The Player's Lounge / STRING TALK - Chat about Bowed Instruments / Alternative Music Styles

E string for 5-string viola?

Altofiddler — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:01:09 GMT

I just obtained a 16" five-string viola, and I have found that regular violin E strings are too short. Does anyone have a suggestion for what string to use? I suppose that I could have gotten a 5-string violin instead, but I just love the sound of the deep C string played on the larger body of the viola. But, Oops, no one seems to make long E strings.

Can I use a viola A string tuned up a 5th? Would that put too much tension on the string or on the neck? Maybe a very very stretchy violin E string? Are there E strings made for viola d'amores? I would have to cut such a string down to size, I suppose. How is that achieved without unwinding the wrapping by mistake? Can I make my own string?

I think that my 5-string viola was made by young creative Chinese luthier students who may not have considered the E string problem.

The Section Quartet "Fuzzbox" album in stores August 21st!

The Section Quartet Fan — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:06:16 GMT

The Section Quartet, a rock string quartet, has a new album which will be in stores on August 21^st. Artists such as Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5, James Blunt and many more have featured The Section Quartet on their albums! Their new solo album, Fuzzbox, contains covers of rock songs from the past and present including Muses Time Is Running Out, The Strokes Juicebox, Soundgardens Black Hole Sun, and Led Zeppelins Heartbreaker. Produced by Linda Perry, Fuzzbox combines classical and rock music to create a unique sound you won't want to miss. Please click below to hear a song clip!

http://uclassics.edgeboss.net/download/uclassics/tsq/03_-_such_great_heights_clip.mp3

Jazz Improv

celloguy — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 15:31:54 GMT

I am a classicly trained (read, SQUARE) amateur cellist who is interested in learning to play some basic jazz style including a bit of improvisation. Does anyone know of a good resource (book, method, etc.) that could help me to self-train a bit on jazz (given that I already have a decent knowlege of basic music theory and notation)? I am also interested in any suggestions for bowed-instrument jazz artists I should listen to to get a feel for some of the many different styles of jazz playing.

Thanks!

Electric Dulcimer

Dulcimerist — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 15:09:20 GMT

In case anyone's interested in hearing what an electrified dulcimer sounds like:

http://dulcitunes.com/getperformer.php?perfq=Hansen

I'll be adding additional tunes from time to time with various effects.