Inside This Issue

“Buy

This

Violin!”

The first task when buying a violin

is to choose a reputable shop. In my opinion, this is the

most important step in the process. Kim Tipper from

Victoria B.C., recommends asking around. “Meet the

owner, ask if he/she plays. How they answer may tell

you a lot,” says Kim.

Scott Marckx, a violinmaker from Washington, recom-

mends finding a shop that will take back their instru-

ments in trade. Ask teachers and other players for their

recommendation. Make sure you feel comfortable with

the people running the shop.

“You shouldn't be made to feel bad because you don't

know something. It is in the shop's best interest to help

you learn about how to care for a violin,” states Scott.

Look also for a shop where the sales staff are string

players and teachers whenever possible. Also, look for

a shop that will stand behind the condition of their

instruments and offer a trade-in guarantee.

(BUY VIOLIN Continued on page 2)

Fiddleheads Violin Shop & School • www.fiddleheads.ca • Phone (250) 833-5626 • Send Chocolates: Box 49, Canoe, BC V0E 1K0

Our Violin & Fiddle Community Newsletter

Volume 8 - Fall 2007 - Number 1

This Issue: “Buy This Violin!”

How to Buy a Violin

Helpful advice before

you shop 1, 2, 4

Publication Info 2

The Dark Side of Violin

Crooked Luthiers,

Greedy Salesmen

& Other Creepy

Creatures 3, 6

In Memory of Alisha 4

Instruments for Sale 5

School News 7

Violin Society News 7

Sheet Music:

O! Canada 8

How to Buy a Violin

by Julie Tebbs of www.theviolincase.com

Many students will naturally want to have their teachers’ recommendations

when choosing an instrument. Most of the time this is a very good idea.

Several of the shops also mentioned a practice where the violin teacher re-

ceives a commission from a violin shop when an instrument is sold on their

recommendation. Ask your teacher if he/she works with a shop and receives

a commission. If so it should be out in the open. [Fiddleheads does not pay

commissions as it is viewed as unethical by many shops and teachers.]

It is recommended however, that if your teacher is not receiving a commis-

sion and gives their time to go with you to help choose an instrument, it is a

good idea to offer compensation for their time.

The hardest question when searching for a violin is, “What should I look for

in a violin?” This question of course has many answers. Scott Marckx rec-

ommends that you play as many violins as you can and get opinions from

teachers and other players.

Many of the shops mentioned the importance of buying a violin that is prop-

erly “set up.” This is a term that basically refers to all the finishing touches

on the violin, such as fitting the bridge, shaping the fingerboard, pegs, and

many other small but important details.

The set up of a violin can have a major effect on the sound quality of the

instrument. Because of this, buying the violin from a reputable shop instead

of a general music store is extremely important. Peter Zaret in Ohio recom-

mends looking for tone and power:

“There are hundreds of adjectives that describe the tone of a violin: warm,

lyrical, rich, clear, deep, smooth, brilliant, and on and on. The most impor-

tant one though, is power.”

There is a general unnamed feeling among violinists that the old violins are

better than the new violins. This probably stems from the legendary Stradi-

vari violins of the 17th and 18th centuries that now sell for millions.

However, old isn't necessarily better. Scott states, “Old violins can acquire

historic value on top of their inherent value as a tool to be played. Some-

times this can be confused with thinking an old violin automatically sounds

better than a new violin.”

And related to this, Hammond Ashley states, “A new violin will become a

more responsive, resonant version of itself. The critical break in is usually

only several months to a few years. Do not assume it will become a more

fabulous instrument in the future. If you like it now and it is new, the likeli-

hood of it opening with playing is good.”

“However, and old instrument is not always better. Look for clarity, projec-

tion, response, and dynamic range.”

Another consideration with older instruments is the condition. Zaret states,

“With an older violin condition becomes very important. A violin with a lot

of cracks and repairs may sound well when it is purchased, but changes in

the weather, bumps, lack of humidity or too much humidity can cause struc-

tural or tonal problems. Cracks can open or form, the neck can drop, buzzes

can occur and endless problems can result from many repairs.”

