Adventurous Muse: Musical Instruments and Whimsical Things

How Good Can a Reproduction of a 250 Year Old Pochette Sound?

You be the Judge...Darci Jones playing Tobin's Jig on a Neil Gow Pochette by Don Rickert Design (Adventurous Muse) destined for Japan.

Darci Jones, Japan, Neil Gow, Pochette, Don Rickert Design, Tobin's Jig, Adventurous Muse

If anyone would be interested in purchasing this instrument, it is available at:

The Adventurous Muse online store

The Adventurous Muse by Don Rickert Design on Amazon

It's All About the Bow

Assuming that you have at least a moderate-quality fiddle or violin (that is properly set up) and some skill at playing it, NOTHING matters to your playing, the sound your playing makes and your development as a bowed string musician than the bow. The old rule of thumb that we old people were taught is that you should spend at least as much on your bow as you do your fiddle or violin. How many of us really followed that advice. Especially those of us who practice the fiddle discipline played on the cheapest Brazilwood or fiberglass bow that we could get our hands on.

Until you play a great bow, you just can't get it--you play a lot better with a high-quality bow. Not too long ago, a great bow could cost thousands of dollars. Invariably, great bows were always made of Pernambuco wood, or occasionally Snakewood (but Snakewood is more common for Baroque bows, and that is a different topic than today's). Pernambuco bows can be real a joy to use; but there is a serious shortage of Pernambuco wood, so buying a new one could be considered irresponsible, and a good old one is going to cost you some big bucks.

Today, you can get a carbon fiber or carbon graphite (they are slightly different composite materials) bow for under $500. In the case of the IncrediBow, you can get one for about $150 or less. High-end carbon fiber bows that I have played are better than ANY pernambuco bow I have played (that should generate some comments!). Being in the business of selling fiddle and violin and bows (www.AdventurousMuseStore.com) and having observed hundreds making bow buying decisions, I can report the following consumer insights:

1. The majority of potential customers enter the purchase dialog with the notion that they want a wood bow.
2. We take more old Pernambuco wood bows in trade as partial payment for high-end carbon fiber bows than we sell.
3. We sell more carbon fiber bows than wood bows. In fact, I cannot remember the last time we actually sold a wood bow.
4. The new generation of "braided carbon fiber" bows (carbon fiber fabric wound around a core and encased in a resin) perform better than the older style extruded carbon fiber bows.
5. The majority of bows we sell are of the braided carbon fiber type (and these are the most expensive...in the $300-$700 price range).
6. The second most popular seller is the IncrediBow; which is maligned mostly by those who have never played one.

One more point about bows: The best bows available are all made in the USA, such as Glasser and CodaBow. Even the old London based P&H bows are now made in the US.

Is a Snakewood Violin of Fiddle Bow an Alternative to Pernambuco?

No!

Snakewood is for Baroque bows, which are used for playing Baroque music on Baroque violins. The wood is heavy and does not hold the camber (reverse curve) that is so critical to Tourte (i.e. modern) bows. Francois Tourte explicitly rejected snakewood as being unsuitable for his bows. We nearly cried when we heard that a vendor (yes, a competitor) sold a snakewood Tourte bow to a young fiddle student who was considering buying an entry-level carbon fiber bow (OK, yes from us).

Now, you might ask, why not use a Baroque bow for modern playing. We'll get into the details some other time, but suffice it to say that Tourte did not invent the modern bow just to be different.

Snakewood looks really cool, but it sucks for modern violin and fiddle bows. Unless it is vintage, getting Pernambuco bow is irresponsible (see my post on Pernambuco bow policy for Don Rickert Design and the Adventurous Muse.

Got comments...bring them on!

D.R.

Adventurous Muse and Don Rickert Design Policy on Pernambuco Wood Bows

Pernambuco is an endangered wood and has been since the 17th century, at least. To be fair to those of use who make and sell bows, the shortage of Pernambuco has more to do with the fabric dye and furniture industries, combined with centuries of poor forestry management than the making of violin and fiddle bows. But the bow industry doesn't get off so easily, as the best wood for bow-making comes from the centers of old growth trees.

