Instrument Check-ups
As we travel, our instruments are constantly adjusting to new temperatures and humidity levels and occasionally they end up sounding like they have a bit of a cold! After hearing us perform at the music festival in Saratoga over the summer, our good friend, Herb Light mentioned that he thought our instruments were sounding a little under the weather and that he thought he could help by re-adjusting them slightly.
Herb is a wonderful violinist in the Philadelphia Orchestra and his wife, Veda Kaplinsky, was one of Donna's piano teachers at Juilliard. He has made something of a hobby of instrument doctoring, the little tweaks and touch-ups that can help an instrument sound its best. Often this means moving the sound post, a thin wooden dowel that rests between the front and back of the instrument but it can also include moving the bridge slightly, adjusting the positioning of the tailpiece, and any number of other small changes.
With a little adjustment, both the cello and violin are sounding good and healthy again. Thanks Herb!!!
1 Comments:
This is a live performance of a complicated proceedure referred in chamber circles as a Cello-oscopy, only to be conducted by a trained professional. To all in the balcony, please do not try this at home =0
The New England Journal of Instrumental Medicine
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