Until the past decade, fiberglass bows and traditional wood bows were the only options available to string musicians. Fiberglass bows are good for beginning students, but they can be heavy for a young child. Wood is a more traditional choice, and a bit lighter. But there are things to consider.

Pernambuco wood, or Brazilwood, in particular, was favored in bow making. After first being discovered by Portuguese explorers in 1500, Pernambuco became highly coveted and … Read more

Are you struggling to decide on a New Year’s resolution? Perhaps you have already attempted the usual — getting in shape, reading more, spending more time with loved ones – with limited success, and want to try something new. If this sounds like you, learning an instrument for the new year might be just what you’re looking for.

Whether you have always wanted to learn an instrument or are simply curious about picking up a … Read more

For many cello, viola, and violin players, classical music has been their introduction to the orchestra. Music programs in schools often rely on the classics, no matter what type of music students are interested in.

If you’re a string musician that grew up learning to play classical music, you may feel there’s little opportunity to start playing your favorite songs in different genres. However, there’s no reason why you can’t incorporate your cello, violin, or … Read more

If you’re a violinist, particularly at the beginner or intermediate level, you’ve probably come across playing instructions in your sheet music that you don’t recognize. From vibrato to tremolo, there are a variety of techniques that musicians use to produce specific violin sounds. Today we’re going to be examining the pizzicato technique and how to achieve it.

Pizzicato, meaning “pinched” in Italian, is a technique that involves plucking violin strings with one’s fingers instead of … Read more

If you have just begun your journey playing the violin, you probably have picked up tips and tricks for violin maintenance, such as how to clean your instrument or use rosin. However, you might not have changed your violin strings. It may seem like a daunting task for beginners, but violin strings are bound to wear out and break, and old strings need to be replaced. You don’t need to change them on your own … Read more

Stringed instruments are some of the most ubiquitous instruments across all genres of music. Whether you like classical or classic rock, fans of music can easily tell you one of their favorite songs — and the reason why. Stringed instruments are often celebrated for their ability to resemble the human voice. So it’s no surprise why strings form the basis of our modern orchestra and have become so popular in school music programs over the … Read more

If you’re new to playing the violin and not sure how long your interest will hold, it may seem irresponsible to invest in a high quality violin. However, learning to play on a cheap instrument isn’t going to do you any favors when it comes to improving your skills. Perhaps owning your own violin isn’t practical at the moment, but renting a violin is a great option for people who want to dip their toe … Read more

There is a plethora of instrument accessories that musicians recommend when you tell them you are beginning to learn a musical instrument. But how can you tell which accessories are actually critical and which are more a matter of preference? Plenty of instrument accessories aren’t strictly necessary, but they can enhance your playing style or practice routine. However, there’s one accessory that practically every musician keeps close at hand: the metronome.

Metronomes are relatively mundane … Read more

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned violinist, there are certain essential violin accessories that will improve your performance when playing the violin. However, no accessory is more important than violin rosin. Rosin creates friction between the bow’s horsehair (yes, it’s really made with hair from the horse’s tail) and the strings of an instrument, causing the strings to vibrate more clearly. In essence, it allows the bow to “grip” the strings. Without rosin, you … Read more

When people think of Chicago, they probably aren’t conjuring images of playing cello. But believe it or not, the Windy City has actually seen a surprising influx of cellists recently. There are some live performing and studio cellists who have been on the scene for years, even decades. But many of these musicians acknowledge that until recently they were a fairly small cohort.

If you are interested in becoming a professional cellist in an expanding … Read more

Packing a cello can look complicated, but packing a cello properly prevents damage to the instrument during shipping. We’ve developed a packing method (we’ve shipped thousands of cellos since our founding in 1976!), and we urge you to follow the instructions in these videos when packing your instrument for return to Johnson String Instrument. Click on the size of your cello from the list below and we’ll walk you through the entire packing process.

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