We’ve always loved the Children’s Music Series here at SHAR, but we recently realized that very few people outside of SHAR know much about the author of this excellent series. We came across this thread on Violinist.com about the author, Evelyn Bedient Avsharian. In the thread, the person posted the question: “Does anyone know exactly who Evelyn Avsharian is? I have used many of her books but I can't find any information about her!”. We thought it was time that the violin community knew more about this remarkable person who was a violinist, teacher, wife and mother. We sat down with Evelyn Be ..read more

Shoulder rests are a relatively recent, and somewhat controversial, part of a violinist or violist's kit bag. One musician or teacher may tell you that a shoulder rest is an absolute must; another might insist that it's not only unnecessary, but detrimental. So, who's right ..read more

  If you are the parent of an aspiring musician, or a beginner yourself, you'll eventually find yourself in the position where you need to purchase a beginner violin. Looking at all the beginner violins for sale online, you may find yourself thinking: "why not purchase one of these $30 - $90 violin outfits that I see online? They must be just fine, right ..read more

Kiana June Weber. Photo by J. Carlos Gonzalez ..read more

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 professional aspirations or are just learning to play music as a hobby ..read more

I’m here today to shed some light on a common question: what’s the difference between a fiddle and a violin ..read more

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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 to be squeamish about, say, dissecting a frog ..read more

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 their way into nearly every corner of music around the world, with the advent of the electric violin in particular allowing for the violin family's entry into modernity ..read more

If you play a string instrument – be it a violin family instrument like what we sell at SHAR Music or an electric guitar, a harp, a European lute, what have you –  at some point during your musical practice you’ve surely wondered to yourself: “just where, when, and why did people come up with this idea?”. Let’s face it: playing a string instrument is kind of weird when you think about it, and debatably even weirder when the strings were made of an animal’s intestinal lining! It raises a lot of questions: how did humans start playing string instruments? What was the first string inst ..read more