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Beethoven, Romberg & the Cello Concerto That Didn't Happen
By Andy Fein and Miranda CrawfordBeethoven wrote a beautiful Concerto for Violin, a wonderful Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano, nine great Symphonies, five superb Cello Sonatas, plus a...
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David Tecchler, Cello Maker Extraordinaire and Mercenary (?!)
By Andy Fein, Miranda Crawford, and Martha McDermottDavid Tecchler is a luthier that has long fascinated me. I first saw his work when I was an apprentice in violin making school. His work is an...
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Watch Out! The Natural Hazards of Stringed Instrument Playing
By Andy Fein, Martha McDermott, and Miranda CrawfordRecently, a high school orchestra student had a very unfortunate mishap. A piece of metal from the tailpiece of his violin popped off and hit him in...
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A Strad, a Mobster, and a Priest
By Andy Fein, Martha McDermott and Miranda CrawfordRecently, I read a news story about a former priest pleading guilty to helping his mobster friend find a supposed Stradivarius hidden inside a wall of...
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Stradivarius in his Nineties- Great Violins in His Last Years
One of the amazing things about Antonius Stradivarius is the longevity of his working life.Born in 1644, Stradivarius' earliest instruments date from about 1670, at age 26. By age 26, Stradivarius was...
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Stradivarius. 10 Fun Facts About His Life & Work
By Andy Fein, Luthier, Fein Violins, Ltd.Stradivarius. So much of my life is wrapped around learning what he did, how he did it, and maybe even why he did it. Sometimes when I'm working on an...
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For Cellists- What You Play On Matters
By Andy Fein, Luthier & Owner, Fein Violins, Ltd.Have you ever attended a concert to hear a great cellist and wondered, "What are they playing on?" No, not the instrument, but the floor, platform,...
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Pictures of Violins, Violas & Cellos - Where to find Them on The Web
Stradivarius, 1737By Andy Fein, Martha McDermott, and Miranda CrawfordMany of us love looking at all the variations in the shape, color, style, and age of great violins, violas, and cellos. The web is...
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Wood Music Stands- No Need to Be Wired
By Andy Fein, Fein ViolinsWe have all experienced the heartbreak of a flimsy wire music stand. You finally have the mindset and the time to practice. You put your Big Book of Etudes on your teeny wire...
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Cellos are Big. They Used to be Bigger.
By Andy Fein, Luthier, Fein Violins, Ltd.If you've ever seen someone struggling down the street or up the stairs with a cello, your first thought might be "Wow! Those are big instruments!" Well, in the...
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Can a Classical Musician Get A Star on Hollywood Blvd? Yes You Can!
By Andy Fein and Miranda Crawford, Fein ViolinsI recently saw a quick social media post that showed a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame with the name of the great violist William Primrose.Really? A...
View ArticleWhat's the Best Sounding Violin?
By Andy Fein, Violin Maker and Owner, Fein ViolinsIn our shop, we're often asked "What's the best sounding violin?" Everyone wants the best sound, of course. Every player wants to have great tone,...
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What's the Best Sounding Cello?
By Andy Fein, Violin Maker and Owner, Fein ViolinsIn our shop, we're often asked "What's the best sounding cello?" Everyone wants the best sound, of course. Every player wants to have great tone, great...
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Glasser Carbon Composite Violin. Review and Comparison
By Andy Fein, Fein Violins, Ltd.The best thing I can say about the new Glasser Carbon Composite Violin is that it's COOL looking. Really, really cool!Glasser Carbon Composite ViolinRead more »
View ArticleJoachim, Some Grand-Nieces, and a Seance = The Schumann Violin Concerto
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins,and Ivana TruongThe Schumann Violin Concerto!!! One of your favorites, right? You see it on an orchestra's upcoming season and you're buying tickets the very next...
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'Playing In', 'Breaking In' a New Instrument. Is it a Thing?
By Andy Fein, LuthierFein Violinsand Ivana TruongOur own Patrizio Stradivari model violin being "played in" with Classical MPRYou often hear a string player talk about how their violin, viola, or cello...
View ArticleWomen Composers That You Should Hear!
By Andy Fein and Ivana TruongMost of the Western Classical Music world has been dominated for centuries by male composers.Or, at least we think it has. Many great women composers have lived and died,...
View ArticleStradivarius vs. Guarnerius Cellos
By Andy Fein, Luthier, Fein Violinsand Ivana TruongRecently, cellist Pablo Ferrandez had the incredible opportunity to compare two great cellos- the 'Aylesford' Stradivarius cello of 1696 and a Joseph...
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Amati Cellos
By Andy Fein, Luthier at Fein Violins andIvana Truong'The King' made by Andrea Amati, the oldest surviving celloimage from The MetIn an upcoming blog post, we'll be reviewing a book titled BC Before...
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Craft Beer and the Craft of Composing- Joey Crane, Composer and Beer Guy
By Andy Fein, luthier at Fein Violins and Ivana TruongIn the constantly expanding world of craft beer, it's hard to know what to try, what to avoid, and what is not to your taste. To help guide you,...
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