FROM INVISIBLE TO IRREPLACEABLE
Custom-crafted violoncello da spalla transforming violinists into musical trailblazers without learning new technique.
We did not lose violoncello da spalla because it failed. We simply forgot. Today culture needs more culture workers who care: violoncello da spalla’s ambasciatori.
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The Invisible Virtuoso Syndrome
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"In its ethos, Da Spalla is situated somewhere between Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Anner Bylsma’s Bach, the fencing master."
~ Laurence Vittes, Editorial contributor to Gramophone, Strings, The Strad and the BBC Music Magazine
I stood backstage in Tokyo, 2005, violin in hand. When you’re a freelance violinist, every concert is an audition, another chance to prove your worth among thousands of technically flawless players. My reflection in the mirror showed what everyone else saw:
Just another violinist with nothing unique to say.
You know that feeling—playing beautifully but remaining invisible? Technical excellence has become the baseline, not the exception. And in that moment, I faced the question every serious musician eventually confronts:
Will I spend my career being the 87th best version of everyone else?
Then I picked up the violoncello da spalla I had crafted earlier that year. Not just an instrument—a forgotten possibility. The results exceeded anything I could have imagined.
Within weeks of making the switch, journalists who had never returned my calls were suddenly scheduling interviews. Festival directors who couldn't remember my name were offering featured soloist positions. Within a year, I was performing as a soloist at major venues like Tokyo Opera City.
The music hadn't changed. My technical ability hadn't drastically improved. But I had found my voice—my musical identity. And a musical friend. As Kuijken said when he first played one of my instruments:
"It's like coming home, like this instrument is a confident companion."
I learned that mastery can actually be a trap—the more perfectly you execute what others already do, the less anyone notices you.
Now I craft instruments using my unique approach known as The Old Masters T.O.N.E.S. Technique™, because:
Distinction matters more than degree of excellence.
This might not work for everyone. You might even not like the violoncello da spalla. Your path to standing out will be uniquely yours. But through this book and the instruments I create, I help self-employed string players rediscover what makes them impossible to replace in an age where perfectionism and social media have created a sea of sameness.
Before you spend another hour practicing to become better, ask yourself:
"What would make me impossible to replace?"
This book isn’t about an instrument. It’s about finding the thing that makes you:
Remarkable!
The Forgotten Instrument That Bach Wrote For
This is neither another "masterpiece" nor a "fine instrument" to be collected—it's a key to musical depths that changes how YOU and your audiences experience Bach forever.
Three Reasons it Creates Immediate Distinction:
Identical Technique
Your existing violin or viola technique with minimal adjustment is enough.
Transformative Repertoire
Access to Bach's Cello Suites, Vivaldi's cello concertos, and thousands of bass and obbligato parts.
Immediate Differentiator
A conversation piece that audiences remember, inevitably placing your name alongside recognized trailblazers.
Violoncello da Spalla is the missing link that explains why Bach's cello suites feel so natural on a shoulder-cello—they were written for one. And it isn't just Bach.
When you play this instrument, you immediately access music and offer opportunities no other violinist can touch.
SEE SERGEY MALOV TRANSFORM BACH'S 6TH SUITE
Within months, he was recording for Netherlands Bach Society in a video that has been viewed over 1.5 million times.
Four Simple Secrets Even Violin Professors Don't Know
The Cello da Spalla Tetrad:
Body
A posture with no twists or stretched arms, unlike on the violin or the viola.
Belt
It supports the instrument's weight, freeing your hands completely.
Bow
Unlike on the violin or viola, the point of contact is in front of your heart.
Be
Simply commit and begin. As Yoda said, "Be, or be not. There is no try."
While other violinists struggle to get 5% better at what everyone plays, you immediately access music and create opportunities no other violinist can touch. Watch the video lesson below:
What Players Are Saying
Playing Bach's Cello Suites on the violoncello da spalla is like coming home. It's a confident companion, not a primadonna like the violin. My God, this is the best thing that has ever happened.
You've basically ruined a very promising career as a solo violinist—everybody is asking me just about the Violoncello da spalla!
I found my own voice in it, and it enriched my career - and this is the ultimate book about it.
#ambasciatoredelvioloncellodaspalla
See La Petite Bande Perform Brandenburg Concerto
2,000+ Forgotten Masterpieces Waiting For Your Voice
Contrary to common belief, the repertoire for violoncello da spalla extends far beyond Bach's 6th Suite. There's enough music to spend the next 25 years recording it all—music that's been waiting for centuries to be rediscovered.
