins is favored by serious violinists and fiddlers wanting a practice instrument (one that plays like a regular violin) with a highly-realist feel, but is as small as possible. In fact, we make one model (on strictly a custom basis), the “Frequent Flyer”, which disassembles such that the pieces can be fit easily, along with a take-apart bow into a rolling suitcase along with other luggage.
Frequent flyer NOT assembled
Frequent flyer assembled
Rich sonority is not a high priority for these musicians. Nevertheless, these slim-bodied instruments sound amazingly good, given their small sound boxes.
Instruments with timbre, sonority and power approaching that of a full-size instrument
These instruments are between 3” and 3.5” wide. They cost more than the slim-bodied instruments. Like the small-bodied instruments, their playing characteristics are virtually identical to those of full-size instrument.
Musicians who commission these instruments do, in fact, often use them as practice instruments when traveling. In addition to practicing, these musicians usually intend to play along with other musicians while traveling; therefore, they need an instrument that, while compact, sounds pretty much like an unmuted full-size fiddle and the acoustic power to hold its own in jam sessions and the like.
How Good Can a Travel Violin Sound?: Demonstrations
Many years of continuous design research, involving experimentation with many variables, has gone into achieving good sonority and projection volume from these small instruments whose body size, materials and construction method departs radically from conventional full-size violins.
Most makers of modern travel violins will tell you that they sound good. When we tell you that ours sound amazing, we really mean it. Watch the following videos to hear for yourself what we mean by amazing!
That's it for now. Look for a follow-on article in the next few days about traveling with your fiddle.
Pochettes are 18th Century instruments whose popularity was primarily from the early 1700s through the 1780s; however, there are surviving examples dating back to the 1600s. The pochette (French for “pocket”) was a small violin-like instrument designed for easy portability. They are also known as “pocket fiddles” and “kit fiddles”. Pochettes were always quite a bit smaller in girth than full-size violins; however, their overall length, as well as playable string length varied from quite short (about that of ½ size violin or viololino piccolo, or even shorter) to the length of a regular fiddle. The longer pochettes were generally the later ones. Short scale pochettes were usually tuned to a higher pitch than a full-size violin.
How Did the Pochette or "Kit Fiddle" Get its Names?
Pochettes were small enough in girth to fit into a longish sheath sewn into one's coat. The sheath came to be known by the instrument's name: "pochette". This is the origin of the modern English word "pocket". Pochettes were also known as "kits" or "kit fiddles", primarily in England and, to a lesser extent, in Scotland. The name "kit" is an example of impossible-to-comprehend (to anyone but an Englishperson) English humor. The idea appears to have been that, if a full-size violin is analogous to a cat (a reference to "cat gut" strings...actually never made from cat guts, but rather sheep intestines), then a small violin would be, by analogy, a "kit", the English and Scottish nickname for a kitten.
Some surmise that the word “kit” may simply be slang for a mispronunciation of “pocket”, as in “pock-it”. This naming evolution is similar to how “loo” became slang for a toilet—in Britain, “waterloo” is a humorous reference to “water closet”, at one time the name for the closet-sized room in which an indoor commode or “Crapper” (the actual surname of the presumed inventor) would reside.
Who Played Pochettes?
Neil Gow
Pochettes seem to have been popular among fiddlers who traveled frequently by foot or horseback. Arguably, the two most famous players of pochettes were:
Niel (aka Neil) Gow(1727–1807), one of the founding fathers of Scottish fiddling
Thomas Jefferson(1743-1826), a principle author of the Declaration of Independence and the 3rd President of the United States
Jefferson's Pochette (Possibly?)
It is well documented that Neil Gow often played a pochette while on the day long hike to Blair Castle to play for dances, and then on the way back home. One of his proper violins was apparently kept at the castle. That very same fiddle resides, on display, at Blair Castle today.
In his later years, Jefferson, both a violinist and fiddler, often road on horseback from Monticello to Charlottesville for sessions in various pubs. Lore has it that he often made this trip with one of the two pochettes that he is known to have owned. The pochette was carried in a leather saddle case devised by Monticello’s master craftsman, one of Jefferson’s sons by Sally Hemming . . . but that is a whole different story!
