Don Rickert Musical Instruments(tm)

Appears that at most of MusikMesse 2009 was cool - just not the violin section

This site is no longer being maintained. Relevant posts have been moved to the new site www.AdventurousMuse.com, which is associated with our new, expanded and just plain better online musical instrument store www.AdventurousMuseStore.com.

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Just got finished reading a bunch of updates on really cool new electric and electronic music gear shown at MusikMesse 2009. Our innovative instruments (especially our octave/baritone violins), since they are acoustic, got  stuck in a booth at arrogance central ground zero (where all of the classical violin star wanna-be types hung out...real violin stars are NOT generally arrogant) of an overall great event in Frankfurt.

MusikMesse, Frankfurt, baritone, octave, violin, electric, electronic, music, gear

Breaking News: Fiddling is Good for You!

This site is no longer being maintained. Relevant posts have been moved to the new site www.AdventurousMuse.com, which is associated with our new, expanded and just plain better online musical instrument store www.AdventurousMuseStore.com.

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According to the March 2009 Issues of "The Daily Fiddle", "A fiddle a day keeps the doctor away". Note: We don't think that the The Daily Fiddle is a real newspaper, but what the heck...just doing what the mainstream news media does; rehashing "news" regardless of the source :-)

The Daily Fiddle is really part of a ad campaign on the Shite 'n' Onions site for a really big Cetlic punk festival in Devon, England...sounds pretty good!

Celtic, festival, fiddle, punk

Promised Update on MusikMesse in Frankfurt

This site is no longer being maintained. Relevant posts have been moved to the new site www.AdventurousMuse.com, which is associated with our new, expanded and just plain better online musical instrument store www.AdventurousMuseStore.com.

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We promised an update but really don't have much to say, given the "if you can't say anything nice, don't say it" constraint that we will adhere to in this case. We don't want to end up getting "blacklisted".

So...something nice: The other luthiers from Cremona, Italy, the very place where Guarneri and his student, Stradivari, refined what is now considered the standard violin design were very friendly and had lots of nice things to say about out innovative octave violins (demonstrated by our partner firm, Fiddarci Lutherie). Other attendees would have been, if living in the time of Stradivari, the same people who ridiculed his creations as too radical a departure from the viols da gamba, which were the rage among the self-proclaimed musical Establishment of his day.

Something merely factual: Read into this what you will. Arguably the greatest guitar designer and manufacturer of all time, Christian Frederick Martin (C.F. Martin Guitars), left Germany to set up business in the U.S. in the early 1800s for a reason. Read about it at C.F. Martin's website (in the "History" section). Sounds like not much has changed since then!

No photos or video of Music Mess owing to the fact that photography or video is strictly verboten!

End of story.

MusikMesse, Cremona, Stradivari, C.F. Martin, Martin, Guitars, Germany, Fiddarci Lutherie, violin

Music Mess at MusikMesse in Frankfurt

This site is no longer being maintained. Relevant posts have been moved to the new site www.AdventurousMuse.com, which is associated with our new, expanded and just plain better online musical instrument store www.AdventurousMuseStore.com.

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Full article when our colleagues at Fiddarci Lutherie get back safely. All I can tell you is that Don Rickert Musical Instruments will not be going to MusikMesse next year based on Fiddarci Lutherie's experience...I do hope that they got some good video.

music mess, MusikMesse, Frankfurt

Shep Jones and Darci Jones On Thier Way to MusikMesse in Frankfurt, Germany

Musikmesse is one of the most important, and certainly the biggest trade show for musical instrument innovators and makers and the music business in general. In addition to musical instruments, manufacturers of music software, computer hardware, sheet music and accessories are represented. This year's exposition is in Frankfurt am Main from 1 to 4 April 2009. Last year there were 1,652 exhibitors from 47 countries and around 78,500 visitors. More are expected this year.

Shep and Darci Jones of Fiddarci Lutherie, the manufacturer of Rickert & Ringholz-Fiddarci Lutherie Type II and Cradle of Harmony Octave Violins. Rickert & Ringholz is a brand of Don Rickert Research & Design. They will also be showing Fiddarci Lutherie violins. We'll have a full report and lots of video upon their return. Here are some photos from their departure:

Click on any of the thumbnails for full-size views.

Atlanta Pipe Band Wins at Loch Norman

The Atlanta Pipe Band is particularly important to me, as I played fiddle as part of their most recent annual fund raising concert. You want to hear what a pipe band should sound like, see their recent win at the Loch Norman Highland Games.

