What enhances your satisfaction is the fact that you have played an important role in the design of your new musical instrument in a special cooperative dance with the person actually building your instrument. The icing on the cake comes when you are actually…

…the violin is the closest sounding musical instrument to the human voice. It is difficult to argue that point. Also, the violin is profoundly expressive in nature and it is considered to be one of the most versatile instruments in the orchestra. The range of articulations…

Many claim that the sound qualities of the viola are mournful in nature. To a degree, this comment is true however the complete capabilities of the viola and its range of sonic character, of the possible sounds it is able to produce, goes way beyond…

The ukulele is very similar to the guitar in shape and construction but on a much smaller scale. The four most common sizes are the soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone ukuleles with scales, the distance between the nut and the bridge of the instrument, ranges from…

…techniques which include rapid arpeggios, tremolos and quick strumming techniques the mandolin offers a unique sound over other stringed instruments. Typically played with a plectrum or pick the tremolo technique, a rapid and repeated up and down stroke is…

The lute is a unique instrument in several ways. From a visual perspective, its design is unlike any other of the more commonly known stringed and fretted musical instruments. Its distinctive bowl shape back, unique rosette and sound hole inlay and the unusual bent or angled or altered head stock are some of these unique visual features.

…the harp is one of the most ethereal of instruments in this class of musical instruments and it is also the largest in physical size among them. In my observations, although it is quite capable of profound sonic beauty, it is…

The classical guitar is an instrument of visual and sonic beauty. Master luthiers will spend months and sometimes over a year to complete one instrument. The art and craft of building classical guitars is nothing short of amazing. The end results are…

The varied sounds emanating from the cello range from an expression of extreme sadness made possible in its low register, the middle register offers the expressive soulfulness this instrument is capable of and the upper register gives us the…

It comes to no surprise then that the bass plays its rolls as a member of the string orchestra, string ensemble and the symphony orchestra. It faithfully fulfills its roll not only as a rhythmic foundation when supporting higher octave instruments it also has that unique ability…

The banjo offers its own unique sound and tonal characteristics. The banjo has been a feature of several genres of music in a variety of countries and in a variety of applications. For example, it was used frequently in…

The acoustic guitar is capable of producing a wide array of sound color. The variety of articulations are available to the acoustic guitar as well as the high number of sound producing methods and techniques used to produce…

…primary stringed and fretted instrument article series, the individual instruments will have a short series of articles about each of them. The intention is to provide first an introductory or lead article, followed by composition considerations, instrument range and other articles which further discusses the instrument or provides…

All musical instruments provide us human beings a way or method to produce sound by which we as composers and performers can express both our creative, unique and individual musical ideas and it gives everyone great musical pleasure and enjoyment…

…an article with the intent of conveying to you the years of internship and the total personal involvement a luthier invests in the instruments they create…