Another temporary COVID casualty is the production of Sloane bass tuning gears, considered the best available by many people.  I am confident that production will eventually resume, but it was difficult to snag this set of Venetian-style tuners for a Jay Haide bass Ben set up in the shop.  The gearing ratio is an ultra-fine 50:1 and the tension of the mechanism can be adjusted so that each tuner has the same feel, independent of string diameter or tension. These gears are expensive, but you get the feeling that this is one of those products where the designer decided to make the best thing he could and then charge what was needed.  Every bass player knows the frustration of a tuning gear that isn’t working, or squeaks, or rattles.  These are absolutely solid and are a joy to use.  Maybe they aren’t expensive after all? Note on the photo: the gears are reflecting the pattern off of the acoustical panel on the wall – the finish is polished brass.

If you’ve been around our page or in the shop, you know I’m a fan of Pegheds – internally geared pegs for cellos.  The advantages are many and the compromises are few.  My love for these is a departure from my traditionalism in many other areas of the violin business.  I love that these pegs free players from reliance on fine tuners (opening up many tailpiece options), eliminate the fear of slipped strings and downed bridges when dealing with temperature and humidity changes, and that their aesthetic can blend in with even the finest instruments. However, many cellists are experiencing the benefit of Posture Pegs in order to alter the angle of the cello in relation to their body, bringing the scroll closer to their head.  When I mentioned to the designer of Pegheds that the ultimate option would be a flush mounted Peghed with removable key, he said he already had the next best thing – a “stubby” handle for an existing Peghed.  We installed the first one in the C-peg of a cello we’re shipping to a talented college student.  It reduces the length of the peg by at least a full inch and could be a wonderful

You can buy a 1970 Porsche 917 for $14 million dollars or you can come in and pick out one of these beautiful cases for something less than that.  Your choice…

As a cellist and violin shop manager, I’ve seen just about every conceivable product and method for storing and displaying cellos.  Stands, boxes, cabinets, carts…there are countless different versions and iterations from which to choose.  Each has its strengths and weaknesses and there is no “best” option – it’s a matter of choosing the option that most closely fulfills your requirements. For $24.99, my favorite compact and affordable cello stand is…a guitar stand!  Originally designed by K&M for a guitar, it even includes two guitar picks integrated into the base of the stand.  Folded up, this stand would fit into most music pockets on the back of a padded cello case.  Once unfolded with a cello on it, you barely see the stand.  This is NOT the stand designed to withstand destructive toddlers or rambunctious pets, but there is no worry about the cello toppling over in less trying circumstances.  I would gladly put my personal cello on this stand in my music room. When not in use, simply fold it up and tuck it away.  As with practically everything K&M makes, the quality is fantastic.  They also offer a cork version in which the black rubber pieces are replaced

Learning to play a violin-family instrument is challenging.  Holding the bow, proper posture, tuning the instrument, don’t collapse the wrist, keep your thumb bent, etc.  Then…where do you put your fingers?  There are no keys, no frets, no markings whatsoever to aid you in creating a map of where the notes are.  As a result, most beginners do something to mark the basic positions for their fingers.  Tape, dots, pencil, white-out – so many options! I thought about position markers this week because I’m attempting to help a friend with a recording project by playing bass – NOT my primary instrument.  I opted to use little blue dots to give myself a fighting chance of playing in tune. What do you use, and why?

No, I promise I won’t start singing numbers from “The Sound of Music”, but I have been thinking about my favorite things.  As you can imagine, there isn’t as much hustle and bustle at the shop these days as people reduce nonessential travel.  It gives me more time to do some organizing, cleaning, and general tidying up around the place.  I often find myself spending time I didn’t have in the past looking over instruments and admiring the wood and workmanship.  I’m able to play them more and get more accustomed to their tone and playing attributes.  It might sound strange to hear me say it, but we have an incredibly nice collection of instruments and bows at the moment!  Some of my favorite things are… Snow JHS cello, Montagnana pattern Jay Haide l’Ancienne European wood violins (two available), Guarneri pattern Christopher Jacoby cello, Montagnana-inspired Snow Simona European wood viola Lu Mi baroque 5-string cello, Amati pattern Shen Rogeri round back willow bass Gewa Air cello case Bobelock “cello shaped” violin cases Coda Marquise GS cello bow Thomastik Rondo cello strings Make an appointment to come and visit us!

