ATTENTION!: The Adventurous Muse Store is now closed! The new online store for D. Rickert Musical Instruments is the Don Rickert Musician Shop (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com). Many of the articles you read prior to late February 2015 will have links to the now defunct Adventurous Muse Store. VISIT THE NEW STORE (Link at the top of the page) instead. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Don Rickert Musical Instruments is a premiere designer and maker of innovative custom and historic musical instruments. Since starting our musical instruments enterprise in 2007, we have dealt primarily in those of the bowed variety (e.g. violins, fiddles and related instruments such as octave fiddles). We have also designed and made a number of fretted instruments along the way: mandolins, parlor guitars, acoustic bass guitars, tenor guitars and the like. We will soon be branching out in a serious way into the world of fretted musical instruments. Look forward to some really interesting mandolins, octave mandolins, mandocellos, parlor guitars, acoustic bass guitars, tenor guitars and the like.
Regular production items are usually available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. If you want something that is not there, give us a call...
Our email is don@DonRickertDesign.com and main phone number is (706) 896-0909. Don Rickert's mobile phone number is (706) 400-1481
Mailing address: Don Rickert Musical Instruments 726 Hall Creek Road Hiawassee, GA 30546
This is the primary website and blog for Don Rickert Musical Instruments .
We are NOT a "Brick-and-Mortar" Retail Establishment Nor a Typical Online Operation (We are Better!)
We are not a “brick-and-mortar” retail establishment; however, many customers do choose to visit our studio and workshop in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains (part of the Appalachians). Being shopkeepers for a corner musical instrument shop would be completely at odds with our multifaceted focus on continuous research & development, innovative instrument design and customization, combined with our creation of meticulously accurate replicas of historically significant fiddles.
The nature of our business demands that sales be conducted primarily online. We have done this for some time. The predecessor to the new Don Rickert Musician Shopwas called the “Adventurous Muse Store.” We initially operated under the name “Fiddle and Bow Shop.”
Please note that this site has been around for a good while. While working diligently to clear out the "junk" (old obsolete articles), this is going to take some time. We thank you for your patience during this period and offer a blanket apology for any incorrect links to our old online store.
We just launched our new podcast, Offbeat Songs for Cool Cats, just in time for Christmas 2022. Below are links to play Episode 1, Parts 1 and 2 via Spotify. We aim to post an episode every 2 weeks. The next is scheduled for on or about January 5, 2023. I'll be telling you more about this podcast in the coming days.
We will also be launching yet another Podcast show in the near future. For now its name is Badass Instruments for Cool Cats. There will be a corresponding video version on YouTube.
You might find it strange that I am asking this question. After all, I am a luthier who makes violoncellos da spalla. Should I not just be happy when someone wants me to make one for them?
Before you read this, you need to know the following:
I am not playing “devil’s advocate” here. I am quite serious in asking the question.
I am not a violoncello da spalla “hater” or even a violoncello da spalla skeptic.
I do not care whether or not J.S. Bach actually had a hand in the invention of the violoncello da spalla or whether the instrument was actually a thing in the 18th Century. I do think that is cool, however, that Bach might have been involved.
Likewise, I do not care whether the violoncello da spalla is a “21st Century aberration”. Whether it is or not is simply irrelevant, although I think that it is rather rude to call it such.
Regardless of its actual use in the 1700s, the violoncello da spalla has a real place in the contemporary performance of Baroque Period repertoire.
I build instruments for a living and one of my favorite instruments to make is the violoncello da spalla.
My violoncellos da spalla are played by some of the preeminent players of the instrument.
Just remember what I just said as you read what follows. I am a violoncello da spalla devotee!
My Discovery of the Violoncello da Spalla
Thanks to Dmitry Badiarov’s enthusiastic evangelism, I discovered the violoncello da spalla about 10 years ago. I was absolutely smitten and certain that I needed one.
Having played fiddle for about 50 years at that point, I did what I know that so many others have done. I got the best fractional 4-string cello I could find and utilized my luthier skills to make it sort of playable. Finding a suitably-sized fractional cello is easier said than done, as 1/10 size cellos, which are the closest in size to a proper violoncello da spalla, are virtually non-existent. Anyway, trying to use a kid’s cello as an adult violoncello da spalla was not at all satisfactory so, being an experienced luthier, I set about making my own violoncellos da spalla—proper 5-string violoncellos da spalla without a child-sized end pin and not made out of plywood. After a few tries I got really good at making them. I have since made more than 20, including those played by some of the instrument’s preeminent players.
