I wrote last week about going to pick up the latest violin Kurt Widenhouse finished for our shop…this week I get to let you know that it’s here!  I had a great trip to visit Kurt in his workshop late last week and could not have been more thrilled with the instrument he made for us.  It is lightly antiqued and is a beautiful, rich amber color.  As Kurt likes to say, I is a very “happy” violin – it speaks incredibly easily and has a full palette of tonal colors.  I invite you to come and play this wonderful violin!

I wrote a few weeks ago about the Kurt Widenhouse violin on its way here – I’m going to pick it up tomorrow!  It will be great to see Kurt again, try to conduct the video interview again that was ruined by cell phone interference last time, and pick up this beautiful new violin.  Because Kurt doesn’t do much with digital photography, I have absolutely NO idea what this new instrument looks like.  So many makers now post photos of each instrument in process…I almost feel like I’m there with them as the violin takes form.  In contrast, Kurt’s instruments are each a mystery right until I show up to hold it for the first time!  Stay tuned for photos from my visit on FB!

It’s part of my job to ensure we have enough instruments – of all types and sizes – to be able to properly serve our customers.  Because string instruments come from many workshops and many locations around the globe, it can be challenging to order the proper quantities of the proper products at the proper time to make sure they are delivered in a constant, steady stream.  Well, I ordered six basses of a particular model early in the year, but the delivery date was pushed back several times.  With the delivery unknown, I needed to source a different model of bass and ordered seven basses of various models.  I then had three basses from a previous backorder show up…then the seven…then the six!!! The short version is that we are SWIMMING in basses!  Fully laminate, hybrid, fully-carved, 5-string, willow-back, mahogany-back, maple-back, 3/4-size, 7/8-size…they are all here!  If you are in the market for a bass in Indiana, there is no better time to visit us!

It’s always exciting to receive a 5-string bass here at Encore.  It’s even more exciting when it’s as affordable as this Shen 7/8 size, Gemunder-pattern 5-string.  On a 5-string bass, the lowest string sounds the note “B”.  On a 4-string bass, the most commonly added extension takes the lowest note down to a “C”.  I realize I’m only a cellist, but the 5-string bass has always seemed to be such an elegant solution for bassists needing to play these notes.  Not only do you get an added whole-step of extension, but you don’t have the added weight, expense, or complexity of an extension.  There is certainly a place for extensions and I know bassists who would play nothing else, but for many the 5-string offers a viable alternative. Come by and play the low-B…it’s what I call “sound you can see!”  

Yesterday was one of those perfect early-fall days that make me want to break out the deck chair, sip on some coffee, and read a good book.  Cool enough to be comfortable, warm enough to sit outside, crisp and sunny.  I did the next best thing…hopped in the car and drove to Cincinnati.  Damon Gray has been making violin-family instruments since 1994.  That all started after he completed his undergraduate in cello performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM).  Damon certainly uses his carefully cultivated playing skills to inform his making…but that’s getting ahead of things. I was visiting to see the progress he’s making on a cello I commissioned for the shop.  It should be ready by early 2017 and I’m excited to be able to offer it to my clients.  We also took the time to conduct a short video interview so that the prospective buyers can get to know the man behind the cello.  We’ll work on editing it and will release it as soon as possible.  I got to see a viola he is making for the upcoming VSA competition with a stunning maple back. It is an honor for Encore to represent the work of

Those of you who know me are well acquainted with how enthusiastic I am about the best modern instruments.  Yes, my friend’s Ruggieri cello has the world’s most perfect scroll and yes, the 45 minutes I spent playing Yo-Yo Ma’s Montagnana still rings in my ear twenty years later…but I really love modern instruments.  One of my favorite living makers is Kurt Widenhouse of Belmont, NC (http://www.widenhouseviolins.com/).  I’m not alone in my feelings about Kurt. His violins are played by international soloists, esteemed professors, accomplished orchestral players, and talented students all across the world.  Encore has had the good fortune of selling two of his violins and we now eagerly await the third.  I’ll pick it up from Kurt in November and will be sure to let you all know when it’s here! Here’s a picture of the last instrument of his we had here in the shop:    

Many local musicians are familiar with how old a business Paige’s Music is, but it still comes as a shock to many.  Today, we celebrate Paige’s Music being an Indiana-owned and operated business for ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE YEARS!!  When you consider our COUNTRY is only 95 years older than Paige’s Music, it really starts to put things into perspective. It is a great honor to be part of the Paige’s story.  We couldn’t do any of this without the loyalty and support of our wonderful customers – thank you!  