A while ago I wrote about putting a full set of Pirastro Eudoxa gut-core strings on a Jay Haide Vuillaume model cello here in the shop to give us a chance to gain more experience with gut strings.  It continues to be a fun and educational journey.  While the strings are stretching less and less, there is still a substantial amount of time spent tuning with the pegs at the beginning of each playing session.  Coming from modern professional steel-core strings which often stay perfectly in tune between playing sessions, the gut experience is an adjustment.  I still get the occasional squeak on the A-string if I’m not handling the bow properly.  I’ve finally gotten the pitch up to A=440 and the C-string tone improved dramatically when it was finally under the tension it was designed for. I’ll keep everyone posted on further progress and post a video once I feel like everything is stabilized!

I received a great question recently from a local orchestra director.  I believe she fielded the question from a student in her class and it stumped me!  What a great question!  I’ve been using the same fractional naming system for decades without really questioning where it came from.  After doing a little digging, it turns out I couldn’t find a simple answer!  If you have expert insight, please comment on this post.  Here is what I wrote the director: Okay, so when I really got into this and started digging, it became apparent that there are a lot of “old wives tales” regarding the how/when/why of using fractions to express instrument sizes.  While smaller-than-full-size instruments have been made for hundreds of years, the best guess for when fractions were consistently used for instruments was the late 19th century in Germany.  This is the first instance of true mass production of violin-family instruments and there would have been demand for some kind of naming convention for the different sizes. My initial guess is that it had something to do with Suzuki method, but there are clear examples of violins being referred to as “1/2 size” in Sears catalogues from the early

Last week we talked a bit about gut strings and mentioned we’d be putting them on one of our shop cellos – well, they’re here and they’re on!  Ben adjusted the nut groove thickness a bit to accommodate the thicker strings.  We also removed the bottom three fine tuner arms and screws from the Bois d’Harmonie tailpiece, leaving only the fine tuner on the A-string.  This is common practice because the A-string is the only string from many gut core cello string sets that has a ball end like the typical steel or synthetic core string. As anticipated, they are stretching, and stretching, and stretching.  My original target pitch for the A-string was 425hz and it was down an entire whole step this morning after tuning it roughly a dozen times yesterday.  Lesson?  Don’t put these on the day before a concert! I can’t wait to share the sound of the cello with you – it is truly beautiful!

I love gut strings.  Well, I should say I love the SOUND of gut strings.  The expense, tuning instability, fragility, longevity…let’s just say there are reasons most people have moved to synthetic or steel core strings.  And then you hear Steven Isserlis play the Schumann cello concerto on a combination of Pirastro Eudoxa and Oliv gut strings and you remember all of the class recordings you love featuring great musicians on great instruments and…gut strings. So, I’ve ordered a full set of Eudoxa gut strings and plan to put them on an advanced-intermediate cello to play around with.  If it’s been a while since you’ve played on gut strings (or never), schedule an appointment to come in and play this cello. Just in case you didn’t know what I meant when I say “gut strings”, these are strings for violin-family instruments made from sheep gut (intestines) in the traditional way.  One difference from the earliest gut strings is that most modern gut strings have an outer winding of some metal – aluminum and silver being favorites.  This gives the string a more consistent response, allows them to be of comparatively smaller diameter, and increases their longevity. This should be fun!

Of all the things I figured we might run short on during the summer, basses were not one of them!  It just goes to show how unpredictable demand can be.  We got down to the point where the only basses we had in stock were a 5-string and a bass with a C-extension! Well, the bass fairy (or the bass stork, whatever your preference) visited and we set up eight Shen basses!  We have their upgraded laminate, their standard and upgraded hybrid, and one of their beautiful Rogeri pattern basses. We’re asking for visitors to make an appointment to try instruments at www.paigesmusic.com/schedule.  Thank you!

Rosin.  If you play a violin-family instrument and use a bow with horsehair, you are familiar with the stuff.  It comes in many price points, packaging, and formulations, but its core purpose is the same – create the friction between the bow hair and the string that allows the instrument to vibrate.  Take a look at this super-slow-motion video of how the rosin on the bow hair causes the “stick-slip” loop that creates sound – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JeyiM0YNo4&t=39s. I had been experimenting with a new rosin after using Pirastro Oliv for most of my life.  While I was initially taken with it, I didn’t like the amount of rosin dust it created and the fact that it would aggressively build up on the string.  A friend of mine was experimenting with Larica copper rosin and I decided to try it.  I couldn’t find the copper rosin anywhere but I found two “hardness” levels of the gold rosin – III and IV.  So far I have been using the III hardness with incredible results.  I need to use very little and, partly as a result, it produces very little dust.  I am going to look into carrying it here at the store in