Why Pernambuco for bows in the first place? Francois Tourte (see Wikipedia article on Tourte) invented the "modern" bow, which curves backwards, at least from the perspective of the musicians of the period. He made them out of Pernambuco wood, due to its high stiffness and low weight. This is, of course, an oversimplification, but you get the idea. Interestingly enough, the stiffness to weight issue is one of the primary advantages of a high quality carbon fiber bow over a pernambuco bow (yes, there is a thinly-veiled hint in that statement.). In any case, in any likely future that I can foresee, pernambuco bows are going to get more and more expensive and carbon fiber bows more prevalent.

We proudly support IPCI-USA the "International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative-USA". In practical terms, this means that we do not sell new genuine pernambuco bows. We will only sell old pernambuco bows acquired as trade-ins for carbon fiber and carbon graphite bows. We will continue to sell extremely high quality carbon fiber and carbon graphite bows...now you have an excuse to buck peer pressure from blind traditionalists and upgrade to a better (carbon fiber) bow.

Together we can make a difference.

Please visit IPCI-USA : www.ipci-usa.org

Take-Apart Travel Violin by Don Rickert Design (www.AdventurousMuse.com)

Sometimes you just need to have a travel violin or backpacker fiddle that can be quickly assembled and disassembled and packed into a small box (15" x 9" x 3" deep). By quickly, we mean less than 5 minutes. Well, here it is, the new Take-Apart Travel Violin by Don Rickert Design. And there is more: this fiddle DOES NOT need to be de-tuned and re-tuned every time it is taken apart and later put back together. The instrument actually sounds very good, considering the removable neck and the various mechanisms not found on a regular violin or fiddle.

Click on the image below or its caption to see a slide show of how it works.

Don Rickert Take-Apart Travel Violin

The photos pretty much speak for themselves, though it should be noted that this instrument stays amazingly close to being in tune after being disassembled and then reassembled.

The first prototype of this instrument several years ago was Don Rickert's first experiment with a violin without a sound post, as the sound post staying in place was a vexing problem for an instrument that is repeatedly being taken apart and put back together again. Instead of a sound post, this instrument utilizes a "tone bar" or small bassbar under the treble side of the bridge foot. There is, of course, a full-size bassbar under the G-side bridge foot.

If anyone would be interested in purchasing this instrument, it will soon be available at:

The Adventurous Muse online store

The Adventurous Muse by Don Rickert Design on Amazon

The Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design

The Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design is a hybrid between a "skeletal" electric violin, such as the Yamaha Silent Violin series but also with a full top and back plate. The violin combines ancient design elements with an “industrial” look. The curvy top is formed old spruce rather than carved. Click on the image or link below to see a slide show of this truly innovative electric violin.

Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert (www.AdventurousMuse.com)

The Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design is a hybrid between a "skeletal" electric violin, such as the Yamaha Silent Violin series but also with a full top and back plate. The violin combines ancient design elements with an “industrial” look. The curvy top is formed old spruce rather than carved.

It has a completely adjustable neck angle and an adjustable damping mechanism. It is currently set up with a Shadow Twin (two transducers) bridge pickup, but many other options are available. The stock pickup will be a Kromona bridge pickup. The standard tuners are Wittner Finetune internal planetary-geared tuning pegs. An under-the-bridge David Gage Realist pickup and an internal stereo Schatten preamp are suggested upgrades to take full advantage of what this instrument can do.

Acoustic properties matter a lot with electric violins. The undamped tone of this instrument is audible and quite pleasing, making it an excellent "unpluged" practice instrument. With the damper fully engaged, it is still a wonderful practice instrument, but very quiet! Available through www.AdventurousMuse.com in early Sept. 2009 and other stores in the near future.

The Series 4 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design

The Series 4 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design is a "chambered" or semi-hollow body instrument that is designed to accommodate two pickups, with a balance control and separate tone controls for each. It features a Fender guitar-style bolt-in neck with angle adjustment (with shim washers, just like an electric guitar) and an variable internal damping mechanism. Click on the image or link below to see a slide show of the cool new electric violin.

