With past advances in technology came rejoicing, dreams of an easy-going, utopian lifestyle, and the idea that humanity had reached heights never achieved.

People seemed to be using their education and skills wisely, and both producers and consumers were conversing excitedly about the possibilities unlocked by modern inventors.

New-age industry seemed unarguably better than the designs of old, and the masses devoured the wave of today and dumped many of the traditions of former times.

Renaissance art, classical music, and 19^th-century satire were exchanged for pop art, Spotify singles, and skit comedy.

The forms of entertainment transformed, as did the tools used to produce them. iPads and Tablets have all but taken reign over paint brushes and architectural utilities. [Read more…]

In thinking about buying a violin, it is easy to be intimidated by the formal attire of orchestra members, the skill caliber of famous violinists, and the dense history that violins and classical music have made over the last four or five centuries.

The world’s most famous composers, such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, have been known for their rigorous training in youth, their complex arrangements, and their mastering of composition, and their works are performed by players whose salaries have risen above 100k.

It seems that, with a craft of such high expectations and so much honor, the costs of everything involved must loom over the regular man’s budget, and the skills involved can only be achieved by natural geniuses. [Read more…]

The main purpose of a DI – direct input, direct interface, direct induction, or, most commonly, direct box – is to convert unbalanced or high impedance signals into balanced, low impedance ones.

In other words, it is to reduce or eliminate undesirable noise that might result from a long ¼” cable (guitar cable), an electric bass, an acoustic-electric guitar, or an electronic instrument, such as a drum machine or MIDI keyboard.

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It’s hard to imagine that just a few decades ago, violinists and other classical musicians could only connect in person with each other to find out information about their craft, such as the best teachers, where to buy an instrument, what music to play, how to do a certain technique, and get encouragement and support.

There were and still are some classical music magazines that published information about teachers, jobs, auditions and other options. [Read more…]

Violinists like most musicians tend to be perfectionists, which is great! We are not usually satisfied with a mediocre performance and if we’re professionals, our income depends on how well we can play our instrument.

The standing motto for most violinists is “practice makes perfect”, although we realize that this journey of perfection is lifelong, as learning truly never ends.

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