Journal · Music Inn World Instruments
Notes from the instrument shop
Tuning, choosing and looking after string instruments, written on West 4th Street.
Jul 2026Humidity, string instruments and a New York apartmentWhat steam heat does to a wooden instrument, the target humidity range, and how to protect a violin, mandolin or banjo through a winter.Read →
Jun 2026Kalimbas: tuning, tine count and getting startedWhy the tines are arranged from the middle outwards, how to tune one with a hammer, and what a 17-key instrument can and cannot play.Read →
Jun 2026Banjos: open back or resonatorWhat the resonator does, which style suits which music, and why the head and the tension hoop matter more than the wood.Read →
May 2026Mandolin styles: A body, F body and what actually differsThe two body shapes, what the scroll is for, and why the top wood matters more than the outline.Read →
May 2026Lyre harps: string count and what it changesSeven, sixteen or nineteen strings — what each range allows, how tuning works, and why a lyre is one of the easiest instruments to start.Read →
May 2026Violin sizes, and how to measure for oneWhat 4/4, 3/4 and 1/2 actually mean, how to measure an arm properly, and why a too-large instrument is worse than a too-small one.Read →
Guides to string and world instruments
Practical guides on string and world instruments from the team at Music Inn World Instruments in New York.