Category: Blog

Instruments are sensitive things that are, adversely enough, exposed to wild environments.

They are used on street sides for busking performances, in venues with drinkers and party-goers galore, and in outdoor park settings, where awry grains of whatever can blow wherever they please.

Between shows, musicians are put in hectic positions, such as on the subway, a tourist-full hotel, and an airplane, where so many accidents are prone to happen.

The musician himself has a difficult time staying safe, what chance does the violin stand?

I am often asked by non-music students, by people at lesson shops, or by passers at sidewalk corners, “What is that?” as a finger is pointed toward my instrument case.

My answer varies from one circumstance to the next: “It’s my business partner,” or, “A violin, it is,” or, “It’s a machine-gun,” are potential replies. I might, if the inquirer’s response suggests it, reveal the tool inside, which, lo and behold, is a violin.

Vibrato and tremolo are very similar effects. As their name implies they give a vibrating effect to sound. The difference between them is that they achieve this in different ways.

So you purchased your effects, amps, PAs, recording equipment and all the things you need to make your music as complex and as good as you want.

Equalization in the purest sense makes the sound equally strong in all frequencies, by boosting or cutting certain frequency components in a signal.

There are several effects which deal with the manipulation of the dynamic range of an audio signal such as compression, expansion, limiter and noise gate. These effects work in similar ways to improve the quality of audio.

Obviously it is important to change your strings once in a while. It is typically recommended that you do it at least every 6-8 months if you really want to have the best sound your violin can give.