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.
Originally known in Korea, not as a K-pop artist, but as a controversial and satirical hip-hop artist, Psy (slang for “psycho” – real name, Park Jae-sang) achieved international fame in 2012 with the music video to his humorous pop song “Gangnam Style”.
Psy is considered to be the first K-pop artist to make a breakthrough in the Western music industry. He now runs a record company and management agency for up-and-coming K-pop artists. His office is located in the Gangnam neighborhood of Seul, where it all started.
If you are unfamiliar with Psy, "Gangnam Style", or even K-pop, you might need to come out of your cave for some air.
Anyway, congratulations Psy for producing the first video EVER to have more than one billion views on YouTube!
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:
Many players of violins, especially fiddlers, spend much effort seeking instruments that, while tuned the same (for a fiddler, this is often something different than the standard G3 D4 A4 E5) but with a less shrill, indeed darker, timbre, with excellent sonority.
When configured as a 5-string violin, it solves the well-known problem of an acoustically week C-string. It also makes possible an octave violin that can hold its own when played alongside other instruments. In its basic 4-string configuration, it is the dark and sonorous instrument sought by many fiddlers.
Availability
I am able to discuss commissions right now. The base price is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of one of my Violoncellos da Spalla. I will soon be posting updates on a current build of a Quasi-Mezzo Violin configured as a purpose-built Octave Violin.
A 30-day trial is available to qualified potential buyers. This means that I will have satisfied myself that you are serious about acquiring the instrument and you simply need to confirm its excellence and that it meets your needs.
I am open to barter. This could take the form of a partial trade for an instrument that I am interested in or an exchange of videos of you playing the instrument, a really good discount. You don't see that kind of offer everyday!
If you are interested in learning more about our new Quasi-Mezzo Violin, available in 4-string, 5-string and Octave Violin configurations, please feel free to contact me:
Many players of violins, especially fiddlers, spend much effort dreaming about and seeking instruments that, while tuned the same (for a fiddler, this is often something different than the standard G3 D4 A4 E5) but with a less shrill, indeed darker, timbre, with excellent sonority. As Darol Anger colorfully put it, many fiddlers…
"…tire of all those high screechy sounds up next to our face all the time! As in many marriages, an instrument's most salient qualities often metamorphose into those qualities most irritating to the player.
The violin's ultra-soprano range can be a source of joy or nerve-shattering neurosis, and has inspired many players to seek the warmer-toned viola as a solace." --Darol Anger, Strings Magzine,1992
The above image shows a complete Violin Octet. The Mezzo Violin is the larger of the three smaller instruments in the foreground.
The Mezzo Violin has a body typically about the size of a 15 ½” viola, but with a disproportionately shorter neck, which affords a playable string length the same as a regular violin (i.e., that would be about 13”). Parodically, while having a larger front and back profile, Mezzo Violins, at least later examples, actually have narrower ribs than a conventional violin. My understanding is the narrower ribs were to counteract production of a timbre that is too deep (i.e., “muddy”). It is tuned the same as a regular violin (typically G3 D4 A4 E5).
While being tuned the same as a conventional violin, a Mezzo Violin has a deeper timbre, usually with noticeably louder projection. One would think that this instrument fits the bill for those seeking a loud and dark sounding instrument. It probably would if you could find them. The instruments of the Violin Octet never did take off in a big way. I remember learning about them in elementary school (60 years ago!). They were to revolutionize the modern orchestra. That didn’t happen. While the orchestral music establishment has shown some acceptance to innovation over the centuries (e.g., the modern neck set, chin rest, etc.), especially the bowed strings; however, more innovations have been killed than those that have been embraced. There is reportedly a supplier who has Mezzo Violins made to specs in China. They are not very expensive and I have heard good reviews. But they are factory-made in China—not seen as a good selling point for many.
I have started making a new instrument, which I call a “Quasi-Mezzo Violin”. Unlike a Mezzo Violin, it is about the same size as a conventional violin, but with significantly deeper ribs and a shape that has less pronounced corners. On the inside, it is optimized for deeper timbre and projection. These optimizations include a special bass bar as well as different graduation than a conventional violin.
I have been intrigued by the idea of the Mezzo Violin for a long time. In fact, I have built a few experimental violas with shortened necks, usually intended as octave violins. At one point, I even experimented with a capo of sorts to achieve a violin-length scale of 13” on a full-size (16”+) viola. I have been more successful, however, in selling, violas with standard length viola-length necks and often fit with special octave strings. The playable scale length is 14.5” or more depending on the viola. Most of these have been based on the Tertis pattern, which has a wider middle and lower bout. When strung with octave strings, I call them “Tenor Violas”.
