RWOlson

Funny, he doesn't play flat.

Let's not forget Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music which, for faculty, students, and alumni, easily belongs in this list.

Uh... isn't double purfling a Maggini or Stainer thing? And it's nice to see that low-level German factory makers rediscovered the secret to the Cremonese varnish. 3.5 mil? Why, I'd pay 2 million just for that beautiful scroll, which still has the original pegs.

I, too, bought a case from Musafia, about a year ago. I got it directly from their discount page. It was an "exercise of style". The workmanship, strength and design were all first-class, and I have been thrilled with it and give them the highest recommendation. They were also extremely helpful in answering my questions. Timing, though, seemed to be an issue. I would hear from them, eventually, and it took 6 weeks to ship the case to me. Contacting them, I always got the impression that the workshop was filled with pouty women in red dresses and oversized sunglasses, lolling around, shouting "Ciao, Lorenzo!" if the workmen actually got up to fill an order. Well, they are Italian, after all. And, they ship to Seattle, and then distribute the cases from there. What, are the New York Italian restaurants not good enough for them? Great cases, though.

About that gliss- slide up on the A string, using the first finger, until you reach a Bb on the A string. This will be your anchor finger for your new position. With your first finger down on this Bb (the same note as low 4th finger on the E string in 1st position, by the way) it will be an easy matter to place your 3rd finger on the high Ab. You are now in 6th position. Reaching the Bb is quite an easy matter if you think of it as being one 1/2 step above the halfway point on the string, or 1/2 step above the harmonic A. Then, for the downbeat of m. 88, you place your 1st finger on the D, the 2nd note, and that allows you automatically to find that high G that begins m. 88. Now, if you prefer, you can slide up on the A string and play 4TH finger on the high Ab on the E string- just remember to slide on the A string and keep the 1st as an anchor finger an octave below when you stop- in this case your 1st finger would land on Ab. No matter- it all goes by so quickly, all you need to hear is a gliss of some sort. Which should you use, 3rd or 4th on the top? That depends on your finger length, strength, hand width, flexibility, etc. It is entirely up to you, and only you can answer that question. Hope this helps some.

Yeah, I know that some things in the outline and the f-holes bear some vague resemblance to some del Gesu German copies, but does this even remotely look like a del Gesu? I want some of what they smoke in Brewton.

If somebody could help me out here- I just don't get it. I see that he has a fancy Musafia case, and has perhaps Bois d'Harmonie tailpieces. But- There is no wear on this instrument, and the varnish looks like that hard, glossy type that factories use because high school students like their violins to look shiny. Am I not looking at a $500 Chinese instrument, or a Roman Teller student model? My eye is not trained. Tell me where I'm wrong.

These might help you out. 3 after 97, play 4-1-2 then 3 on the A string- you are in 6th position. 2 measures later, 2 before 98, find the Eb with your 1st finger and use that as the base finger, reaching up with 4 for the Bb, then staying in 7th position. Make sure to keep your 1st finger down. For 3 after 98, either 5th position with an extension, 4-2-3-1, or 6th position, 4-1-2 then 4 on the A string might work. At 99, playing in 6th position, but using the 4th finger for the B natural on the A string in the 3rd measure might help. The gliss is usually just a gliss- too fast for fingers. At 101, I like 4-1-2-1-2, then on the A string 3-4-1, then stretching up for the Eb in the next measure, 4-2-3 then 1 in 2nd position on the E string for that G natural in 3 measures after 101, then 2 for Ab, then 3 for the D on the A string. And, 8 after 102, starting on the E string, 1-2-1-2-1, ending on that D in the 9th measure. Stay in 6th position, using your 4th finger on the A string for that B natural. Remember to keep your 1st finger down as much as possible. It will help you find those stretches, and overall keep you from getting lost on the fingerboard. Hope that gives you some ideas.

As my teacher once put it: At a certain point in the market you will have to pay 100% more for a 10% increase in quality. Is a $1 million violin 100 times better than a $10,000 violin? Almost certainly not; however, for that extra quality you will have to pay a lot of extra money. The question you must ask is whether you need the extra quality enough to justify the much higher price. Perlman needs that extra edge and is willing to pay through the nose for it- for most of the rest of us, that extra is not necessary, and so we stick with the much lower priced equipment that is almost as good. Also, you are buying a name. The worst Ouchard will undoubtably go for more than the best German factory bow, even though some Germans will play better than some Ouchards. As the dealer says: "YA WANT MORE? WELL, IT'S GONNA COST YA"

Doesn't it appear that there are at least 3 different types of pegs used here? Do the repairers mix and match so often?

Apologies for the title. I've bought one of those $100 "Baroque" bows from Shar, and I need advice from someone familiar with baroque bows. The bow has a baroque-style tip and frog, but the shaft is concave when the hair is loose, like a modern bow. It gets somewhat of a convex shape when really tightened, but then the shaft warps a lot. Is a baroque bow supposed to retain its convex shape even when loosened?