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Stradivaris, Amatis, Guarneris, and more at the Smithsonian
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein ViolinsIvana TruongThis is Presidents weekend and maybe a few people have Washington, D.C. on their minds. Do you know the American people own a tremendous number of...
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Round or Octagonal Bows- Which Are Better? The Definitive Answer
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins andIvana TruongA round bow or an octagonal bow- Which is better???? The absolute, definitive, very, very correct answer is...Read more »
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Women at the Workbench
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins,Mikaela Marget, and Ivana TruongDo female violinmakers even exist?? del Gesu scrollYoung Woman with a violin, Orzazio GentileschiOne difficult aspect of...
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Pernambuco Wood or Carbon Bows- Which Are Better?
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins,and Ivana TruongYour bow is half of your sound.A seemingly surprising statement, but very true.Most professional and advanced string players have more than one...
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Coffee and Composers
By Andy Fein, luthier at Fein Violins, and chief coffee taster at Stradivarius Coffeeand Ivana TruongWagner’s table at Caffe Lavena Today, getting a cup of coffee from your local cafe can be a great...
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Stage Fright/ Performance Anxiety- Got Yours?
Great Violinist Yehudi Menuhin was a Proponent of YogaBy Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins,and Ivana Truong"Relax. RELAX. JUST RELAX, YOU'LL PLAY SOOOO MUCH BETTER?" Ever had such sage advice thrown...
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Who Invented the Violin? Sephardic Jews and the Early Days of the Violin
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins, and Mikaela MargetWho made the first violin? With a cursory internet search, you may be convinced that the mastermind behind all modern violin making was Andrea...
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Tips & Tricks for Surviving the Online Lesson World
"A little too sharp... not quite... now it's too flat! Go the other way... Nope, too far..." Bam! Oops. Now you need a new string. If you're a student who has recently had to start taking...
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Bow Bugs- EW!
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins,and Ivana Truong If you open up your case and you see this- You Have BOW BUGS"What??? Bugs are eating my bow?" No! Just the bow hair. (Fans of Schitts Creek are...
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Environmentalism and Violin-making
By Andy Fein Luthier, at Fein Violins & Mikaela MargetEnvironmental Sustainability in Violin Making Spruce, Maple, Basswood, Ebony, Pernambuco, Tetul, Rosewood, and Boxwood. What are these? All of...
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Why Do Strings Break?
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violinsand Ivana TruongMost string players have had the awful experience of getting all set for a lesson, concert, or recital and BAM a string breaks. It seems like the...
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Cellist Singer/Songwriters- Sometimes, a Cello is Just Plucked
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins and Mikaela Marget In orchestra settings, cello sections move fluidly between holding down baselines, playing a rich harmony texture, or jumping to the forefront...
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The 'Hochstein' Stradivarius Violin of 1715 - An Excellent Model
By Andy Fein (Luthier at Fein Violins) and Mikaela Marget In 1978 I (Andy) was a young guy with black hair, a passion for violin making, an intense curiosity about Antonius Stradivarius and Guarnerius...
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Cello Stands- Show Off Your Cello!
By Andy Fein, luthier at Fein Violins and Ivana TruongKeeping a cello out and more readily playable can encourage more frequent, shorter practice sessions. In fact, with the right set up and care,...
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Supporting Black Creatives and Performers Through ROSIN! Really Cool and Fun...
I, along with many people, celebrated the idea of making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Juneteenth has traditionally been celebrated on June 19 and marks the day in the year 1865 when Union Army...
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Cello Endpins- The Long, The Short, and The None
By Kevin Berdine, cellist, and Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein ViolinsAlthough the endpin is, seemingly, the least interesting part of a cello, have you ever seen a cello without one? Well, the humble...
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The Everchanging Cello
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violinsand Kevin BerdineFein Violin's Patrizius Stradivari CelloThe beloved cello that we know today as a relatively standardized instrument was not always so. Cellos can...
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Wolf Tones- Why is my cello howling?
By Kevin Berdine, cellist, and Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein ViolinsShop-Dog Zev and Andy discuss wolf tones. Did you know Zev is Hebrew for Wolf? Well, it is.Have you ever heard your cello howl? For...
View ArticleWhat's THE BEST Instrument Sound?
By Andrea Wallick, cellist and Andy Fein, violin maker at Fein Violins (FineViolins.com)Have you ever heard an instrument's sound described with physical adjectives such as "dark", "bright", "rough",...
View ArticleThese Are A Few Of Our Favorite Strings- Part IV, Cello
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violinswith Kevin Berdine And Andrea WallickAs we have shared in a previous blog post, "These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Strings-Part III, Cello" Larsen strings continue to...
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The Time to Get Your Instrument Ready For Summer Fun Is Now!
Off to Music Camp? Playing Outside: Tips to Summer-ize Your Stringed InstrumentBy Diane Houser, Office Manager at Fein Violins, professional violinist & violist and Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein...
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20 Hours To Montréal & the Philip Glass Ensemble- The 2023 Version of Bach's...
Story in Four Parts by Andrea Wallick, Cellist at Fein ViolinsPart 1: Conceptualization I was in the thick of finals, having performances every night, working on my massive paper about Einstein on the...
View ArticleNew Sounds on an Old Instrument
by Andrea Wallick, cellist and Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein ViolinsWhy does that cello sound like a seagull? How are the sounds I'm hearing coming out of string instruments? It sounds like percussion and...
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Women Composers- Alive & Composing. Give Them a Listen!
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins; and El Show & Jennifer LeeToday, right now, this time in history is (in our humble opinion) the best time ever to be a female composer. Given all the ways to...
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Rent or Buy? Good, Better & Best Violins, Violas & Cellos
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein ViolinsParents of budding musicians always seem to get to a certain point- "My kid needs a better instrument, but I'm not sure they're going to stick with it". Or, "Their...
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