Do I like playing my own instruments?
I do indeed love the sound and playability of my violoncellos da spalla. I always derived great satisfaction in making great instruments that players love, and are worth every penny that they cost. Do I like actually playing my own violoncellos da spalla? Not really. What can I say. I can play well enough to determine whether or not an instrument is ready for a discerning owner, but I just like playing a violin or viola much better. When I want to play an instrument in the tenor and baritone range, an octave violin is my preference. I make those as well, and have done so for almost two decades. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have made many more octave violins than violoncellos da spalla, mostly because I have been at it for longer.
Is my experience related to the fact that—
I am more a fiddler than a classical violinist
I am old
I have gotten lazy (related to being old, I am sure)
I never became as immersed in the Baroque repertoire as maybe I could have been.
I did, however, spend several years as a teenager transposing Bach cello pieces for electric bass guitar, as I learned that Jack Bruce of the Cream (one of Eric Clapton’s early bands) used many Bach riffs in his incredible playing.
I have arthritis in my left hand and the violoncello da spalla is a bit of stretch size-wise for me. I half suspect that my arthritis may be due in part to playing too much Bach on a Fender Precision Bass slung low (very non-ergonomic) when I was young.
And so on…
All of those things I mentioned above are true, and that relates to my point. The violoncello da spalla, the enthusiasm of others notwithstanding, is NOT for everybody. That being said, I have seen players giving professional performances within a month of picking up the violoncello da spalla for the first time. What do these players have in common? They have all been VIOLists who had already reached virtuoso level skill on VIOLA. They are used to larger instruments and have mastered the skill of slower and harder bowing required for the viola.
I have also seen other accomplished musicians struggle for months, but who eventually conquer the violoncello da spalla after maybe 6 months of concerted effort. From my direct experience, this group has one thing in common. They are generally highly-proficient classical violinists and/or fiddlers (e.g., Bluegrass, Scottish, Irish). I have videos of some of these folks playing everything from video game music scores to 18th Century Scottish airs and laments on my website (www.RickertMusicalInstruments.com).
While I have heard about cellists transitioning to violoncello da spalla, I have not seen firsthand a single musician whose main instrument is cello master the violoncello da spalla without extreme effort. After all, for a cellist, bowing a violin, viola, and yes, violoncello da spalla is backwards! In fact, one of the world’s finest cellist/recording artist/music school professors, who is also a longstanding client, gave a hard pass on even trying the violoncello da spalla because of its playing position.
The group that experiences the hardest time with the violoncello da spalla is comprised of people who are beginners with violin or, occasionally, with viola. The violoncello da spalla is a lot of instrument to handle. If one is still learning how to handle a violin, the road ahead is always going to be a long one. It is a lot like my recent attempt to learn the accordion, after a lifetime of avoiding keyboard instruments. It did not go well.
Avoiding disappointment is an important goal.
While I derive great joy in making extraordinary violoncellos da spalla for those who are truly ready, I do not get any satisfaction in charging money to clients who will be ultimately disappointed.
One who has the disposable income can always get a luthier-built violoncello da spalla and sell it should they lose interest. That is true, but be aware that the current resale market for unusual instruments like the violoncello da spalla is not good. This is the case for new instruments as well. The post Covid-19 lockdown economy is a challenge for all of us in the high-end bespoke musical instrument business.
Why Octave Violin may be a better choice than Violoncello da Spalla for many players
Tuned exactly like a violin, only an octave lower
The octave violin’s four strings are tuned exactly like the first four strings of a violoncello da spalla. It lacks only the low C-string of the violoncello da spalla.
The C-string is important if you are playing Baroque or Classical pieces. For the fiddler in most traditional folk genres, as well as modern genres like Bluegrass and Country Swing, the C-string is often more or less irrelevant. Even fiddlers who play 5-string violins don’t always tune the low string to C anyway. The low string is often used simply as an extra drone string.