The next question we all ask is, “What price range should I look for?” Most

of the shops agreed that it is very difficult answer this question since there

are so many factors involved in choosing the instrument.

(BUY VIOLIN Continued from page 1)

(BUY VIOLIN Continued on page 4)

Published by Rhiannon Schmitt of

Fiddleheads Violin School

and Fiddleheads Violin Shop

In Full Colour at www.Fiddleheads.ca

Title Page Violinists:

Charlotte Moores, 13, has studied for six years

at Fiddleheads Violin School and is showing off

her gorgeous tiger-striped violin.

Submissions & Comments: info@fiddleheads.ca

PO Box 49 • Canoe, BC V0E 1K0 • Canada

The Fiddleheads Gazette

Vol. 8 • Fall 2007 • Number 1

Copyright © 2000-2007 Fiddleheads Violin Shop & School

2

Shari Plays a Gold Prism Tabary’s popular Prism carbon-fibre

violin bows are endorsed for Fiddleheads by

Canadian recording artist Shari Ulrich .

Violin bows in ten stunning metallic colors: $150 CAD / $145 USD & Free Shipping

Viola, Cello and Bass Bows also available.

“What’s your colour?”

www.fiddleheads.ca � 250-833-5626

The Dark Side of The Violin The Dark Side of The Violin The Dark Side of The Violin The Dark Side of The Violin Crooked Luthiers, Greedy Salesmen

and Other Creepy Creatures

By Rhiannon Schmitt

The violin business has many

treacherous tales to tell. With rare items selling for millions, the trade can be highly lucrative for swindlers, thus attracting un-

scrupulous salesman like fruit flies to sticky paper. As in other “make money quick” scams, such as the automotive industry and the current housing market, the violin indus-try has attracted all sorts of scary salespeo-ple, excluding of course yours truly.

Not all violin sellers are dishonest, some of us nice folks are helpful, hard-working peo-ple who just love all things strings. But with an instrument that is surrounded in powerful mystique and glorified by films like “The Red Violin,” this high-profit market inspires many seedy entrepreneurs to cash in on the rotting old relic in the attic or snatch up “Lot No. Thirty” on auction to make a quick buck.

Such shysters get their sweaty paws on a find and greedily examine the label, hoping they've fetched a rare gem. Oh? It doesn't say “Stradivarius?”

Sorry bub, but even if the label claimed to be a Strad, all the authentic ones have been accounted for. You're ain't gonn’a strike it rich on another dud swimming among a pes-tilent sea of million copies.

Ahh, but some cunning salesmen learned to change the label to suit their bank account, making fake labeling one of many infamous atrocities of the violin sales underworld.

The creepy craft of label forgery has become so rampant that it's difficult for most ordinary people, and even some experts, to tell au-thentic from fake. Some enterprising scoun-drels photocopy images of actual violin la-bels from old reference books, usually those of rare and obscure makers. They then stain the paper with black tea and craftily glue the impostors into cheap violins posing as the real McCoy.

Voila! The value of this old junk has just mi-raculously inflated by 800%! It's a ghastly and highly unethical practice, but it is unfor-tunately done all the time.

I think some luthiers (violin makers/repairers) are sadly like computer hackers. The shadier of the lot are remorseless show-offs who abuse their talents and take up a life of crime rather than producing honest work. Like the notorious “Mafiaboy” wrecking havoc on websites for kicks, a similar deceptive crea-tivity oozes from dishonest luthiers as they spawn very convincing forgeries of master instruments.

This is the nastier practice of copies. Not only is the label counterfeit, but even the violin is such a convincing forgery that it stumps the experts.