Encore is pleased to welcome Regina Eddington to our team as an Orchestral Strings Specialist! Regina Eddington has been playing the violin for over 15 years.  She attended Valparaiso University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Business in 2011.  After completing her bachelor’s degree, she pursued a Master of Arts in Arts and Entertainment Administration which was completed in 2013.  She took up the viola after graduating from Valpo as a secondary instrument and hasn’t looked back.  In September of 2016, Regina joined Paige’s Music and Encore Orchestral Strings.  In her spare time, Regina actively plays violin in the Indianapolis musical theater community as well as with volunteer orchestras, runs a small violin/viola studio teaching private lessons, and also enjoys spending time with her family and 3 “human sized” dogs.  

The new Yamaha YEV series electric violins have broken new ground in design, performance, and price.  We’ve enjoyed having the 104 model 4-string in stock, but we just received the 105 5-string in the black finish.  In pictures, I was personally a fan of the “natural” finish.  After seeing the black in person, I have to say that it is absolutely stunning.  The gloss black finish on the body is flawless while the matte black finish of the neck feels silky smooth.  At $649, it offers previously unheard of performance levels at this price point.  We have two in stock and I don’t think they’ll be here long…come and visit so you can try one for yourself!  

I was looking at a 3/4 cello today and noticed that the strings were just a touch higher off of the fingerboard than I would have preferred.  As I contemplated whether to have Tom and Derek reduce the height of the bridge, I realized that we’re officially exiting summer.  The oppressively hot and muggy days should start receding in our rear view mirror.  The crisp and cool days of fall will give way to winter and the dry, heated air in our homes that come with it.  As the instrument loses moisture and contracts, the fingerboard levers upward, reducing the string height.  So if your strings are a little higher than you prefer right now, one option to consider is doing…nothing.  If you’re a cellist and take too much off of your bridge right now, you might find yourself having a new bridge cut come winter.  If you have any questions about string height, the seasons, ideal humidity and temperature levels, or need a killer cider recipe, give us a call!

I had the opportunity to show several professional level contemporary cellos to a group of cellists recently.  The cello by Lawrence Wilke had Pegheds installed – pegs that look traditional but are actually geared tuners.  If you aren’t familiar with these products, take a few minutes to look over the inventor’s website (Pegheds).  I feel strongly that these are an excellent option for cellists, especially if the instrument is subjected to widely varying temperatures and humidity levels.  We are fully qualified to install these and typically keep several sets in stock. Contact us for details!

Many string players, at some point in their musical development, begin playing for pay…taking “gigs”.  The nerves can be worse playing your first wedding than they are when you give a solo recital!  The one thing you want to be sure of is that you are prepared for emergencies.  Everyone takes this to a different level, so I thought it would be fun to talk about what we put in our “gig bag”.  Mine can be a little different for the type of gig, but this list is my personal goal for my cello bag: Extra A string Extra SET of strings Rosin Cleaning cloth Backup bow (in cello case!) Mute Tuner Folding music stand Clothes pins (for windy day, if outdoors) Xeros endpin strap Black Hole rockstop Water bottle Granola bar Chewing gum Vodka (just checking if you’ve read this far) My own chair, if all they have are rented folding chairs   What’s on your list?

Coda bow is often synonymous with carbon-fiber or composite bows.  Because Coda was one of the first, the brand is often used like “Kleenex” or “Band-Aid”…a generic word for all composite bows.  I owned one of the early generation of Coda bows almost 25 years ago and enjoyed it very much, but it never made me want to give up my pernambuco (wood) bow.  Coda hasn’t stopped innovating and their latest lineup of bows is the best they’ve ever made.  The top model, the “Diamond GX”, is a bow that many professionals are glad to use as their primary bow.  The “Prodigy”, their entry-level model, is nearly always my default recommendation for a great bow at a real-world price. If you haven’t tried the Coda lineup lately and only remember the early bows, I’d like to invite you to come in and take one on trial.  We try to keep the Prodigy and Diamond line in stock in all instruments (Revelation for bass), so we have the bows here and ready for you to play!

