How Stuff Works

From General Upkeep, to Instrument and Bow Making, to Historical Discussions, and Everything In-Between!

Have you ever wondered about the processes that go into making and maintaining instruments and bows? Welcome to Denver Violins' "How Stuff Works".

Please peruse below for information on a variety of topics-- new topics will be added regularly, so be sure to check back frequently! A few topics will be covered in each of our quarterly newsletters, so be sure to sign up for that HERE!

All Posts

Current State of Bow and Instrument Materials

nmhmusic

4 days ago2 min read

Current State of Bow and Instrument Materials

January, 2025 The future of classical music is in peril, and we have one year to do a LOT of lobbying and outreach! WHAT is happening: In...

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Traveling with Instruments: From the Workbench

nmhmusic

4 days ago3 min read

Traveling with Instruments: From the Workbench

Traveling with Instruments ‘Tis the season for traveling to see family, and chances are pretty good that you’ll be bringing your...

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nmhmusic

4 days ago3 min read

An Ode to Unattributed Instruments

An Unattributed English violin from around the year 1800 "Countless remarkable instruments have lost their authorship to history" There...

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nmhmusic

4 days ago1 min read

Rehairs: From the Bench of Evan Orman

Rehairs! They’re a normal part of a string player’s life, but when should you get one? Most people actually get more rehairs than they...

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General Instrument Handling: From the Workbench of Eddy Miller

nmhmusic

4 days ago1 min read

General Instrument Handling: From the Workbench of Eddy Miller

General Instrument Handling! There is one aspect of bowed string instrument instruction that is not often discussed outside violin shops,...

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nmhmusic

4 days ago1 min read

Fiction Smashers #3: Bow Hair Barbs

“Bow Hair contains little barbs that latch onto rosin and strings” False! It’s actually more complex and interesting than that. If you...

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Tip Repairs: From the Workbench of Evan Orman

nmhmusic

4 days ago2 min read

Tip Repairs: From the Workbench of Evan Orman

Tip Repairs! We see bows needing tip repairs and replacements with fair frequency here, and feel that it is an important topic to...

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nmhmusic

4 days ago3 min read

All About Purfling

An In-Depth Discussion penned by Mackenzie Miller Several years ago, I was in the market for a new violin and I found myself turning to a...

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nmhmusic

4 days ago4 min read

Fiction Smashers #2: Italy vs France

In the shop, we often hear people talking about instruments with generalizations like “French violins sound nasal”, or “Italian violins...

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nmhmusic

4 days ago2 min read

A Note on Working with Reputable Shops

Occasionally we see inventory from other shops, often trial instruments or bows that customers bring in for comparison. We want to help...

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Fiction Smashers #1: Played-Out Bows and Thin Plates

nmhmusic

4 days ago1 min read

Fiction Smashers #1: Played-Out Bows and Thin Plates

"Bows Get Played Out" ‘Old bows get played out.’ False. If this were true, I wouldn’t expect to see top soloists like Gil Shaham or...

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nmhmusic

4 days ago3 min read

Dry Weather Help Center

Have you left an instrument out for a few hours only to come back to it looking like this? You're not alone! Read below to learn some...

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Instrument Upkeep... and notes from the workbench of Eddy Miller

nmhmusic

4 days ago4 min read

Instrument Upkeep... and notes from the workbench of Eddy Miller

Instrument Upkeep and notes from the workbench of Eddy Miller!

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