Case in point, the “Messiah Stradivarius” violin's authenticity has been disputed for years, resulting in anything from chemical analysis of the varnish and extensive grain examination. Some poor sods in lab coats spend weeks under a magnifying glass counting the tree rings in the wood to deter-mine the actual age of the timber then some-how compare it to the date on the label.

The final decision, if the experts ever come to agreement, will make or break the as-sessed value of £10,000,000 so this science is taken very seriously.

Okay, it's not all lies and deceit. Some honest luthiers simply enjoy the chal-lenge of creating a reproduction for play-ers and collectors who can never afford the real deal. It's actually an intriguing and spe-cialized art to create a violin worthy of the original maker. Simulated neck grafts, blurred labels, worn varnish indi-cating years of wear and intentional scrapes and dings instantly make a new violin more mysterious, adding appeal.

Certain copies are just as good as the origi-nal and it's fun to look over a copy and ap-preciate the detail the maker put into it. The difference here is that the buyer knows they are buying a copy and there is no huge hoopla when someone with far too much money pays $3 MILLION for a dud.

Forgery knows no decency and it doesn't stop at false labels and a few scrapes. I heard of a prominent violin shop in England that used to keep a drawer full of old dust bunnies they sal-vaged from violins coming through the shop on repair. A profit-hungry luthier crammed these nasty little mor-sels through the f-holes of violins for sale, ob-

(WINTER Continued on page 6)

3

Fake labels, convincing replicas and other sleazy practices in violin sales

exposed by Rhiannon Schmitt of Award-Winning Fiddleheads Violin Shop

(DARK SIDE

Continued page 6)

4

Hammond Ashley states, “Price range is com-

pletely subjective, and the main reason it is

best to solicit the advice of a teacher you re-

spect. To one person, $500 is a good enough

instrument for their development. To others,

they need to spend a few thousand dollars to

reach a violin that meets their demands. Again,

trade in guarantee can ensure you are getting

the best instrument for your current ability with

the potential to move up in the future.”

Zaret says for a reasonably serious student to

professional violin, the range is likely to be

between approximately $1,200 - $20,000.

However, he says, “Violin making is a

very inexact science. There are many fine ex-

pensive violins that don't sound well and there

are many inexpensive violins that do sound

well. You need to pick up as many as you can

and play them.”

Scott recommends, “Try instruments in various

price ranges. You will begin to find the range

that works for you. It’s always good to have a

sense of what you might want to aspire toward

in the future. It’s also good to know that you

truly prefer your chosen instrument to one

that’s less expensive.”

Kim says, “There is only a passing relationship

between price and sound. You can't shop by

price if you want the player to love their instru-

ment. Is that how you picked your spouse?”

With so much to think about, what is a non-

musically-inclined parent to do? Scott sug-

gests, “It is in [violin shop owners’] best inter-

est to help you learn about music and enjoy it

and they will probably know about local teach-

ers and concerts and events. Music is not some-

thing you have to be an expert to enjoy. Have

fun exploring it.”

I believe if you give your child the private

lessons they need and they are progressing to

the point where they need a new instrument,

feel free to trust your student to choose the

sound and the instrument they most enjoy.

- Julie Tebbs

(BUY VIOLIN Continued from page 2)

4

Fiddleheads violin student Alisha Pearson was killed in a tragic accident on July 28. She was only 10

years old and loved by many.

I very clearly remember first meeting Alisha in the spring of 2003. She’d been begging her family for violin lessons for quite some time and came to meet me with her grandma. Alisha was so excited she was nearly hop-ping in her seat, anxious to get a fiddle in her little hands.

The next fall she started lessons and nothing would ever hold her back. She pushed to learn more difficult songs and techniques than she was ready for. She was so enthusi-astic that I sometimes gave in and let her move ahead. "Teach me bravado," she said, confusing the word with "vibrato" and causing me to snicker to myself.

Alisha had a goal to learn all the songs in her many music books by the end of the year. I just smiled and asked her to start with one at a time, not wanting to disappoint her but to help her bite off an amount she could chew.