The pochette’s real popularity was driven in large part by itinerant Dancing Masters (private dance instructors), who preferred very portable violins that could be carried, with its typically short bow, in a sleeve (called a pocket or “pochette”, as many were French) sewn onto the Dancing Master’s coats.
The Socio-Political Events that Gave Rise to the Profession of Dancing Master (and Indirectly, the Pochette) in the 18th Century
The Union of Scotland, England (including Wales) and Ireland as Britain occurred in 1707. Queen Anne, who had already acceded to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702, became the first monarch of Britain (and last Stuart monarch), as Anne, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland when the Treaty of Union took effect in 1707.
The Treaty of Union resulted in, among other things, England and Scotland having a shared Parliament. Suddenly, there was high motivation among the mercantile class in Scotland to learn to speak like the English (i.e. without a Lowland brogue) and to learn the latest English dances. These were things that the Scottish aristocracy, by and large, already knew how to do. Dancing at lavish parties was very much like the game of golf is today in the world of business networking.
Rise of the Dancing Masters
So, in major cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, there emerged a widespread perceived need for elocution (i.e. diction, pronunciation, grammar) coaches and dance instructors. The profession of Dancing Master filled at least the dancing part of that perceived need, and people were prepared to pay good money to have that need met. Most of the Dancing Masters were either French or Italian music tutors who knew enough about English dancing to sell themselves as qualified Dancing Masters. I am pretty sure that, at least in Britain, there existed no guilds overseeing the qualifications of Dancing Masters.
So, it was in the urbanized part of Scotland that the profession of “Dancing Master” appears to have really taken off. It should be noted that there were Dancing Masters in places other than Scotland; however, Scotland after the Treaty of Union, was the epicenter, at least during the Baroque and pre-Modern periods.
Dancing Masters typically visited clients’ homes. They were, in significant ways, the 18th Century equivalent of personal trainers who come to clients’ homes. The successful Dancing Masters were booked from morning to night. Carrying a full-size violin from appointment to appointment was a real chore, especially given the heft of a case capable of protecting a violin and bow from the Scottish weather (not pleasant much of the time). Manufacture of violin cases on anything approaching a large scale would not occur until the 19th Century. If you wanted a violin case during the Baroque period, it had to be custom-made.
The Baroque Violin Case
I have carefully studied the construction and common usage of existing violin cases from the Baroque period, including those made by the workshops of Antonio Stradivari. First, these cases were quite expensive, often costing much more than a violin that a Dancing Master could afford, and they were intended primarily as decorative storage containers for well-appointed music rooms. Indeed, they did not always have carrying handles. Most significantly, Baroque period cases were quite heavy, somewhere in the range from 10 lbs. (4.5 kg.) to 15 lbs. (6.8 kg.).
The potentially available cases were definitely not built to withstand rain, freezing rain and snow—the standard weather for much of the year in the Scottish Lowlands. The contemporary musician, armed with full understanding about the limitations of Baroque cases, should understanding why carrying around a full-size violin for an entire day’s worth of client appointments would have been effectively impossible, even if one could afford such as case.
The Pochette: Solution to a Real Problem
Pochettes or kit fiddles had already been around at least since the late 1600s. It is easy to understand why they were almost universally adopted by the 18th Century Dancing Masters.
How Does a Baroque Period Pochette Sound?
The short answer is nasty! So, here is the longer answer.
Early Pochettes
Later Pochette
Pochettes, particularly the earlier ones, often had substantially shorter playable string lengths than a full-size violin. The later ones, on the other hand, generally had a full 4/4 string length, but with much skinnier body, and usually a shorter body (in the 11.5" to 13" range) than a full-size violin, which has a 14" body. Except in very cases, Baroque-period pochettes lacked the two things that we now know are essential to good sound production, a sound post and proper bass bar. Short bows were often used to play pochettes, without a doubt contributing to a less than optimal sonority.
