Knowledge & Craft
The Workshop
Tutorials, buying guides, and stories from the workshop.
Bodhran Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose Your First Irish Drum
Choosing a bodhran comes down to three things: size, whether it tunes, and the bar across the back. A 16-inch tunable bodhran...
Best Beginner Folk Instruments to Gift: A Luthier's Guide
Shopping for someone ready to make their first music? The best beginner folk instruments are the ones anyone can succeed on right...
What Is a Lute Ukulele? The Roosebeck Lute-kulele, Explained
Ever seen a ukulele with the bowl back of a Renaissance lute? That is the lute-kulele. It tunes and plays like a...
Gifts for the Celtic and Irish Music Lover: A Luthier's Guide
Not sure what to get the Celtic or Irish music lover in your life? A luthier's guide to the best gifts by...
Celtic Harp Buyer's Guide: Choose by String Count & Skill Level
Two things decide whether a Celtic harp becomes an instrument you love: how many strings it has, and whether it has levers....
Greek vs. Irish Bouzouki: Which One You Actually Want
They share the same four-course, eight-string layout, but the Greek and Irish bouzouki are tuned differently, built differently, and made for different...
The Vaulted Fretboard and the 6½ Fret: A Mountain Dulcimer Guide
Two terms come up constantly in dulcimer shopping and almost nobody explains them properly. A vaulted fretboard lifts the playing surface off...
What Is a Baroq-ulele? The Lute-Bodied Ukulele, Explained
The Baroq-ulele is a ukulele reimagined with a round-back lute body. Here is what it is, how it sounds, and how its...
What Is a Balalaika?
A balalaika is a triangular three-string folk instrument from Russia, a prima tuned E E A. Here is its history, its sound,...