Incredibly, Alisha managed to play through some of these pieces even though they were very

tricky. Her favourite piece was "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter and

she played it for me in every lesson. Alisha loved the classics but always made a point of learning old time fiddle songs for her grandpa. Her family was everything to her and she always found ways to show her love for them.

At one point Alisha joined our violin group, Fiddleheads, and was the chattiest member we had! Her life was an open book and she shared her experiences and thoughts so easily. If I ever needed a volunteer to play a solo, she was there, waving her bow in the air, saying, "I can do it!" Alisha's violin playing gave her such confidence and self-esteem and I was al-ways so proud of her many accomplishments. I enjoyed watching her grow up with a fiddle in hand. Violin was her life.

I celebrated my 30th birth-day last February. Alisha was the first to arrive at my party and the last to leave, spending the entirety of the party by my side. She was my sweet little shadow! I tried my best to let her feel included as it seemed she had a case of hero worship. She loved to please and to be included.

Alisha had a unique sense of style and flair. Unlike other kids her age she wore full length

dresses and fancy scarves. I admired her trendy glasses and interesting combinations of jewellery and accessories, especially how she pulled it all off with confidence!

Alisha had expensive taste. I joked she would have to make a lot of money to afford the violins and things she wanted as most lessons started with her telling me which book or violin thing she wanted to purchase next. She had her eyes on a camouflage green violin case I had for sale and made an offer to work for it. How could I refuse? She babysat my son, Ryan, overnight for me in exchange for the case. And she did a fantas-tic job as a sitter, keeping Ryan entertained and busy the whole time. She took every task she was assigned very seriously and always

offered her best.

Alisha was proud of her status as "President" of her grandfather's con-struction company, but, jokes aside, she did have a mind for business and would have made a cun-ning entrepreneur with a large collection of fine violins! I only wish I could have seen her grow up.

Miss Alisha Pearson, you will be deeply missed and I hope our violin community can keep your glowing spirit alive in our music.

- Rhiannon Schmitt

A recital in Alisha’s honour will be held on December 1, her birthday. Details TBA.

In Loving Memory of Alisha PearsonAlisha PearsonAlisha PearsonAlisha Pearson December 1, 1996 - July 28, 2007

Many other instruments (violins, violas, cellos) and accessories available for trial. Shop online or by appointment.

Fiddleheads and Rhiannon Schmitt have won several business awards for outstanding customer service, creativity, entrepreneurship and musicianship.

www.fiddleheads.ca • (250) 833-5626

Sun VN-103 $1950 CAD

J. P. Chr. Emde Liepzig 1841 $800 CAD

P. Blanchard, Lyon, 1912 $3900 CAD

Maggini (copy)

$450 CAD

Angela Moneff $4450 CAD

Andreas Jovani $1990 CAD

Full Size Cello from Violin Society of America Silver Award-winning

maker Xuechang Sun.

Maestro Soloist CL-304: Deluxe Antique Oil Varnish 4/4 size. 1 left in stock: Saddle

brown (pictured).

$7490 CAD with case

Amatus $850 CAD

Klotz $4900 CAD

Emile Blondlet $4500 CAD

Concert $850 CAD

Otis A. Tomas Cape Breton Island, 2005

$3900 CAD

Ivan Stankov $4500 CAD

JMJ WBF, 1921

$600 CAD

Ming Jiang Zhu

recently won a 2nd VSA Gold Medal!

Violins and Violas by

Special Order,

priced from $1995 CAD

Otis A. Tomas Cape Breton, 2005

$3900 CAD

Artisan $790 CAD

Concerto $590 CAD

E.L. Stone 3/4 outfit $750 CAD

Oskar B. Heinl 1931 $3490 CAD

Decorative inlayed violins from $700

Amati-Strings Violin Outfits: Handmade in seasoned, flamed

woods; tone rivalling $800 violins. Fully setup with nice cordura case and wood bow.

