FOR THE TONE OF IT

A GLIMPSE INTO THE METICULOUS WORLD OF VIOLINISTS

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[graceelizabeth19]

Such a beautiful photo, I wanted to share! 

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You know, if you really want to fiddle the old-time way, you've got to learn the dance. The contradances, hoedowns. It's all in the rhythm of the bow. The great North Carolina fiddle player Tommy Jarrell said, 'If a feller can't bow, he'll never make a fiddler. He might make a violin player, but he'll never make no fiddler.'

Alison Krauss

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Just as a sample of the music I have been learning on various violins in order to yield an accurate assessment of the instrument - here is page one of Dvorak's String Quartet 12, Second Violin. The recording is below. 

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This is a piece Hellgate High played for All-State Orchestra Festival under the direction of Bill Hollin. I learned both the viola and first violin parts to Celestial Fantasy, Op. 44 by  Alan Hovhaness as a challenge to myself. I have used several violins and violas to play this piece and other pieces comparable to it over this semester. I've found that a larger viola, with a rich warm sound gives this piece the necessary body it deserves. Eckroth Music in Bozeman has a moderately sized collection of violins and violas well deserving of a home. I still, however, am partial to the Hollinger Violins in Missoula. Morgan Roth in Missoula also has a good size collection and can order almost anything. The employees at Morgan Roth are very knowledgable and helpful. They've all been working there many years and have experience with almost anything you can think of. 

[graceelizabeth19]

This is very unique interactive graphic "simulating the masters". 

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I have been able to play a few of Mark Hollinger's violins. His violins are a great options for young players in the North West. Mark began making instruments in 1974 at the age of 16. He makes violins, violas, and cellos from the finest woods and strings available. His custom made instruments can be very expensive, but he also refurbishes and finishes less expensive instruments for beginners and students. His violins tend to have an extremely rich sound and visually are immaculate.  

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From BBC News

A violin thought to be the one played by the band leader of the Titanic as it sank is genuine, according to a seven-year investigation by auctioneers. 

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The Ahn Trio, composed of sisters Angella (a professor of violin and viola at Montana State University), Lucia and Maria Ahn. The trio appeared as part of the TEDWomen talks in 2010. They have performed at the White House State Dinner and were featured in magazines such as Vogue and GQ. 

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Visit Original Link

Antonin Dvorak, a Czech composer, wrote his String Quartet No. 12 in 1893 during a summer vacation to the United States. 

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If you take a violin, you can make it sound 50 different ways. Not just pizzicato and played by the bow, but ponticello, and harmonics, and tremolos. If you take an oboe and play it, there's about one way you can make it sound: like an oboe.

John Corigliano

[graceelizabeth19]

The Bow - There are so many to choose from. The combinations of woods and carbon fiber with natural fibers or synthetic are truly endless. I have been playing with a 4/4 size, silver mounted, Guy Laurent Pernambuco bow for three years. I have a total of 5 bows, but I have grown most fond of this one. This particular bow is known to have "warm sound, excellent control and fast response", which has proven to be true in my experience. It does tend to have a faintness when used with very new strings, but a good dose of rosin will combat this problem. The Guy Laurent bows range from around $400 up to $2000+. Mine is on the lower end of the Laurent scale, but is an excellent bow for an intermediate to advanced student. 

[graceelizabeth19]

Kun. I've tried a few different products, including foam sponges when I first started, and cheap collapsable metal rests, intended to be "bent" into the shape you prefer. The sponges work just fine for beginners, especially at the very beginning when the facade of the new instruments may be more intriguing than the reality. The "bendable" metal ones really aren't worth the time in my opinion. They are very difficult to bend into the correct shape. The foam is very thin and uncomfortable. Plus they fall off the back of your instrument each time you go from playing position to rest position. If you are committed to your instrument and are interested in a comfortable, durable shoulder rest, go with Kun. 

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Sometime in the last few decades society has decided if an item has a history, or God forbid a scratch, it's just no good. Please, if you are looking for a inexpensive student violin, that in most cases is actually higher quality than one right from the Chinese factory where it was assembled partially by machine and partially by enslaved children, facing the corruption of numerous human rights violations, go with "previously owned". I started on a 1/4 size rental with too many scratches and even cracks to count, but I treated it like any other would treat a Stradivarius.  

[graceelizabeth19]

My baby

The violin I am most fond of is my '05 Gliga Vasile purchased from String Instrument Specialists in Olympia, Washington. Although this violin has a tendency to be very soft and overpowered in a large ensemble or orchestra, the sweet, crisp tones it has on its own are very beautiful, especially with the correct bow. The body of this violin is very unique to the Gliga Vasile collections. The pegs are original but the chin rest has been replaced. The pegs are a charcoal black and are adorned with mother of pearl. The visual part of this violin that is most stunning to me is the back. The back is made from a single piece of Carpathian maple. Another notable component to the design of this violin is the inlaid purfling. 

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To play or not to play?

Hello Tumblr world! I will begin by humbly admitting I am not a professional musician, no where near it. A love for multiple genres, styles and instruments has determined my path for this Tumblr. I am hoping to enlighten some, but learn more from others in order to broaden my understanding of the musical world. I began playing violin in the fourth grade, thanks to a lovely old friend of mine, and have been star struck by the delicate stringed instrument ever since.

Cheers!