As a string teacher, I often reflect on the joy my fellow string players experience at bluegrass jams, folk festivals, and rock concerts. These are all genres based on instruments that include strings that are widely popular. I often wonder why my orchestra programs are struggling when the most popular musical genres are primarily played on stringed instruments.  This is especially tricky when my colleagues teaching show choir and marching band programs sustain huge numbers of kids,  dollars, and public recognition in their programs.

Perhaps this is because very few people are as invested in the continuation of notation based and classical approach to making music in our public school orchestra programs. It is possible that sticking to this outdated system has affected our recruitment, retention, and progression of the art of playing stringed instruments? I wonder why we are so slow to change our way of thinking? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that orchestra teachers are often coming directly from a wellspring of post-secondary experiences that are seemingly isolated to classical notions and stuck in their ways.

Many studies have indicated that orchestra teachers see the tangible benefits of improvisation and by playing by ear. Orchestra teachers actually desire to provide this skill in their classrooms. The reason that we often cite for not teaching this: We weren’t taught how to do it. Continue reading “Free (the) Strings” →

CodaBow is the original carbon fiber bow. Formed in the 1990’s by an aerospace engineer, materials expert and master bow maker: these pioneers set out to find the perfect synthetic alternative to Pernambuco. Pernambuco is the hardwood considered the ideal bow making material due to its density, strength, and sonic properties. However, over time the material has become scarce and is expensive to import from its native Brazil. Therefore the market needed a new option, and CodaBow was able to deliver on a professional line of bows that meet the needs of violin, viola, cello and bass players.

What is Carbon Fiber?

Carbon Fiber is over quadruple the strength of steel and consists of very small strands of fiber held together by carbon atoms. If you are interested in reading more about the manufacturing process, visit this article called “How Carbon Fiber is Made” from ThoughtCo.

Why Carbon Fiber?

Carbon Fiber bows are now an accepted bow option for string players, though many players will own both a wood option and carbon fiber option. Bows made from this new material can closely mimic the sound qualities of Pernambuco at a fraction of the price. Carbon Fiber is a strong material that should not warp or crack, which can occur with its wood counterpart when there are fluctuations in temperature and humidity.

Intentional Design

CodaBow reimagined their lines of bows with focus on intentional design for each type of performer to optimize the player’s experience and success. As they often say at CodaBow: “the bow matters!”

Continue reading “What Is A CodaBow Carbon Fiber Bow?” →