Awesome Violins

Masters of Craft walks us through the painstaking process of restoring a 19th-century violin that came to them in a distressed and unplayable condition. The vintage Stradavari replica required heaping helpings of TLC, but the result is impressive.

Nurse and musician Manani Ito tragically lost her arm in a car accident back in 2004. Despite the challenges, she has figured out a way to continue playing the violin, using a custom prosthetic that attaches to her shoulder, and lets her control the bow’s movement.

Artist Dennis Van Hoof shows off his violin-making process which combines modern tech with traditional woodworking. He uses a Shapeoko XXL CNC router to carve the instrument’s pieces from olive wood, replicating the shape of a Stradivarius violin. The finished piece incorporates epoxy resin to fill in the gaps in the wood.

Following up on his extensive Evolution of Game Music, violinist Rob Landes is back with a much shorter tribute to video games. This time, he’s focused solely on the console startup music from the SEGA Genesis through the Nintendo Switch. He skipped the PS2 and string-tuning PS3 startups for some reason though.

New Orleans-based violinist Dominique Hammons was playing at a wedding when he busted out into an epic and electric solo that got the whole crowd going. In case you’re unfamiliar with the tune, it’s the New Orleans Saints’ unofficial anthem Choppa Style. We love his cover of 2Pac’s California Love too.

One of the most memorable bits of music in the history of video games has to be the background track that plays while you sit in the lobby of Nintendo’s Mii Channel. Musician Beanzo decided to pay tribute to this catchy little ditty with a fun four-part viola cover.

Violinist Rob Landes kicks things off in Noob mode with the familiar music from Super Mario World, then quickly levels up and progresses towards the incredibly challenging Epic mode. Rob previously did the same for the Super Mario Bros. theme.

The Vitamin String Quartet’s new album pays tribute to Iceland’s one and only Bjork. The first single is an enchanting cover version of Venus as a Boy, accompanied by a beautiful papercut stop-motion music video.

Way more than an ordinary player piano, this incredible contraption is called the Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina. It can play a set of three violins using a special rotating circular bow, and dozens of mechanical “fingers” which press on the strings. More here and here.

YouTuber Mike Boyd takes on one of the most daunting instruments to pick up. The violin sounds distinctively annoying in the hands of a rookie, but Mike quickly figured out a basic tip: it’s all in the grip. And the time you put in. Here’s what 13 hours of practice sounds like.

So your buddy is complaining that their seedless watermelon has a seed in it. How do you respond to their whining? Whip out two fingers and play them a sympathy tune. Now, thanks to Design I/O and Project Soli, your fingertips can actually make the sounds too.

Stratton Violin makes electric violins with skull-shaped bodies. They come with Barbera Twin Hybrid bridge pickups with frets and wood stain as options. You can also opt for hand-carved and detailed bodies or even fully customized designs.

If the original soundtrack isn’t epic enough for you, kick back and get swept away, as violin artist Lindsey Stirling takes it up a notch in her poetic ode to the Assassin’s Creed III music. (Thanks, Kevin!)

Musician Jason Yang takes on Muse’s anthem Resistance on piano and electric violin. It gets a little nuts around 3:33, but an epic space-rock solo makes perfect sense in a Muse song.

Built to encourage development in Huainan City, China, this unusual structure derives its shape from a grand piano, accompanied by a violin entryway and staircase. Google Earthers, check this out.

Time for your midday zen moment: Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, arranged for four violins and performed by Joe Edmonds. Quite beautiful, and also good for karaoke practice. (Thanks Martyn!)

Trust us, unless you were at this Nationals game, you’ve never heard the Star Spangled Banner like Glenn Donnellan plays it – on an electric fiddle that looks like a baseball bat. Play ball!

Air guitars a bit too uncouth? The String Trio app turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into an air violin, viola, or cello; control the tempo, speed, and strength while playing one of 40 songs.