Most Baroque and Pre-Modern period pochettes and replicas sound horrible beyond comprehension (and we have heard many!). A toy kazoo, toy piano, comb and waxed paper, or slide whistle would have sounded better.
So that you can fully experience the range of sound quality for Baroque and Pre-Modern pochettes, take a look and listen to the videos below.
Great musicians - ludicrously small instruments!
Here is a really small pochette from the 1600s.
A slightly better-sounding pochette - really fine playing!
A later model - marginally acceptable sound (the instrument, that is - playing is great!)
Had They Only Know About the Physics of Violins!
The poor sound of historic pochettes and their replicas is curious to us. More than a decade ago, we were able to design and make a very sonorous and nice-sounding pochette by essentially copying the external dimensions of a late 18th Century Scottish pochette (in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow). The only substantial changes we made were to fit the instrument with a proper bass bar and sound post. We also enlarged the sound holes to the extent necessary to afford setting and adjusting the sound post. This, of course, made the sound holes more appropriately-sized (i.e. larger!) for good sound production. This instrument, which we still sell today as the Neil Gow Pochette, is available in the Baroque Instruments category of the online store for the Don Rickert Musician Shop.
If you are interested in knowing just how good a Baroque pochette replica can sound, see the following video.
Darci Jones playing a late 18th Century pochette replica by Donald Rickert
The Ergonomics of Historic Pochettes
With the 17th and 18th Century pochettes, ergonomic concerns were apparently not considered at all. Ergonomics (the British term) and Human Factors (the preferred American term), or the study of the relationship between people and things, are 20th Century fields of expertise. The only concern in the 1700s and 1800s was making the pochette small enough to be easily portable. Indeed, the whole idea of making a tool fit its user was not yet part of the zeitgeist—one simply learned how to use available tools and other objects. The idea of “human-centered design”, a basic principle for modern Industrial Designers (those who design objects for people to use, including musical instruments) would not emerge until the late 20th Century.
One could even argue that the violin itself is ergonomically sub-optimal. This is why so much attention has been devoted to making the violin more usable in the last century (e.g. chin rests, ergonomically-correct shoulder rests, etc.). In the case of pochettes, a playing technique involving resting on the instrument on the arm and tucking the tail into one’s underarm evolved. In order to envision this playing technique, imagine the “on-the-arm” instrument hold that some violinists and fiddlers in various musical genres use even today. One can clearly see this extremely awkward hold and playing technique in the videos above.
Conclusion
This concludes my brief introduction to that diminutive Baroque period relative of the violin, the pochette, a.k.a. kit fiddle. My next article will delve into the modern descendent of the pochette, commonly called a “travel violin” or “travel fiddle”. I will post a link here when the follow-on article about modern travels violins is posted.
Modern backpacker and travel violins are the highly-evolved great-great-great grandchild of the pochettes of the late 17th through the late 18th Centuries. Most modern travel violins or fiddles bear a strikingly similar appearance to their Baroque period ancestors. The similarity stops there. Indeed, there are significant differences. Most, but not all, modern travel violins are designed in such a way as to capitalize on what has been learned in the past 250 years about the physics of bowed instrument sound production. What this means, essentially, is that they can, but again, not always, sound MUCH better than Baroque pochettes, even the good ones.
Many, but certainly not all, designers of modern travel violins and fiddles, pay great attention to the ergonomic aspects of these small instruments. Primarily, these "human-centered" ergonomic design efforts are focused on removable chin rests and shoulder rests that, when installed on the travel violin, replicate the critical ergonomic improvements expected in a full-size violin or fiddle in modern configuration. Furthermore, the critical ergonomic dimensions of full size violins, such as body length, overall length and playable string length are, in most cases, rigorously adhered to.
Shameless Promotion
In the past 13 or so years, D. Rickert Musical Instruments has designed and made a large number of Baroque pochette replicas (about 40). We have designed and produced an even far greater number of state-of-the-art modern travel violins (more than 125).