All sizes: 1/16 - 4/4: $490 CAD

6

scuring the label and adding age to the violin. The buyer was tricked into thinking the violin was ancient enough to have accumu-lated such filth and believed it must be authentic.

Really, I'm not making this up.

Virtuous shop owners get our violins the old fashioned way: We order them from a supplier or maker, take instruments on trade or consignment from customers and buy from other dealers.

However some greedy wheeler-dealers sink pretty low and prey on the ignorance of the violin's owner in their home, usually an elderly person with a failing memory and an inability to stand up for him-self. The wheeler dealer practically takes the fiddle for a song (mind the pun) and the seller catches on to the scam but only too late.

It's even been rumoured that some nasty violin barterers even check the obituaries and contact the next of kin of deceased violin-ists! But maybe that's simply a hair-raising story violinists tell their kids at the campfire.

During music college I was having a bow re-haired at a big city violin shop. The owner said it wasn't really worth fixing up. This is the typical ruse employed to drive the price down. After this he casually offered me $100 for it in its poor condition. It was too darn fishy, so I didn't take him on his offer. I've later learned the bow was worth at least $1,000 or much more if it's sold on auction.

Ready for another bloodcurdling story? Recently the host of a house concert I was playing at brought out his old violin for me to see. Well, it wasn't really his violin but an unwanted replacement. He had taken his original violin in to some shop for repair and the owner secretly swapped it for an inferior violin and probably made big cash on the stolen one. By the time the owner realized he'd been duped it was too late and the shop had closed.

Are you spooked yet? How about this terrifying tale. Before I knew much about violins I, too, was burned. A traveling dealer had an “Italian” violin worth $8000, then on his written appraisal he claimed it's replacement value was $10-$12K. I got it for only $4500. Was it too good to be true?

Yup. In the end it turns out the violin was only worth about $1000 and the “Italian” markings were indicative of a typical German school of violin making. I had saved for years to pay for it. I got my money back less $1000 after much arguing. I ended our business relationship and was what motivated me to learn more about violins and eventually open my own shop so this wouldn't happen to my students again.

There are many, many other spooky violin sales horror stories that will make your toes curl, but I don't want to give you bad dreams. Just do some research before buying or selling, ask lots of ques-tions and if a deal ever feels fishy don't be pressured to go through with it. Soon you will buy and sell with confidence and you may even help weed out the weanies.

As for me, I've built excellent business relationships with reputable companies and dealers and I've made the personal decision to never burn anyone. I'll never get rich off this practice, but I sleep great at night and there are no skeletons in my closet.

Just old violin cases! a

Visit my violin shop at www.fiddleheads.ca/shop.htm and I'd

be happy to assist you in purchasing an instrument or acces-

sory or answer any questions you may have.

(DARK SIDE Continued from page 3)

Schmitt Family Summer 2007

- We adopted two

pet rats: Priscilla

(grey) and Phoenix

(white) are lovely

companions.

- Mason and I cele-

brated 8 years of

marriage.

- I hosted numerous sleepovers and playdates with

Ryan’s friends in Canoe. At one point we had 9 kids!

- We visited family in Seattle, San Diego, Campbell

River and Westside.

- We stayed up until midnight at a bookstore to get

copies of the final Harry Potter book. Ryan won first

place in a Harry Potter costume contest!

- We hosted a circus in our yard with neighbourhood

kids. Ryan was a clown, Mason was a groundkeeper

and I fed the masses of performers. Later we enjoyed

a professional circus in town.

- I drove to San Diego, CA

and back with my mother

and son. We visited the

San Diego Zoo, Balboa

Park and the ocean. We

celebrated a friend’s 50th

birthday at the Del Mar

racetrack where Ryan’s

horse came in first!

- I got a tan for the first

time in years and painted

more of my house! Another 5+ gallons of paint added

here and there.

- I played violin in a few weddings and other gigs with

Anita, including busking downtown for fun.

- I became PREGNANT in August! Due in May, 2008.