Series 4 Electric Violin by Don Rickert

This is a "chambered" or semi-hollow body instrument that is designed to accommodate two pickups, with a balance control and separate tone controls for each. It features a Fender guitar-style bolt-in neck with angle adjustment (with shim washers, just like an electric guitar) and an variable internal damping mechanism. It comes standard with a single Kromona bridge pickup and Wittner Finetune internal planetary-geared tuning pegs. An under-the-bridge David Gage Realist pickup and an internal stereo Schatten preamp are suggested upgrades to take full advantage of what this instrument can do.

Acoustic properties matter a lot with electric violins. With the damper, one can achieve a sound ranging from "electrified" acoustic violin to a solid body instrument, or something in-between, such as the Fender chambered-body electric violins.

Available from www.AdventurousMuse.com in early Sept. 2009 and, in the near future, other stores as well. A deposit of $500 will get you on the waiting list. Contact us as Don@DonRickertDesign to begin the discussion.

Baritone (Octave) Violins by Don Rickert Design in Collaboration with Fiddarci Lutherie

In a collaboration with Fiddarci Lutherie, we make two purpose-built (made to be octave violins) related instruments, designed by Don Rickert with a lot of inspiration from the 19th Century artist, musician and inventor, William Sidney Mount.

We have been calling these instruments the Type II Octave Violin and the Cradle of Harmony Octave Violin. The new names for the instruments are Rickert-Fiddarci Baritone Violin, Darci Jones Model and Rickert-Fiddarci Baritone Violin W.S. Mount Model. Both of these extraordinary American-made instruments, played by some of the best musicians in the world.

Anyone interested in where to obtain these instruments, see:

The Adventurous Muse online store

The Adventurous Muse storefront on Amazon.com

Our purpose-built (i.e. not converted fiddles or violas) baritone (octave) violins and fiddles are being played by some of the finest musicians in the world, including the Swedish group Vasen, David Greenberg, Alasdair Fraser and talented and gracious Natalie Haas (one of the world's finest cellists), who has said very nice things about us and her instrument on her website. Darol Anger (father of the modern octave violin) performed with this instrument as well and says some VERY nice things about our company on his website.

The Type II Octave Violin (Now the Rickert-Fiddarci Baritone Violin Darci Jones Model)

The Type II Octave Violin, designed by Dr. Don Rickert, IDSA of Don Rickert Research & Design in collaboration with Fiddarci Lutherie in Birmingham, AL, who also builds the instruments, is a William Sidney Mount "Cradle of Harmony" inspired instrument, but with Chanot-type "slit" soundholes, with many modifications based on recent research in bowed string instrument acoustics. 

Learn more about the Type II Octave Violin, as well as useful information about baritone/octave violins and fiddles in general on this site.

Click on any of the thumbnails for a full-size view.

This is a purpose-built (not a re-strung violin or viola) octave instrument with unbelievable projection and a nice deep timbre (unlike some other instruments, which are loud but 'thin')...this instrument has its own distinctive sound and projects like a fine 'cello! Natalie Haas, one of the truly world-class 'cellists, also owns a Type II Octave Violin.

We strongly recommend the CodaBow Diamond Series VIOLA bow or the Glasser Octagonal Braided Carbon Fiber Viola Bow.

The Cradle of Harmony Octave Violin (Now the Rickert-Fiddarci Baritone Violin W.S. Mount Model)

The Cradle of Harmony Octave Violin, designed by Dr. Don Rickert, IDSA of Don Rickert Research & Design in collaboration with Fiddarci Lutherie in Birmingham, AL, who also builds the instruments, is our William Sidney Mount "Cradle of Harmony" inspired instrument, with many modifications based on recent research in bowed string instrument acoustics.

Learn more about the Cradle of Harmony Octave Violin, as well as useful information about baritone/octave violins and fiddles in general at this website.

Click on any of the thumbnails for a full-size view.

 

This is a purpose-built (not a re-strung violin or viola octave instrument with unbelievable projection and a nice deep timbre (unlike some other instruments, which are loud but 'thin')...this instrument has a sound distinct from a 'cello but projects like a fine 'cello!

This instrument differs from the Type II Octave Violin in that it has the very large enigmatic reverse f-holes that William Sidney Mount used on many of his instruments. The result is a complex darker timbre than the Type II. Like the Type II, the Cradle of Harmony Octave is loud and powerful with astounding projection.

