Ka-ha-hanye! The latest Kanye West music release, Late Registration, follow-up to the oppositely titled, The College Dropout, has Kanye going in exactly that, an opposite direction in everything, except credibility. That part’s intact. It’s getting tougher and tougher, as opposed to the 90’s and even decades preceding, to place an artist strictly in a subgenre of a genre. Yes, Kanye West music is obviously in the hip-hop genre. But what type of subgenre does he really fall in? I mean, he does speak for “the people”, in particularly America’s African-American...

When a landscape artist wants to get the essence of a beautiful scene, they make a quick pencil sketch of it. The artist doesn’t want to represent the entire landscape as it is, but as they feel it to be. A few lines scribbled here and there indicate the feelings the artist wishes to convey. We musicians can do the same thing! We can quickly sketch out our ideas on paper by using chords and a chord chart. A chord chart is just a way to notate when chords change through time. You can write out 8-bars to begin with (as I do). Now let us suppose you have the urge to capture something musically....

Violins are fragile instruments that must be treated with care. There are situations where violins may need to be repaired no matter how careful the owner is. When a violin needs to be fixed, it is important to go to a trained professional. There are some simple maintenance tips for violin owners that can prolong the life of the instrument. It is important that people change the strings on their violins, as old strings tend to sound bad after a while. Most experts recommend changing the strings at least once a year, even if they do not seem to be a problem. It is also important not to put the strings...

There are countless violin manufacturers around the world. From large scale manufacturers who employ several people with different specialties to make many violins a day to artisans and trained violin makers who painstakingly created their instruments one at a time, there is a wide variety of violin manufacturers to choose from. Violin making is a complicated process. It takes someone with great skill to make violins that not only look great but have excellent sound quality as well. Violin makers usually start by drawing the violins design and making a metallic template of what it will look like....

Musicians and collectors alike can enjoy antique violins. These violins can be hundreds of years old and can sell for thousands, if not millions of dollars. Antique violins are artifacts of the past as well as beautifully made musical instruments. There are a wide variety of antique violins available, some of them one-of-a-kind treasures. Many early violins are extremely valuable. The original King Charles IX violin made in 1564 by Andrea Amati is priceless. Other violins made in later years of the same century can sell for millions of dollars. Violins made by such world renowned makers as Amati,...

There are a number of violin shops where people can buy a violin. Many shops sell both new and used violins, giving buyers a number of options. Many violin shops also offer violin rentals. New violins can cost between two hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Used violins can cost significantly less, but may be of lesser quality. Beginners and students often choose to rent a violin from a violin shop. There are different types of violin shops. Some sell all kinds of musical instruments and offer violins from several different manufacturers. Other violin shops may make their own violins and many...