If you want to hear one in the able hands of a really good fiddler, click here .
Because our Tenor Violas are based on a very nice imported Tertis pattern viola, we can keep the price down to the $2K to $2.5K range. If you are interested in learning more about these instruments or our new Quasi-Mezzo Violin, available in 4-string, 5-string and Octave Violin configurations, please feel free to contact me:
Here are some details about the new Quasi-Mezzo Violins by Don Rickert. The instrument is available in 4-string, 5-string or Octave Violin configurations.
I will get in to the specifics, including its name, forthwith. But first, I will tell you what it is. It is violin designed to deliver an especially full-bodied and powerful acoustic sound output. It is inspired by the Mezzo Violin invented by Carleen Hutchins and the groundbreaking experiments by Joseph Curtin. When configured as a 5-string violin, it solves the well-known problem of an acoustically week C-string. It also makes possible an octave violin that can hold its own when played alongside other instruments. In its basic 4-string configuration, it is the dark and sonorous instrument sought by many fiddlers.
A draft rendering of my new Quasi-Mezzo Violin appears to the right. An image of one of my earlier Quasi-Mezzo Violins appears below.
The Need
Many players of violins, especially fiddlers, spend much effort seeking instruments that, while tuned the same (for a fiddler, this is often something different than the standard G3 D4 A4 E5) but with a less shrill,
Maggini Violin
indeed darker, timbre, with excellent sonority. This is one of the reasons that well-made true Maggini copies are quite popular with Old-Time and some Bluegrass players.
Note: Many players in the Bluegrass genre favor a bright-sounding, even strident, timbre that “cuts through” when soloing.
Maggini pattern violins, being somewhat larger than the “Strad standard” and often high arching, are often louder with a deeper timbre, especially with the right strings. Indeed, Maggini pattern violins often do not fit into a standard violin case due to their larger dimensions. I can tell you this from extensive personal experience, as a player as well as a luthier.
Well made Maggini copies can be great. In fact, I am finishing restoration on a customer’s 125-year-old German Maggini copy that shows great promise. One problem is that really good ones are hard to find. These days, what are sold as Maggini copies are typically just cheap quasi-Strad pattern instruments with double purfling (two rows of purfling rather than just one), which is a distinctive feature of many Maggini instruments.
If you want deep timbre and powerful sonority, I believe that there are better options than even the finest Maggini pattern instruments. First, a small digression on use of electric violins to go deeper, darker and louder.
Why not Just Go Electric?
Many readers will know that one can alter the output tone and loudness of a violin, and most other instruments, by installing a pickup and plugging into an amplification/sound reinforcement system; in other words, an “amp”. Or, in the case of the violin, you can simply use an electric violin, which is designed to be played through an amp.
When going through an amplifier, the use of a plethora of effects processors, collectively known as audio filters, affords altering the “natural” sound of the instrument in a number of ways. With such devices, one can even convert, in real time, the input to an output that is one or more octaves lower or higher. You can alter the sound so much so that the output does not even sound like a violin, or even a single instrument.
I know that I do not even have to say what I am about to say. An electric violin, regardless of how much or how little its output sound is altered, is fundamentally different from an acoustic violin. To describe the differences, from playing it to listening to it is far beyond the scope of this article. Beautiful music can be produced by either an acoustic or electric instrument; however, they are just different. People who are seeking an acoustic instrument with a deep and powerful sonority want just that—an acoustic instrument with a deep and powerful sonority. Many players, including myself, are (or used to be in my case) adept at playing electric as well as acoustic instruments. They just use them to achieve different musical objectives.
The Mezzo Violin
New Violin Family
The Mezzo Violin has been around since the 1960s. It is the closest thing to a standard violin in the “New Violin Family” (previously called the “Violin Octet”), the brainchild of the luthier and researcher Carleen Hutchins and her collaborators. See the image to the right. The Mezzo Violin is the largest of the three smaller instruments in the foreground.
The Mezzo Violin has a body typically about the size of a 15 ½” viola, but with a disproportionately short neck, which affords a playable string length the same as a regular violin (i.e., that would be about 13”). It is tuned the same as a regular violin (G3 D4 A4 E5).
While being tuned the same as a conventional violin, a Mezzo Violin has a deeper timbre, and is noticeably louder than most conventional violins, including Stradivarius instruments. One would think that this instrument fits the bill for those seeking a loud and dark sounding instrument. It probably would if you could find them. The instruments of the Violin Octet never did take off in a big way. I remember learning about them in elementary school. They were to revolutionize the modern orchestra. That didn’t happen. While the orchestral community has shown some acceptance to innovation over the centuries, especially the bowed strings; however, more innovations have been killed than those that have been embraced. There is reportedly a supplier who has Mezzo Violins made to specs in China. They are not very expensive and I have heard good reviews. But they are factory-made in China—not seen as a good selling point for many.
I have been intrigued by the idea of the Mezzo Violin for a long time. In fact, I have built a few experimental violas with shortened necks, usually intended as octave violins. At one point, I even experimented with a capo of sorts to achieve a violin-length scale of 13” on an unmodified full-size (16”+) viola. I have been more successful, however, in selling, violas with standard length viola-length necks and fit with special octave strings. The playable scale length is 14.5” or more depending on the viola. Remember that the standard violin has a 13" scale. Most of these have been based on the Tertis pattern, which has a wider middle and lower bout. I usually call them “Tenor Violas”. If you want to hear one in the able hands of a really good fiddler, click here or the video window below.
Because our Tenor Violas I am selling are based on a very nice imported Tertis pattern viola, which is completed and set up in our Georgia, US workshop, we can keep the price down to the $2K to $2.5K range.
The Quasi-Mezzo Violin by Don Rickert
My new design has the same length body as a conventional violin, but the body is a little bit wider. This means that the playing geometry is identical to a regular violin, including the playable scale length of approximately 13”. The ribs, on the other hand, are significantly taller than the 30 mm ribs of a regular violin. The ribs of the basic Quasi-Mezzo Violin and a 5-string version are 37 mm, such as one would find on a larger viola. The Octave Violin configuration has 40 mm ribs. The Quasi-Mezzo has a different plan profile than a Strad-pattern instrument, as well as differently-shaped sound holes. Its shape has less pronounced corners, making a bit viol-like. This shape makes for a slightly less stiff instrument, which is one of the reasons for its deep timbre and powerful sonority.
While I did not set out to copy Joseph Curtin’s Ultra-Lite violin, there is a resemblance, I admit.
Curtin Ultra-Ight
The sound holes are a nod to François Chanot’s instruments (mid-19th Century).
I also used these simple “slit” sound holes on the “Cradle of Harmony” Octave Violins I designed more than a decade ago. Those instruments have been played by such notable musicians as Darol Anger, Natalie Haas and Alasdair Fraser.
Availability, Pricing and Such
I have started construction of a Quasi-Mezzo to be set up as an Octave Violin. I have also designed a 5-string version. I am ready to discuss commissions on the Quasi-Mezzo Violin and its 5-string and octave variants right now. The introductory price for any of these will be less than $5,000. I am able to keep the price lower than $10,000 by strategic use of CNC machining in parts of the fabrication process. I will be talking about this in a future article.
The Name
I have tried to avoid the naming confusion often associated with a new instrument. Carleen Hutchins’ Mezzo violin achieved its greater body volume while maintaining a conventional violin scale length by using a proportionately larger body (length, width and rib height) with a disproportionately shorter neck. I believe that the deeper and louder sound is achieved at the expense of ergonomic considerations. The shorter neck necessarily makes notes in higher positions less accessible to the player.
I find the naming of the original Mezzo Violin a bit curious, as “mezzo” means “half” or “middle” in Italian. The name, then seems to imply a half-size violin. Or course, to the contrary, the instrument is larger than a 4/4 violin. Maybe it refers to half a viola, not literally, of course. No matter, the name is well established and I kind of like the sound of it.
So, my instrument has the same goal as the Mezzo Violin, but instead of increasing the body volume with a longer and considerably wider body, the body is the same length as a conventional violin (14”). I have added the prefix "quasi", which translates roughly to "nearly", and we have "Quasi-Mezzo" Violin.
The image is not a new musical instrument but a faucet. If you continue you will understand
I make my living making very good custom musical instruments, including:
Violoncellos da Spalla
Octave Violins
Travel Violins
Octave Mandolins
Citterns
Mandocellos
I would very much like to sell you one. If you are reading this, you can easily figure out how to contact me (706-896-0909; don@donrickertdesign.com).
Now, I’ll cut to the chase – Very few people are buying custom musical instruments these days. It is even worse than the worldwide financial crisis of 2007-2008. Well, maybe not worse, but just as bad.
Very few makers of custom hand-built musical instruments will admit publicly that the current state of affairs is really dire, which is a polite way of saying that it sucks! Why? — because it is generally not a good marketing strategy to say out loud that business is challenging and things like you might lose your home to foreclosure and the like. The “Market” could not care less. Well, the truth is the truth!
For me, the time of daunting backlog queues is a thing of the past. Since Q3 2021 it has been quite the opposite. You do not see economists on National News programs talking about any of this, as small businesses that make bespoke goods are, quite simply, a tiny segment of the overall economy. Since you will not be hearing from economists on the current dire situation for custom luthiers, I will tell you what I think.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the "Lockdown"
The COVID pandemic, especially what we called the “lockdown” was bad in all sorts of ways. First, there was so much suffering and widespread death, as well as the long-term health issues for many survivors. And then were the businesses that were affected. Service industries like restaurants, and the entertainment industry, suffered terribly. Some businesses, like makers of strings for orchestral instruments (e.g., SuperSensitive), went out of business during the lockdown. The reason is that SuperSensitive absolutely depended on sales of inexpensive strings to tens of thousands of students in middle school and high school orchestra programs. The ripple effects were severe. For example, octave viola (aka “chin cello”) players are now without a source for strings, as SuperSensitive was the ONLY maker of such strings.
Given the aforementioned tragedies, I feel almost guilty about what I am about to say, but the COVID lockdown was really good for makers of high-end (i.e., expensive) musical instruments, large as well as small. For instance, 2020 was a very good year for manufactures like Gibson, Taylor, Martin and Fender. In fact, 2020 was the best year for sales in the history of Fender. This trend continued into part of 2021. Those trying to make sense of this attribute the spike in high-end musical instrument sales to the confluence of several things:
Thousands of adults were bored out of their minds.
Many of these bored people decided to take up a musical instrument.
The various stimulus checks, both under both the Trump and the Biden administrations, helped people to pay for their newfound hobbies.
During the 2020-2021 period, I had more orders for my violoncellos da spalla, octave violins and travel violins than I ever could have imagined. It was almost impossible to keep up with orders. Then, it was as if a faucet was turned off. I mean OFF! To this day I still mutter WTF to myself when I think about it.
So, here we are waiting for the phone to ring. Well, not exactly, as the downturn seems to have empowered the crackpots. Every custom luthier knows what I am talking about… people who find it interesting, comforting or whatever to engage a luthier in hours of prelude to what appears to be a likely commission. In reality, all these folks want to do is go through the motions of specifying the instrument they would like, as if they were ever going to actually buy one. That’s enough to get those pleasurable neurotransmitters going. It is very much like people who pretend that they are rich and take Ferraris on test drives. Yes, that really is a thing, believe it or not. I imagine that some of these people will read this and I have one thing to say—shame on you!
While I feel that I understand why sales spiked during the lockdown, as described above. I have no idea why everything grinded to a halt when the lockdown ended. I am really interested in your ideas should you want to share them.
First, thank you for your valuable attention. This will make sense if I can hold on to your attention for a few more minutes.
In the words of Aerosmith:
I'm back I'm back in the saddle again I'm back I'm back in the saddle again
Man, nobody can screech our lyrics like the great Steven Tyler!
Gene Autry expressed the same sentiment in his song of the same title, written in 1939 and recorded numerous times by him and widely covered.
If you have to ask, it means doing something that you stopped doing for a period of time.
I stopped building instruments for a while. Here is why.
After the passing of my Partner and Soulmate Alycen in August of 2021, I took a long hiatus from seeking new instrument build commissions. During a period of several months after her death I caught up on a distressing backlog of instrument builds, all of them violoncellos da spalla and a custom leather case for a violoncello da spalla. I also pretty much ignored doing frequent updates to my blogs and other social media, and boy, am I paying for that now! I have been posting lots of articles the past few weeks. I have regained “first page” status on Google searches for anything remotely related to “Violoncello da Spalla.” We have a long way to go with getting the word out on my octave violins, travel violins and such. And the market for mandolins is so large, that it could take a really long time to get there.
I am eager and ready to start building new instruments for my discerning customers. I have a special affection for the violoncello da spalla and it is, thus, one of my favorite instruments to build. I am also looking forward to making some of my octave violins, 5-string violins and violas and my famous travel violins. I am also now making high-end octave mandolins and citterns in partnership with luthier Jesse Hale, called Rickert & Hale, Luthiers. Prototypes are presently in the hands of expert evaluators. I will be showing at least one octave mandolin prototype (maybe two) at the upcoming Hoppin’ John Old-Time & Bluegrass Fiddlers’ Convention (Pittsboro, NC; September 15-17, 2022).
I will also be showing a new Violoncello da Spalla build in progress and a new Tenor Viola (viola with special design features and setup that is tuned an octave lower than a violin, which is a 4th lower than a regular viola). This instrument is perfect for fiddlers, as all of the fingering is the same as a fiddle, but an octave lower. If you are interested in my opinion on the use of Violoncello da Spalla, and octave violin, in Old-Time string band music, see:
Re-Booting a bespoke lutherie business is surprisingly hard, and, I must say, rather frustrating. I would much rather be making instruments than spending untold hours marketing them! But that is part of the deal for anyone who chooses to earn a living as a luthier.
Attention Economy
In the Attention Economy in which we live, getting noticed is a prerequisite for any kind of business, including small boutique businesses like making custom-built musical instruments. And once you get enough attention to actually sell stuff, you have to continuously remind people via blogs, YouTube and other social media to remember you and the great instruments that you make.
Put simply, the idea behind Attention Economics is that there is way too much information to consume, but humans can only pay attention to a tiny fraction of what they are bombarded with. Online selling platforms such as Reverb.com and eBay take advantage of this human attention deficit by more aggressively bombarding site visitors about what you are tying to sell, for a hefty fee, of course. Too much information and human’s mental limitations results in “attention poverty” for most who seek attention (i.e., selling stuff). Those who have the time and funding to game the system, (SEO, social media algorithms, etc.) get the most attention wealth. If you are curious about attention economics and its psychological theoretical underpinnings, here are some particularly good links:
The short explanation is that it is a very small 5-string cello that is suspended by a shoulder strap and played across the chest more or less under the chin, as shown in the image of our friend Peter Walker in full Scottish Highland dress. The violoncello da spalla has no well-established connection to 18th Century Scotland; however cello was definitely widely used in Highland fiddling as basso continuo to the fiddle. The dominant figure in Scottish Baroque fiddling, Niel (aka "Neil") Gow (1727 – 1807), was usually accompanied by his brother Donald on cello.
Anyway, the violoncello da spalla is an early to mid 18th Century (i.e., Baroque) instrument that is enjoying a resurgence of popularity, particularly among experienced viola and violin players who are Baroque period enthusiasts. Why violists and not cellists? (Actually, many cellists have taken up the instrument; however, most of my highly accomplished violoncello da spalla clients are violists). Because of its playing position, one bows from the treble side like a viola or violin, which is backwards to a cellist.
Cello has been used in Old-time music for a long time. The first time I saw a cello in an Old-Time string band was at the U.S. National Folk Festival, which was at that time held in Northern Virginia at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, in 1976. And the cellist was playing a 1/2 size cello da spalla style!!! Admittedly, it has never been, and still is not, common. That being said, it is my opinion that there is no better “second fiddle” than either an octave violin (tenor range) or a cello, including the violoncello da spalla (both baritone range). The octave violin is more well established in the Old-Time, as well as the more modern Bluegrass genre, but that is a story for another day.
Those familiar with the late great “Carolina Chocolate Drops” will know exactly what I am talking about here. It is indeed the case that one or two of my violoncello da spalla clients have actually competed in the “Non-Traditional Fiddle” category at Old-Time fiddlers' competitions--on violoncello da spalla!
If you have never heard cello backing up a fiddle, you simply must. Please check out the following videos that inspire me about the possibilities of violoncello da spalla in Old-Time music. I suppose that "haters" would maintain that such a match-up is anachronistic--REALLY?!?!?!? I mean, who cares! "Traditional" Old-Time string band music is about as far from being some kind of historical reenactment as is humanly possible. Further, the list of commonly used instruments has evolved radically over time. Since its origins in the Southeastern Appalachians in the 19th Century, the genre has had more names than you can keep track of. With the advent of phonograph records, it was originally distributed under the "Hillbilly Music" category. The moniker "Old-Time" became popular in the 1960s.
That is the great Rhiannon Giddens of Durham, North Carolina on fiddle and vocals. She is now a solo artist, performing with the likes of Yo Yo Ma.
Appearing in the last video are Natalie Haas (cello) and Brittany Haas (5-string fiddle). Natalie has recorded on more than 30 albums, many with the Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, and is an Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music. Brittany has appeared on at least a dozen albums.
It is only a matter of time before some crazy violoncello da spalla player decides to cross over into Old-time string band music in a big way, I mean with high-quality YouTube videos and such. Or it could be a really good fiddler who decides to take up the violoncello da spalla. We have been talking to a few great fiddlers who are trying to find a way to afford a violoncello da spalla. Wish I could afford to just give them one!