One of the items that really flies off the shelves at the beginning of every school year are mutes.  But which one?  When customers ask for a mute, I always ask if it is for playing in orchestra or for practicing at home.  In the photo below, the mute on the left is a “playing” mute (also often referred to as a Tourte mute) and the one on the right is a “practice” mute.  Whats the difference?  While the playing mute does reduce the volume of the instrument somewhat, it primarily changes the tone “color”.  It is called for in music when the composer wants a different effect from the string instruments.  The “practice” mute on the right attempts to nearly silence the instrument so that it does not disturb surrounding people.  It is perfect for late night practice, or playing in a hotel or apartment. While most of the mutes we sell this time of year are the “playing” variety, it is good to know the difference!

All you need to do is turn on the news or fire up your preferred social media outlet and you can find an avalanche of articles, studies, and advice regarding staying safe from COVID-19.  As string musicians, this virus impacts every aspect of our lives.  Concerts are cancelled, performance venues are empty, professional orchestras are furloughed, and school music programs struggle to make sense of local, state, and federal guidance. Is there any good news?  I believe the good news for us string musicians is that every study released seems to reinforce the fact that COVID is primarily spread via droplets, and not surface contact.  That continues to mean that if we wash our hands and wear a mask, we should be safe to play our instruments and even share a stage.  At the very least, it means we can practice our favorite music and experience the life-enriching and healing power it has to offer. As we sort through all the aspects of our lives this fall, let’s not forget to champion those things in the world that add beauty and truth…like music.

What a year.  Against the backdrop of COVID-19, the 2020-2021 school year begins.  I can’t think of another moment in my lifetime when so many people have been faced with such difficult decisions regarding going back to school.  One thing I do know is that all of the band and orchestra directors I know have been working hard all summer trying to prepare for the unknown.  Endless Zoom meetings with administrators and department chairs, a steady stream of emails with information that changes, and conflicting emotions as they deal with their own feelings about returning to the classroom.  It’s worth taking a moment and admitting that this is a difficult moment for most of us…in the midst of a challenging year. If you’re a parent of a music student about to start school (remote or in person), I’d like to encourage you to send an email to your child’s music teacher.  Let them know that you understand these are challenging times and that you support them as they attempt to navigate the coming months.  Be patient with them as new room setups and teaching methods are tried – there might be a few failures long the road to success.  Perhaps

Another giant of the cello world has passed.  I found this article to beautifully outline his life and accomplishments: https://www.npr.org/2020/04/28/847462222/cellist-lynn-harrell-has-died-age-76 And while the video is old and the quality is bad, I cherished this glimpse into a young Lynn Harrell’s total mastery of the instrument:

Last week we left me with a beautiful cello from Michael Koeberling, but feeling like I had broken my own rule to get it and found myself with another lovely sounding cello that didn’t quite have what my heart wanted. The three years I played this cello found all kinds of instruments passing through the shop.  I played cellos from the most celebrated modern makers, famous old Italians, and everything in between.  One cello that passed through was a cello by David Folland that he made in 2006.  The playing characteristics and tone of that cello just seemed to “click” with the way I play cello.  I ended up selling that cello, but it served to establish a relationship with both David Folland and bow maker Matthew Wehling who both live and work around Northfield, MN.  The shop was finally in a position to commission a cello from David in early 2018.  Again, this was a commission for the shop – the plan was to sell the cello through Encore.  In the early fall of 2019, David Folland cello no.221 was complete.  I traveled to Northfield to pick it up and instantly felt the same synergy I felt with his

Last week we left off with me promising to NEVER AGAIN commission a cello for myself, waiting instead for the chance to buy a cello that already existed. Well, I didn’t do that.  About a year after I sold my 1998 Widenhouse cello I started getting itchy to have a cello of my own.  I was always open to falling in love with one of the cellos that came through the shop.  We were getting cellos from fantastic makers and workshops, but every time I came close to pulling the trigger, I got cold feet. About this same time, I became aware of a German maker through social media.  His name was Michael Koeberling and all the photos of his work I saw impressed me.  He was working with stunning material and his workmanship was incredibly clean and precise.  He also seemed to be primarily making straight-varnished instruments, and all of my past commissioned cellos had been straight-varnish (non-antiqued).  I didn’t have a chance to play one of his cellos, but his client list was impressive.  I contacted him and was impressed by our conversations.  Honestly, he was also priced below many top-ranked contemporary American makers and I was in