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

Denver Violins in the Publications!

DV Gets a Shoutout from the Symphony Blog! “Denver Violins, which had set up a wonderful shop in the Daniels & Fisher Tower at the end of...

Mackenzie Miller

Apr 291 min read

April Update: Current State of Bow and Instrument Materials

There are two complex political situations that musicians and makers alike need to be aware of! Note: this information is not intended as...

Mackenzie Miller

Apr 292 min read

Bow Bugs

Have you ever opened a bow or instrument case that’s been left alone for a few months only for your bows to look like this? The bad news...

Mackenzie Miller

Apr 292 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 172 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 173 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 173 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 171 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,...

nmhmusic

Jan 171 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 171 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 172 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 173 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 174 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 172 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 171 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...

nmhmusic

Jan 173 min read

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

Instrument Upkeep and notes from the workbench of Eddy Miller!

nmhmusic

Jan 174 min read