We strongly recommend the CodaBow Diamond Series VIOLA bow or the Glasser Octagonal Braided Carbon Fiber Viola Bow.

Links:

• Additional general information on Octave Violins and Fiddles...
• More on William Sidney Mount's Cradle of Harmony...

Maggini Octave Violin (Maggini reproduction set up as an octave violin)

You can own a baritone (octave lower) version one of the coolest instruments on the planet for less than $3,000 (actually, much less, with our discount). Our Maggini reproduction is expertly set up as an octave fiddle by Don Rickert Design's lutherie in Atlanta, GA. High-end suspension case is now included in the price.

Click on any of the thumbnails for larger views.

Magginis are well established for use as octave instruments (restrung with octave strings, modified nut, etc.) due to their large size and powerful deep projection--they are actually larger than some small violas.

Our Maggini violin replica, a collaboration of Don Rickert Design and Calvert Violins has all of the features sought by the top violinists and fiddlers of all styles…double-purfling, decorative inlay on the back, large size (but still standard scale length), and mind-blowing power and depth (loud and dark sound). Well made Maggini copies really pack a punch and are not for the timid. This is an instrument for those who are confident and want to be heard.

Since only about 60 of these highly sought-after instruments were ever made, the probability of getting an original is pretty slim. Even well-made copies are hard to come by, so here's your chance to get a good one converted to a powerful octave fiddle for less than $3,000.

Background on Maggini Violins converted to Octave Fiddles: Click on the links below.

Background on Converting Maggini Violins to Baritone (Octave) Violins or Fiddles 1

Background on Converting Maggini Violins to Baritone (Octave) Violins or Fiddles 2

 

 

P3 Synthesizer Violin by Don Rickert Design (www.AdventurousMuse.com)

Development of a true violin synthesizer has been under way for some time at Don Rickert Research & Design. Here is the the latest on an instrument that will, most likely, be paired up with a special wireless bow that captures bowing dynamics. The sell price listed is actually our estimate of the investment needed to bring this instrument to market. Putting subtlety aside: WE NEED MONEY TO BRING THIS BABY TO MARKET! If we can sell this instrument in the $2,500 neighborhood, with an extra $4,000 for an optional playing dynamics-sensing bow (remember, the bow often costs more than the instrument), already on the market and being used with MIDI capable electric violins (can't tell you the manufacturer of the bow yet, as our deal with them depends on bringing our synth violin to market). This is now an Adventurous Muse initiative and the P3 Synthesizer will be available from www.AdventurousMuseStore.com.

Video of Previous Prototypes

Here are photos from every possible angle of the new prototype. I am not going to tell you what the string sensing technology is, so you will have to ponder it based on the form factor of the "bridge." What you can easily see is that the actually strings are used on this prototype not only for fingerboard position sensing but for the bowing sensing as well. ALL wiring is concealed and the wireless technology is inside the instrument. There are no external controls on the instrument at this time, so the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) controls are necessary right now. After some more design research, we will figure out the physical controls that should be on the instrument and what form they should take (e.g. buttons, sliders, knobs, pads, etc.)

The prototype pics do not represent the final final form of the synthesizer, but it is getting close. The next prototype iteration will have a neck angle adjustment feature and a MUCH less obtrusive tuning "thing" (for lack of a better term) that sits where the tailpiece would normally be. Like Dr. Dan Overholt's (of Aalborg University in Denmark http://media.aau.dk/) "Overtone Violin", we will be using knob type tuners like those manufactured by Steinberger for electric guitars.

A "Conventional" Electric Violin Spinoff

Also, The basic form factor (the the changes mentioned above) will be the platform for a state-of-the-art electric violin, to be available in a conventionally tuned version and a version optimized for use as a baritone (octave) violin.

The Photos

The woods used are hard maple (some of it "ebonized"), spruce (all of it ebonized) and high-quality Baltic Birch plywood, finished with clear buffed nitrocellulose lacquer (i.e. guitar finish) over amber stain mixed according to Don Rickert's secret recipe...final coat of carnuaba wax. The body is "chambered", meaning essentially a solid body with large chambers to accommodate the various electronics, including several I-CubeX MIDI controllers and a wireless transmitter/reciever.

Click on any of the thumbnails for full-size views.