Shar Music Blog

At some point, most kids will have another kid tell them that violin strings (not to mention stitches and tennis rackets) are made of cat intestines, or “catgut”. It’s a classic gross-out, especially effective if the kid on the receiving end is the type…

Spring is recital season! Getting through your most important performances, believe it or not, requires more than just practice. Proper nutrition, rest, and mental and emotional wellness are key factors in maximizing the effectiveness of your hard work.…

There are more people who miss playing music than there are people who actually do play music. There are countless reasons for not going back to playing, including fear, lack of time, bad memories from childhood experiences, not knowing others who may be…

It's a scenario every beginner or intermediate string player finds themselves in at some point: either a string broke, the metal winding is unraveling, or they've simply decided better strings will make them finally sound like Anne-Sophie Mutter. I can…

Of the four strings on the violin, the E-string is unique. With the exception of baroque violin E-strings, which are generally made from plain gut, the violin E-string is made from steel, offering very different characteristics than the other three…

At D’Addario, we believe that our success comes from treating our customers like family. Partnering with educators, and listening to their needs, shaped our goals for developing the Ascenté violin set.

There have been rumors about counterfeit strings for violin, viola, cello, and bass infiltrating the market for at least a decade. When I heard of "counterfeit strings", I mostly imagined packaging that looked like it came out of an Inkjet printer, and…

The advent, or rather the evolution of the steel violin e-string over a century ago brought violinists to new heights in their playing. The stablity and thinness of a steel wire allowed for greater brilliance, intonation, and speed. However, with the…

Sometimes buying strings for your violin, viola, cello, or bass, is just a matter of reordering the same strings that you've loved for ages. The reliable set that has always sounded great on your instrument might be all you need for the rest of your…

Have you ever caught your child sneaking some salty food straight out of the bag or jar, snacking in an attempt to procrastinate before practicing? Maybe not, but I once had a student who loved pickles and would eat them right out of the jar before…