Bach's da Spalla Universe
- All 6 Cello Suites
- Obbligato parts in Cantatas
- Brandenburg Concertos
Beyond Bach
- Vivaldi's cello concertos
- Italian baroque sonatas by Caldara, Geminiani, and dozens more
- Basso continuo in chamber music
- Arrangements and Adaptations
25 Years Worth of Music
When your colleagues ask "Are there enough pieces to make it worthwhile?", show them your library of over 2,000 works that have been waiting for centuries to be performed again. Meaningfully differently, or for the first time ever.
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The Models That Created a Movement
My models have been embraced by violoncello da spalla pioneers like Kuijken, Terakado, and Malov—instruments that have proven their effectiveness on international stages since 2004.
SEE SERGEY MALOV PLAY BOCCHERINI WITH FRANKFURT RADIO SYMPHONY
Historical Sources & Modern Application
Early treatises reveal the cello was made in various sizes with four or five strings. Leopold Mozart confirms this diversity, noting:
Nowadays the violoncello, too, is played between the legs
—implying it was previously held differently. While Italian models depicted in historical art appear larger than German ones, the smaller model (ideal for Bach's works) has become the modern standard.
My models are based on surviving instruments interpreted through the cultural lens of the Old Masters using my unique approach rooted in historical documents and original instruments I studied for over 36 years, and known as The Old Masters T.O.N.E.S. Technique. The section below expands on why it is important.
When you commission your instrument, we’ll discuss your primary repertoire to create either a proven model trusted by world-class musicians or a custom design tailored to your unique musical vision.
#ambasciatoredelvioloncellodaspalla
Sound Alchemist: Beyond Science, Not Against It
Why not just make a copy of a surviving instrument? Why “reinvent the wheel?” Because I’m not chasing a perfect replica. My approach isn't about rejecting technical perfection—it's about restoring what was lost.
The Old Masters spoke a language musicians understand:
Harmonical ratio is a natural division of a vibrating body resulting in musical intervals.
Today's acousticians describe the same phenomenon in complex terms:
The modes of the violin can be considered as independent normal modes... describing the coupled modes of vibration of the top and back plates, ribs, cavity air modes, soundpost...
What was lost wasn't science—it was the musical and spiritual dimension.
Science serves us best when it enhances music.
Not when we worship it without understanding deeper principles.
The old masters weren't ignorant of their culture—they were immersed in it.
When your instrument's dimensions correspond to musical intervals, it creates something both technically excellent AND musically alive.
The Old Masters T.O.N.E.S. Technique™ reveals why masterpieces sound the way they do—helping even those making copies achieve better sound. It doesn’t replace what you already know; it elevates it.
For Musical Trailblazers, Not Just Performers
Perhaps, you are already fulfilled as a player and you do not seek anything beyond what you already do. This is completely fine and understandable. Then, violoncello da spalla might not be for you.
But if you believe that culture is not just a product to consume, but also people who create it - welcome. Right now culture needs more culture workers who care.
"But Can I Really Play It?"
(The Answer Might Surprise You)
This is the most common doubt some professionals have. Here is my answer: you decide. I am here to help. This website is my step toward you. Now it’s your turn. Look!
Some violinists sit on any decision for years. If you’re this type, it’s fine. Get the book, learn and then decide. And if you do not need a book to recognize opportunity, schedule a chat and let’s speak. I will answer any questions you may have.
My ethics: I do not want to sell you an instrument. This is not why I am a violin maker. This is not about your acquiring yet another “fine instrument”. It’s about helping you to join a select group of musicians-trailblazers seeking remarkable depths in music. I price my instruments based on a small fraction of the value they offer over a musician's lifetime—whether that's in artistic growth, emotional fulfillment, or career potential.
Hear What's Possible When You Take the Leap
You might still be doubting. I get it! Let me show you! This album might not be a musical experience you expect. It rather is just a luthier's demonstration. Imagine what this instrument can do in skilful hands like yours.
Award-winning recording of all six suites: buy on Amazon or listen here for free.
Still Exploring? Other Paths To Distinction:
For high-end professionals for whom depth and being meaningfully different are essential. My instruments deliver qualities typically found only in the finest antiques. They might not be your character. But they do have both—character and depth. They are different.
Baroque Violins & Violas
Badiarov, Baroque Viola, The Hague, 2025
Modern
Badiarov, Modern Violin, The Hague, 2017