Atlanta Pipe Band Loch Norman Don Rickert fiddle

First Annual Hoppin' John Old-Time & Bluegrass Fiddler's Convention

Hoppin' John could not have been more different than the big established festivals. We had more fun at Hoppin' John than any of the festivals we went to this year (Note: anticipate having just as much fun at the upcoming Stone Mountain Scottish Highland Games).

The Hoppin' John convention was pretty small (hundreds rather than thousands of attendees). It took place at Shakori Hills in Silk Hope, NC. Shakori Hills is a sort of land trust (about 70 acres) as far as we understand, staffed by volunteers and funded by the likes of really cool bands like Donna the Buffalo. The 'vibe' of this festival was "5-star". We met the nicest people and the best Old-Time musicians we have ever had the pleasure to meet, hear and jam with. We particularly enjoyed the Civil War re-enactor fiddlers and banjo players and the "neo-jam-cajonish" contingent, who seemed to never sleep :-)

In addition to the competitions, which included a category for Alternative (e.g. "Jam-grass", jug band, skiffle, etc.), there were jam sessions going on all night as well as organized square and contra-dancing that went on at least until midnight.

We made several key contacts, including a potential Master Luthier for Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments and a guitar restoration firm to help us keep up with varnishing new instruments. We did not take too many photos, but we do have lots of great sound samples with permission to post them. We will be doing so soon.

Worthy of mention is that we saw and heard for the first time one of the bowed dulcimers of Ken Bloom, which we hope to carry in our online store in the near future.

fiddle, violin, Shakori Hills, Hoppin' John Fiddler's Convention, Rickert and Ringholz Musical Instruments, bowed dulcimer, Ken Bloom

Old Fiddlers' Convention at Galax, VA

Earlier we posted some photos of the Rickert & Ringholz tent at Galax, but we never wrote a review. Here is a  brief review:

• It was very hot, in the 100s, almost every one of the six days we were there.
• There were a lot of people in attendance...most came out after dark.
• Lots of great musicians
• We met a number of interesting people, many of whose company we enjoyed. In particular, we really enjoyed the company of Jerry and Mary Jane of Fretwell Bass (our next door neighbors) and Bruce Haney, the inventor of the FiddleWidget, which we now sell in our online store.
• We'll give this festival another try next year. Hopefully it will not be so hot and the fun factor will be higher.

We're interested in other folks' review of Galax 2007, so feel free to comment.

Rickert and Ringholz Musical Instruments, Fretwell bass, FiddleWidget, Galax, Old Fiddlers' Convention, fiddle, violin

Some Pictures and Some Tunes from Recent Festivals

Here are some pictures, accompanied by some fine fiddling on one of our antique-style cigar-box fiddles (who says that a cigar box fiddle has to sound horrible).

There are photos from...

• The Hoppin' John First Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Convention (Best time we've ever had!)
• The Old Fiddlers' Convention (Galax, VA): The oldest and one of the biggest, but...
• The Tennessee Valley Old Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention (Athens, AL): One of the best festivals, bar none
• The Stone Mountain (GA) Scottish Highland Games

Free MySpace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

fiddle, cigar box fiddle, The Hoppin' John First Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Convention, Old Fiddlers' Convention, Galax, Tennessee Valley Old Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention, Athens, AL,  The Stone Mountain (GA) Scottish Highland Games, Don Rickert, Rickert and Ringholz Musical Instruments

Don Rickert Research & Design at Bonnaroo 2007

We sent some of our team members to Bonnaroo this year to check out interest in Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments among the various attendee niches. Their instructions were to seek out jam sessions and engage the musicians in information sharing discussion, epecially fiddlers, and to get photos with permission if possible.

We have not gotten a full report as of yet except that none of our crew was arrested and all made it home alive. They were a bit elusive re: pictures...we'll see in a day or two when they recover from all the hard work I am sure that they did :-)

Musical instruments, V-Gear, V-Gear Musical Instruments, practice violin, practice fiddle, travel violin, travel fiddle, Don Rickert, Donald Rickert, Don Rickert Research & Design, Rickert and Ringholz, Rickert and Ringholz Musical Instruments, fiddle, violin, cigar box fiddle, baritone fiddle, baritone violin, octave fiddle, octave violin, Bonnaroo 2007, design research, ethnography