Welcome to my first blog post as part of my on-going exploration of process - not only as an abstract concept, but as a practical, concrete framework I use to help my clients help their clients - where I will outline 4 deficits of value pathways in the instrument trade, and 4 strategies luthiers, violin makers, and violin dealers can immediately implement to engage and educate a loyal clientele.

I am obsessed with the idea of value pathways - I think successful business strategies are built on this idea. A value pathway is a consistent, defined exchange of value between a provider of services and a consumer of services, and its not about money! This blog post is a great example of a value pathway: its free, contains useful/actionable information, and strengthens my brand with my connection to anyone interested in learning more about what I do. An effective value pathway also fills a void in an industry, solving a key issue related to the marketing of a specific good or service. With respect to luthiers, violin makers, and violin dealers, I have consistently seen potential value pathways being underutilized and that’s something I’d like to change - it’s one way I help professionals in this field grow deeper and more meaningful connections with their clientele.

After a quick perusal of luthiers, violin makers, and violin shops on social media, it is easily observed that most of these businesses fall into two categories: those with some sort of strategic online presence, and those without. Generally, those with any sort of online presence lack sufficient metadata for their product - this is descriptive and specific information about their product - to back up their string of images and posts. Not including metadata in posts does no one any favors and furthermore, it hints at a greater disconnect between the creator/maker/dealer of a fine instrument and the customer - a disconnect that too few professionals in this industry fail to see:

Customers are choosing their instruments based on subjective sound alone. as a result they are not educating themselves about why an instrument sounds the way it does when it is played well.

If you are a professional luthier, violin maker, or violin dealer, does this assessment surprise you? Why? Are you surprised to hear that your clients may not know as much about what you do as you think they do? Does this sound like an underestimation of your client base? Maybe. But in my experience, this assessment is spot on, and here’s why:

1. Beyond their own technical proficiency as a player, musicians are not taught what makes an instrument sound great, and why would they be? Instead, musicians are taught how to identify and how to create great sounds, but not why an instrument is capable of sounding great, unless it pertains to a musician’s specific physical and mental technique when playing the instrument - this is why a great player can make a junk instrument sound good.

2. When was the last time you witnessed a conservatory professor explaining the difference between a Stradivari and a Guarneri del Gesu pattern violin? Imagine how this problem is compounded when dealing with less standardized viola and cello patterns! I’ve witnessed numerous teachers struggle to help their students find great-sounding concert instruments because both teacher and student lack the sufficient knowledge to describe why an instrument is capable of sounding great when played well.

3. When was the last time you encountered a student (potential customer!) who knew the difference between these (or any) patterns? As a product of conservatory music education, I guarantee you that not even my professors knew the difference between the two patterns, even those who had been playing on these fine instruments for decades, and frankly, why would they? A professor’s job is to teach pupils how to play the darn thing. Conversely, ask almost any string player who has managed to find a great sounding concert instrument they can afford why their instrument sounds great when they play it, and they’ll say things like “it has even registers" or “it projects well” or “it sounds clear, deep, and its easy to play” - all these are useful descriptors of how something sounds, but not necessarily why something can sound good.

4. Violin shops frequently and unknowingly cater to two levels of clientele: the throngs of youngsters renting instruments in their formative years, and the loyal adult professionals who embark on and maintain performance careers. Rarely is a concerted effort made to attract and specialize in servicing customers who don’t fit in one of these two categories - or - customers jump from the student category directly into the professional category upon purchase of a fine instrument. This sudden leap from being a student to a professional is the result of sales tactics which often unknowingly encourage the cult of violin mythology and mystery, further aided by a lack of practical education on the part of students and teachers as described above. Customers looking for a fine instrument are sometimes taught about the output of a specific maker because the maker’s work has a reputation of sounding “even”, “projecting well”, or “sounding clear, deep, and being easy to play” and if the provenance of a long-dead violin maker carriers with it a list of famous performers who have played the maker’s instruments - the cult of violin mystery is reinforced. Customers almost always have to contend with this element of the musical instrument trade, and it gets in the way of actually serving their needs. The cult of violin mystery also reinforces many negative elements of the classical music world such as elitism and marginalization based on socio-economic factors. Frankly, unless you’re rich enough or famous enough, you won’t get to own/play a Stradivari.

So how do we correct this massive disconnect between the creator/maker/dealer of a fine instrument and the customer? We EDUCATE them! I propose that, like so many wrongs in our world, better education can free us of the bonds that often unawarely restrict so many people from their artistic and creative potential.

4 Ways Luthiers, Violin Makers, & Violin Dealers can educate clientele

1. Every instrument in your inventory needs to have its own metadata: each needs to be photographed, measured, and played on by you, your expert staff, or a seasoned professional - the results of which need to be documented on video and in photographs, and clearly included on your website and your social media. Contact me if you need someone to do this - not only am I a professional violist and violinist, I am also a professional website designer and social media brand strategist.

2. If you make string instruments, you need to keep track of what shops currently stock your instruments. You also need to keep a record of what shops have sold your instruments, and a record of who currently plays them. It is also your responsibility to make sure these shops display all of this metadata (hopefully metadata that originally came from you!) online. I’ve done this sort of leg work in one form or another for years, and its part of the services I offer.

3. If you make instruments, describe in detail, on your website and social media, why you use the patterns you do. Find a way to strike a balance between technical and conversational information. If you need help doing this, this is something I excel at, and I promise it will lead you to…

4. Find creative ways of engaging and educating musicians in your area. Visit music schools and teacher’s studio classes and connect directly with people who may be looking for their next instrument. Maybe host an “open mic” night where you invite an expert panelist of educated professional players to demonstrate on your instruments in front of a varied audience - pro tip: this is not a concert - it’s a conversation! Expert panelists should not play full musical works - 10 seconds at most for every demonstration! Maintaining a Q&A format between the audience and panel is a must! This is a venue for you to describe your design choices with each instrument, and for you to show an audience how each design choice translates to each sound heard. Reach out if you want to know more - I love producing these sort of events.

Did you all catch what I just did here? I identified a breakdown/lack of a value pathway in the stringed instrument trade industry, and proposed a suite of ways to fix it - this is the exploration of process that so greatly inspires me and it’s how I will help you find deep and meaningful ways to forge genuine connections with your clients. Not only are you charged with the responsibility to invest in your business, your brand, and your reputation - you must also act as a good steward of your profession because ultimately, the what, how, and why of your craft is art.

I am here to guide you every step of the way.