Shar Music Blog

So, you've decided that you'd like to learn a string instrument. Great choice! Playing a string instrument — be it a bowed instrument like violin or cello or a plucked/strummed one like guitar or ukulele — can be immensely rewarding, whether you have…

We all know that the violin family of instruments — that is, violin, viola, cello, and double bass — is most closely associated with classical music. It makes sense: one virtually defines the other, after all! Yet bowed string instruments have worked…

Each year, we are impressed by the photos our customer send in for our Photo Contests. This year, you've all outdone yourselves! We received so many impressive shots, and it took some time to sift through them all, but after much deliberation, we've…

Attention Teachers: Enrich Your Studio With Martha Yasuda’sGorgeous Arrangements of Classic Works and Favorites

When we first saw Martha Yasuda’s music books, several years ago, we were really impressed with their quality. The arranging was top-notch;…

Editor's Note: The following blog post originally appeared on Arnold Steinhardt's blog In the Key of Strawberry and is republished with permission. Steinhardt is the founding member of the Guarneri String Quartet and the author of two books: Violin Dreams

Most of us violinists (as well as violists, cellists and bassists) are our most comfortable in an orchestra setting. Of course, the music is fantastic, and usually very challenging to learn and play. But learn and play we do, after woodshedding our parts…

After weeks of deliberation over your photo contest entries, we have selected winner for this year’s Spring 2018 Photo Contest! We had huge number of submissions this year, which made our job even harder. Of all the wonderful photos we received, we…

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…

“. . . a master violin is an accumulation of many small steps, each carried out with painstaking care”

~ Rainer W. Leonhardt, Master Violin Maker, Mittenwald, Germany

The origins of the violin were likely rooted in India or the Far East. In fact, musical instruments that are played with a bow appear in centuries-old paintings and pottery from many different civilizations. But there is no doubt that the violin we…