The Lyonn’s Roar by Julie Lyonn Lieberman – Edition Five – “Rhythmize Your Bow with Chop”

Welcome to the fifth edition of The Lyonn’s Roar, “Rhythmize Your Bow with Chop” by NS Violinist and Educator Julie Lyonn Lieberman.

For those of you returning to school this September, put fiery bounce in your bow by developing your “chop” percussion techniques on your violin, viola, cello or upright bass.

Starting as what was called the “chunk” technique and made popular by the father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, “chopping” has quickly become a fun and funky way for players to keep the groove moving. Bill Monroe’s fiddler Richard Greene (pictured below) further developed the “chop” technique into his own artful musical language.

Be sure to check out an excerpt from his guest appearance at the Strings Without Boundaries Summer 2016 Session in Seattle, Washington:

For lessons in how to develop this technique in your own playing, check out the Lyonn’s Roar – Fifth Edition “Rhythmize Your Bow with Chop”.

Go to Julie’s Strings Without Boundaries website page to learn more about contemporary and alternative string techniques or check out her book How to Play Contemporary Strings: A Step-by-Step Approach for Violin, Viola & Cello. Complete with video tutorials, backing tracks and a step-by-step approach including explicit notation, it will get you on your way to building new skills and techniques.

For more information about all of NS Design’s instruments including the NXTa Electric Violin that Julie plays and its eco-friendly, active yet battery-free features, and the affordable and road-worthy WAV Electric Series of instruments visit ThinkNS.com.

Odyssey Boldly with NS Cellist Katie Larson of The Accidentals on tour with a new album release as Sony Masterworks Artists

With much anticipation from fans and followers, NS Cellist Katie Larson and her Indie Folk-Rock band The Accidentals are celebrating their recent signing as Sony Materworks Artists and the release of a new album, Odyssey.

ODYSSEY ALBUM RELEASE TOUR

Here we go! The ODYSSEY Album Release Tour…Huge props to Ryan Slone New Frontier Touring for making it happen. See all the tour dates at www.theaccidentalsmusic.com #odysseyboldly

Posted by The Accidentals on Tuesday, August 8, 2017

The Odyssey Album Release Tour kicked off in New York City and continues with several dates throughout the US, continuing into Canada, back to their beloved Michigan and beyond.  With many musical stories to tell along the way, be sure to check out a show and share their journey.

“The Accidentals draw inspiration from just about every kind of music you can think of, but it really doesn’t matter what you label them as long as your label contains the word ‘great’.” -“45 of the Best Up & Coming Rock Bands to Check Out in 2017,” GoodDeedSeats

Katie Larson along with bandmate Savannah Buist, violinist/vocalist, are both multi-instrumentalists, and combined with the talents of singer/songwriter/drummer/percussionist Michael Dause, The Accidentals provide an edgy and energetic soundscape that renowned musicians have noticed and that audiences around the country respond to.

Photo credit: Max Sharp

“The musicianship and delicate preciseness to their music is unparalleled to anything else we’ve heard from talents of this age.” Raves from the Ann Arbor Indie Music Examiner

This hardworking young trio have toured extensively as supporting acts and have also joined the stage with some of the greats.  The list is both diverse and impressive: Martin Sexton, Brandi Carlile, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Keller Williams, Andrew Bird, Dar Williams, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Rusted Root, The Wailers, and so on.

“Displaying a genre-hopping range of influence and some smart songwriting skills to go with their abundant musical chops.”-“SXSW: 7 Breakout Acts”, Billboard Magazine

The Accidentals first single released from Odyssey is called “KW”.  Check out an exciting live version of “KW” from Founders Brewery featuring Katie moving and grooving with her NS CR Cello and NS Frame Strap System.  In Katie’s own words: “The NS Design cello and harness system are so versatile in design and tone that they lend themselves to any situation; jazz jams, symphony concerts, outdoor music festivals, theater shows, house concerts, punk clubs, etc.  I’ve used it in every situation and I’ve never had this much fun playing cello.”

To find links to their new album, tour dates and much more about The Accidentals visit their website: http://www.moreaccidentals.com/

For more information about the NS Cellos Larson plays and the entire family of NS instruments, including our newly released affordable and road worthy WAV Cello Series and the new high-performance Eco-friendly active NXTa’s, visit ThinkNS.com.

The Lyonn’s Roar by Julie Lyonn Lieberman – Edition Four – “Electric Technique: The Same . . .or?”

Photo Courtesy of NS Artist Avery Merritt

Welcome to the fourth edition of THE LYONN’S ROAR, “Electric Technique:  The Same . . .or?” by NS Violinist and Educator Julie Lyonn Lieberman.

Whether you’ve just unboxed your new NS Violin, plugged in your acoustic for the first time, or are just ready to unleash into new territory on the instrument you already love to play, these exciting iNSights will take your playing to another level and help you stand out in any performance setting.

Chord connection fills, textural ghost notes, chopping techniques, and incorporating guitar and horn like riffs to electrify your string sound, Lieberman highlights a range of suggestions for expanding your violin’s voice using several alternative techniques.

Electric Technique

This fourth edition includes a bonus interview with violinist Papa John Creach of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.  Papa John is an exciting and unique violinist and performer that understands how to truly stand out on a stage. In the interview, he talks about how to “Get Down, Get Dirty and Give it some Guts” on your electric.

How else do you achieve these techniques? Attend a summer program that will help you build new skills, there are quite a few to choose from.  Check out Julie’s book, How to Play Contemporary Strings: A Step-by-Step Approach for Violin, Viola & Cello, with its video tutorials and backing tracks, it’s a sure way to gain skills and have some fun.  Visit her website for more information on all her books, DVDs and courses. http://julielyonn.com/

For more information about all of NS Design’s electric violins and electric violas and the new eco-friendly, active yet battery-free NXTa Electric Violin, or the affordable and road-worthy WAV Electric Violin visit ThinkNS.com.

Introducing the NS WAV Series Electric Cello

For the cellist venturing into the world of the electric, this instrument offers the combination of design, performance and affordability exceeding any other instrument in its class. Compact and light, the WAV cello is a pleasure to travel with, but in terms of features and performance, this instrument is no lightweight. True to the NS tradition, the WAV captures the essence of an acoustic, yet opens up an exciting range of new possibilities. It’s a pleasure to play!

WAV4 – 4 string (CGDA)  WAV5 – 5 string (FCGDA)

FEATURES

Compact and Light Weight
The WAV cello is incredibly easy to travel with. WAV4 – 4.5 lbs; WAV5 – 4.7 lbs. 37″ long. Length: 37″. Width: 5.5″.

Maple Neck and Body
For rich tone, strength and visual grace.

Expertly Graduated Fingerboard
Rosewood, asymmetrical relief for easy playability, even in the highest positions. Intonation referenced with cascading dot markers.

Battery-Free NS Polar™ Pickup System
The great natural sound of our piezo-based passive pickup system. Volume and Tone controls; Pizzicato / Arco select switch. The WAV delivers beautiful, full-bodied tone, no batteries required.

Adjustable Truss Rod and Bridge
Tweak the string heights and neck relief to suit your music and playing style.

Padded Gig Bag
For the instrument, stand and accessories. Goes anywhere, anytime.

NS Support System Options
Includes cello tripod stand. Compatible with the optional NS Cello End Pin and CR Tripod Stand, Boomerang™ or the Frame Strap System.

The WAV Cello is available now from authorized NS Design dealers. Visit the dealer locator on our website to find a dealer near you. To learn more about the WAV Cello and our other NS cello models, visit the Electric Cello section of ThinkNS.com.