Eco Award Nominations

Fiddleheads is the world’s first “green” violin business.

I ask my customers to please show support for my eco practices by nominating Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop for the Shuswap Business Excellence “Green Award.”

The award recognizes demonstrated commit-ment to environmentally friendly practice.

Links to the nomination form and other info at www.fiddleheads.ca/nomination2007 . Your support is very much appreciated. The dead-line is September 16.

Music Awards

Nominate your favourite local musicians for the 2007 Okanagan Music Awards. Forms at www.scorpionentertainment.ca

The deadline for nominations is September 7. Rhiannon was the 2006 winner for “Classical Artist of the Year.”

Fall Trimester

The fall semester commences September 18. There are a couple morning/mid-day spots available: no afternoon spots are available. Fees are due by week two, please.

There is a week of holiday coming up in No-vember for a school district break. A calendar is online at www.fiddleheads.ca/school/

Fiddleheads on Facebook

Students, customers and friends are welcome to join our Fiddleheads Facebook group. Search “Fiddleheads” on www.facebook.com

Fiddle Contest

Fiddleheads student winners last May.

Beginner Small Fry: 1st - Rachel Bates (6); 2nd - Kaia Pauli (6); 3rd - Beth Ralston (6)

Int Small Fry: 2nd - Abby Matheson (7)

Beginner Junior: 1st - Maria Wallis (10); 2nd - Jamé Wonacott (8)

Intermediate Junior: 1st - Mary Ross (12); 2nd - David McMaster (11); 3rd - Alisha Pearson (10)

Beginner Adult: 1st - Elisha Ramstad; 2nd - Michael Sears

▼GRAND CHAMPION: Mary Ross

Two December Recitals

Fiddleheads is hosting two student recitals in December. The first recital is in memory of the late Fiddleheads student Alisha Pearson who passed away in July.

The memorial concert will be held on what would have been Alisha’s 11th birthday, De-cember 1. All proceeds from this event will go to a scholarship fund set up in her honour.

Three weeks later is our annual Christmas Recital on December 21 at the Art Gallery. All proceeds go to the Salmon Arm food bank.

More info on both recitals in the next Gazette. Please mark your calendars.

Same Location

We’d hoped to build a new, more ec0-friendly home/ school this summer but delays in subdivision have postponed the plans. Lessons will be held at the usual location.

A New Baby Girl!

Congrats to a dear friend and violin student Sarah Maier and her husband John for the birth of their lovely daughter, Anouk, in July.

Our Baby News!

It is with great pleasure I announce my second pregnancy! I due May 3, 2008, thus our final trimester of lessons will be shortened. More details to come. Meanwhile, we’re so excited!

Instrument Bank SVS Instrument Bank applica-tions are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Please contact the SVS to loan/ donate an instrument or if you would like to contribute funds.

Directors, Members & Volunteers Needed The Society is seeking moti-vated supporters of violin music as directors, society members and volunteers for our various projects and events. Email info@violinsociety.ca.

Coffeehouses & Events Check the SVS website at www.violinsociety.ca to keep up on the coffeehouses and other SVS events.

*The SVS is always seeking new talent for the coffeehouse events. Contact us.

Fiddle Contest: Thanks! The 5th Annual Strings Alive Fiddle Contest was a great suc-cess! Next year’s contest at 7pm, May 16, 2008 at the SAGA Gallery in Salmon Arm.

www.violinsociety.ca

Shuswap Violin Society News Provided Courtesy of Fiddleheads Violins

7

The Fiddleheads Gazette • Vol 8, No 1 • Fall 2007 • “The Love of the Violin” • Page 8

"O Canada" became Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980, just over 100 years after it was first performed on June 24, 1880.

Music by Calixa Lavallée; French lyrics by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. Official English lyrics by Mr. Justice Robert Stanley Weir (1908)

but revised in 1968 by a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons.

This violin duet version arranged by Rhiannon Schmitt.

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