Note:
As a luthier, I have come to accept the paradox that the only reason a bowed instrument needs to be much larger than a regular violin is to optimize the playing of notes lower than G2 (i.e., G in the second octave below middle-C). The four strings of an octave violin (G2 to E4) do just fine with a body more the size of a regular violin. That is the paradox. Adding a low C-string crosses some threshold which, if crossed, requires a significantly larger instrument in order to achieve anything like a balanced response across all of the strings.
Those luthiers who build violoncellos da spalla know that achieving a balanced response between the C-string and the other 4 strings can be a challenge even with an instrument of its relative size.
Easier to learn and play
In my firsthand experience, whatever skill level that a musician has achieved on the violin (or fiddle) is pretty much immediately transferable to the octave violin. It is an easier transition than even to a 5-string violin, as the strings are usually closer together on that instrument. This goes for classical violinists as well as fiddlers in any of the traditional music genres. With only some admonishment to dig deeper and slightly slower with the bow, most can do a plausible job on the octave violin in an hour or less. In fact, because the octave violin is more forgiving than the conventional violin or fiddle, one’s playing often sounds better on the octave violin.
A well-made purpose-built octave violin is just as loud as a violoncello da spalla
A regular violin simply fitted with octave strings usually does not have really great projection; in other words, it is somewhat quiet. With a purpose-built octave violin fitted with modern octave strings, the sound is every bit as loud as a really good violincello da spalla. Purpose-built octave violins are usually somewhat larger-bodied than regular violins, which is often accomplished with higher ribs. There are differences on the inside also, such as graduation, bass bar and sound post position.
The octave violin has its own unique timbre.
Just as the timbre of a violoncello da spalla is different from a 4/4 cello, so is the tone of an octave violin different from either.
Less expensive
Purpose-built octave violins are considerably less expensive than violoncellos da spalla. In the case of the instruments that I make, an octave violin costs about ½ as much as a violoncello da spalla.
Want to hear what an Octave Violin sounds like?
The video below is a compilation of older videos of some of my early octave violins. I have included this old video because nobody does justice to the octave violin like Darci Jones, who plays in most of the clips. I plan to do a video of my most recent octave violin designs, and will post it when it is done.
In summary: For whom is a violoncello da spalla the right choice?
The answer to this question is actually simple:
Accomplished violists
Those who are interested in professional performance of Baroque Period repertoire, especially the works of Bach
Those who can justify (and afford) the $10K to $30K cost of a good violoncello da spalla
There are, of course, others who do not fit into those categories. Anyone who is passionate about taking up the violoncello da spalla, and has the means, should by all means do so.
In closing, here are some additional questions you should consider.
Have you ever played a viola?
Are you a beginner or an experienced violinist or violist?
Can you afford a good violoncello da spalla?
Do you need to answer to someone else, such as a partner or spouse, about how you spend your money?
We have introduced a new violin design, which we are calling the “Quasi-Mezzo Violin”, at least until we decide to call it something else.
Taken literally, “Quasi-Mezzo Violin” would indeed refer to “almost half of a violin” in Italian. That would be pretty funny. In reality, the colloquial meaning of “mezzo” (literally “middle”) in the realm of musical instruments is more like “between one thing and the other”. A “Mezzo Violin” is called such because it is between a violin and a viola, at least size-wise. A Mezzo Violin has the body similar to a small viola but is tuned exactly the same as a conventional violin; that is generally G3 D4 A4 E5. Similarly, a “mezzo soprano” refers to a woman whose vocal range is between (and overlaps) both the alto and soprano ranges. In other words, a soprano who can also sing lower notes in the alto range. How much of a range overlap depends on the individual singer.
Our Quasi-Mezzo Violin is a lot like a Mezzo Violin. Indeed, it is designed to accomplish similar goals; specifically, a deeper tone and really impressive projection. Both instruments are somewhat larger than a conventional violin; but the Mezzo Violin has a longer body and the Quasi-Mezzo Violin has deeper ribs. So, we use the prefix “quasi”, which is Italian (and Latin) for “nearly” or “almost”. There you have it—Quasi-Mezzo Violin!
Should you want to learn more about this exciting new violin, see:
