A question that comes up often in violin repair is this: “Why would I spend several hundred dollars repairing an instrument when the repair costs more than the violin is worth?” It is a reasonable question. We live in a world where many products are designed to be replaced. When something breaks, wears out, or becomes outdated, the usual advice is often to discard it and buy something new. But musical instruments are different. A violin is not just a consumer product. Over ti

Welcome! I'm excited to help you begin learning the Great Highland Bagpipes. The first six months to a year of instruction are typically spent on the practice chanter, where you'll learn proper finger technique, rhythm, music reading, and your first tunes. Once you've developed a solid foundation, we'll transition to the full bagpipes. For now, you only need a few basic supplies to get started. Equipment to Purchase Before Lessons Begin Practice Chanter I recommend a McCallum

Starting from Scratch I grew up as a classically trained violinist, so for most of my life I approached music the way I had been taught to approach it: read the notes on the page, play them as accurately as possible, and worry about memorization later. Improvisation was something other musicians did. It wasn't really part of my vocabulary. If someone had asked me to play a tune I'd just heard, I honestly wouldn't have known where to begin. That changed when I started playing

In our violin shop, we offer two bow rehair options: a basic rehair and a professional rehair. Below is a quick summary of the difference. What Is a Basic Bow Rehair? I so often hear that a bow isn't worth the cost of a rehair. However, in our consumer society, I take pride in working in a craft that values old objects and restores rather than discards. A basic bow rehair is a simple, functional service designed to make a bow playable again. I use a more economical grade of h

In the quieter period before the busy summer season, I’ve been taking the opportunity to work through a backlog of longer-term repairs. Recently, I pulled out three student cellos with neck breaks of different types. It’s a good reminder of just how vulnerable the cello neck is compared to smaller instruments like the violin. The cello is a large, heavy instrument with significant leverage acting on the neck joint. When a cello is dropped or knocked, the weakest point is ofte

This week, two violins came into the shop with the same underlying problem: the wrong glue. At first glance, both seemed repairable. But the adhesive choices made earlier repairs either far more difficult, or permanently limiting. I have a chemistry degree and even did an internship working with industrial adhesives (yes, I’m the kind of person who finds watching paint dry fascinating). Guitar makers can be more adventurous with glues — and often brilliantly so — but it's imp

What happens when the only spare string before a concert is the wrong size? The video that got me thinking... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hXjuQDTxis It’s the nightmare scenario: you’re packing up for a concert, and a string breaks . A friend saves the day by offering a spare… but it’s for a full‑size violin , and you play a three‑quarter size . So the obvious question: Can you use it? The short, practical answer is yes — in a pinch, it will work . The violin will tune up

As I started my violin shop, I had all types of repair requests coming in. Some were quite complex, like resetting a neck that had come unglued, while others were simply fixing a collapsed bridge. I love helping people make their instrument sing again, but some people are intimidated by what they might think of as a costly repair, when the reality is they could probably fix it on their own. Just like car maintenance, some people prefer to trust their investment to the experts

As I walk up to a work station at my day job holding a clipboard and stopwatch, I notice the operators tense up. I can guess what's going...

One unique service that I offer as a luthier is a seasonal check and clean. I do this at a very discounted rate for the amount of work that it takes, because I believe in preserving violins and preventative maintenance. In our world of single-use disposable items, I'm proud to be in an industry that makes useful tools that are built to last through the centuries. As the seasons change from hot to cold and wet to dry, it’s essential to give your violin the care it deserves. Se

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One of the natural parts of progressing as a musician is encountering more interesting key signatures, more and more sharps and...

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My formal education is in chemistry and chemical engineering. So, naturally, I'm enchanted with the mystery of violin varnish. This is...