It certainly takes a lot of wind to blow our sign down! Most of New Orleans had a monster storm this Monday morning, however the instruments all safe and dry!

Today Paula and John visited University students enrolled in Dr. Montes’ String Methods class. Students in the class are music education majors, and all of them play various instruments from brass to woodwinds. So, Paula and John instructed them on basic string instrument upkeep!

Here’s their cheat sheet for all you educators out there:

Checklist for buzzing:

• Cracks and open seams
• Bad string
• String adjusters
• Contact areas for chinrest and tailpiece
• Fingerboard hump(s)/low string height
• Fingerboard loose toward neck bottom
• Loose cleats or material inside
• Wide bridge grooves
• Wide Nut grooves
• Material stuck at F-hole tips
• Cello & Bass – loose endpin collar/cracking

Emergency Supply Kit

• Peg drops – use for slipping (or stuck)
• Peg compound – use for sticking
• Tailpiece fasteners (nylon)
• Violin polish (white)
• Chinrest key
• Sheet of thin cork (for chinrests)
• Liquid Hide Glue (for cork)

Make sure to always consult a professional, like the folks here at Keller Strings, when available. Learn more about the staff here.

The bone tip is gently formed to the shape of this very delicate old German cello bow. It is glued securely with industrial glue and waxed cording. A small piece of leather is used to brace the winding. After the glue has dried, the final shaping is done to the exterior, and the hole for the mortise is carved to fit. The final bone tip is polished.

Large and majestic tone, rich oil varnish, superb wood, and aged to perfection! By J.B. Collin-Mezin, Luthier a Paris. SOLD

This strange orb can reside for decades or even centuries inside of an acoustic instrument. Some even believe it is what gives their beloved Violin, Viola, Cello or Bass Violin (or Upright Bass) its mellow rich tone.
It is actually the result of the vibrations inside of a well made acoustic instrument. The better the instrument, the tighter the ball. It is made up of lint and other debris that makes it’s way inside. The vibrations that create that beautiful sound coming out of that Strad hiding in your closet will gather the lint and cause it to travel in a specific pattern, creating the ball.
This one is from an old Cello and is about 70 years old. It is pretty tight meaning that the cello was built correctly. It is about 8/10ths in diameter.

tone ball