Search:

Yes, both bowing and intonation are the problems (and the beauty) of the fiddle. On the equal tempered mando, some notes are always out of tune. On the fiddle all notes CAN be in tune, but its not...

I seem to be having a dry spell compositionally so it's back to Bach. I'm working on the D minor Ciaconna and the last of the Cello suites.

I had the same thing happen on my Rigel Gypsy Q, but without any string change. It just started sounding "off" and kept getting "harder" sounding until I realized that the intonation had drifted 'way...

Well, I liked it. What would Mozart have thought?

Mozart was an entertainer, a working entertainer. I can imagine him carefully looking around as the cadenza begins. He sees people starting to...

This tune is contemporary, but sounds "old time" to me so hopefully this is a good place to find listeners who may like it. The picture shows the porch, but the swing is lost in the shadows. It's on...

Thanks to all for your kind words and helpful comments. After a fresh listening I think I agree with Zman and MandoSquirrel that a bit more speed would probably be an improvement. I intended some...

I see that now and then an intrepid soul has worked up the courage to expose one of their compositions to the scrutiny of others in this community, and I guess it's about time I did the same - this...

I'm a computer guy too and I have Cakewalk, Tabledit and other tools.

Still, the best way I've found is to use pencil and paper. When I get a piece more-or-less done, then I trot out Tabledit to...

TI mittels sound great on my Rigel Q and both Mid-mo's; but pretty dead on the Weber Hyalite. It took JM11's to bring the Weber to life.

I've had the same experience as JeffD with regard to rhythm - if I can get that I'm well on the way. But after trying hard over many years I've given up standard notation for good. I can sight read...

I heard some good things about the Kentucky KM-172. I heard them at a time when MAS was getting critical but I didn't want to part with too much money. I was also bored. So I picked up the phone,...

My choice of strings is Thomastik TI medium and I ditto Mandohack's comments on avoiding too much brightness. For example, Bach sounds just fine on a lute which is certainly not a bright sounding...

I've always favored Yo-Yo Ma's recording. Even better is the set of films he made of the suites, which are now available on DVD. I especially like his treatment of the 3rd, where he worked with Mark...

My Rigel Q changed considerably over its first 6 months. First the bass strings became louder and richer, then the treble strings caught up. I've played it now for about a year and a half and it...

-60 for me, and if those legendary bluegrass police show up they'll get a stiff dose of Bruckner's 5th at 110db

Changing strings is great fun. Sometimes I do it even when the old set is still OK. After I get a new set on I'll sometimes take it off and put it back on again, just for the heck of it. It's really...

I got to hear Hilary Hahn and Chris Thile at the Housing Works Bookshop in the SOHO area of NYC last night. The shop had room for about 125 people to jam in and I think many more had to be turned...

1952 Les Paul Goldtop
Gretsch 6120 full body Chet Atkins
Both sold when, as a teenager, the only good guitar was the next one...

Mandolins?
Just a not-so-hot entry level Pacrim and a solid...

A tune is the same as a scale, with the notes in a different order.

Formal scales don't seem to help me much, but good exercises (like Ted's FFcP warmup) are great for getting both myself and the...

Nathan:
I've tried the heavy TI's on my Rigel Q. They sounded just like their name: stark! Very hard sound where the mittels are sweet and bell-like. Quite a difference! J-74's sound bright and...

John - I too have a passion for the Sonatas and Partitas. I play little else. I have managed to get a few of the easier pieces up to the point where I wouldn't be too embarassed if someone else were...

I have bought several items and sold one through the classifieds. No problems were encountered with any of the transactions.

It seems that the "better" instruments have backs where the halves are matched to line up the "flames". I believe that is called bookmatched (think of a fish skeleton). The closer spaced patterns...

While living in The Bronx years ago I made the mistake of leaving a guitar out of the case overnight. No spiders, but for the next few days all I could play was "La Cucaracha"

Johnson MA120? Nah...solid wood gives such a heavy, clunky sound. You want the better (and cheaper) model that uses real plywood. Gives that nice thin tone that lets you bang as hard as you like...