For today’s post, I wanted to highlight a newly completed portion of our website – the testimonials page.  We work extremely hard at Encore to offer the best customer service and value available.  This work isn’t done for recognition…no, it is done because it is the way we would want to be treated ourselves.  People occasionally take the time to send praise our way and it is one of the most affirming and encouraging things they can do.  We decided to compile these mini-reviews and share them with you in the hope that, after reading them, you will be convinced that Encore is up to the challenge of earning your business. We are here to serve you.  Thank you. Testimonials

I love cello choirs.  I know…no surprise there.  I grew up listening to the CDs by the Yale Cello Choir under Aldo Parisot.  The lush textures and soaring tone of a mass of cellos is something almost everyone loves.  The harmonically rich music of Bach seems particularly suited to treatment by cello choir – one of the Yale CDs has both the famous d-minor Chaconne (violin) and the D-major Sarabande (cello).  There is a new CD out by the Northwestern Cello Choir and I just received my copy today.  Their performance of the Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th symphony is glorious!  If you’ve never heard the sound of a cello choir, you can find a few performances by the Yale Cello Choir on Youtube – I recommend it!

Genuinely “new” ideas in the violin world are rare.  I won’t go so far as to call the Scala Corta cello idea “new”, but it is certainly a reimagining of what modern cellists want from their instrument.  For most of the recent past, the vibrating string length of a full-size cello hovered around 690mm.  Some longer, some shorter, but usually in that range.  Many players with smaller hands found this length difficult, but didn’t want to sacrifice the sound qualities of a full-size instrument.  The idea of the Scala Corta cello is to combine a full-size body with a significantly shortened string length – in this case 655mm.  This puts it shorter than a 7/8 but longer than a 3/4.  The cello is in the shop for a short trial, so if you are curious to try it please contact us for an appointment!   Note – at the time of writing this post, I have not had a chance to spend any time with the cello.  I will report back…although, at my size, I am the least qualified to weigh in on the benefits of a smaller cello!

Today, I had the pleasure of driving down to southern Indiana to delivery 20 cellos, 30 violins, and a dozen violas for a school program.  This is one of the most rewarding parts of my job, because I know that the instruments I deliver will serve young musicians for generations!  It also gives me great pleasure when I see school corporations investing in their music teachers and music programs.  Those of us who have spent a lifetime in music know the powerful benefits, but we can never stop advocating for music education.  It seems to routinely find itself the target of budget cuts, but a huge body of research proves that participating in school music raises test scores, improves attendance, and provides a strong sense of community for the students.   As always, southern Indiana was BEAUTIFUL!  We live in an amazing state!

I love new instruments.  For as long as I’ve played the cello, I have always been drawn to new construction.  The great antiques of the past are glorious, priceless treasures and they certainly hold their own mystique, but my heart has always beat a little faster for newly built instruments.  Whenever the subject of new instruments is raised, one consistent comment/complaint always rears its troublesome head – the dreaded topic of “break in”.  Do new instruments need to be broken in?  Does the sound of a new instrument change as it is played?  Is this something that should be considered a “defect” of a new instrument? Everyone I know agrees that the sound of a brand-new, unplayed violin-family instrument will change as it is played.  There is disagreement about how much of the change should be attributed to the instrument “settling” under the new pressure of the strings, brand-new strings seasoning with play, or the wood of the instrument “learning the notes” of new vibrations.  Another seldom-discussed aspect of the break-in period is the player.  As the musician learns the ideal use of the bow and left hand to coax the ideal sound from a particular instrument, he/she will coax

Most of these blog posts make an attempt at being informational, but this one is going to ask a question.  What’s your favorite rosin and why?  I’ll start us off.  I’ve used Pirastro Oliv rosin for my cello bow for over a decade.  Although it’s marketed as a violin/viola rosin, I’ve found it to have the right level of “stick/slip” for my playing style.

I need to express some sympathy for my cello-playing brothers and sisters in the first couple of years of their school music program.  The violinists and violists take their instruments back and forth to school, allowing the director to tune their instrument several times a week.  The bassists keep their instruments at home, but because of their geared tuners, their instruments’ tuning is more stable.  We cellists keep our instruments at home, but since most of them are fitted with traditional “friction pegs”, the opportunity for varying temperature and humidity to leave us with a completely loose, out-of-tune string is greater.  Since the directors have little time to teach tuning over the first several semesters, that can leave a cellist with an instrument at home that is not available for practice.  We will always be happy to tune the cello here at Paige’s/Encore, but it is a long trip for many of our customers.  the director is always happy to tune the instrument, but getting it in and out of school can be a challenge for students riding the bus.  So, brothers and sisters of the cello, if you want to set a time to come into the shop and