Hey everyone! Thanks for watching my new video! I forgot to mention a couple things that I put in the description, but let me know if you have any other questions!

@shemarlosscott2656

6 ай бұрын

Mia Asano You're The Best

@CalebMilesMusic

6 ай бұрын

This is great, thank you for making this! If you wouldn't mind sharing who that luthier is that can work on frets, that would be awesome! Especially if you have a good experience. 🙂 My Cantini frets are far too tall, hoping I can get them shaved down.

@musicdijay

6 ай бұрын

I’m thinking of getting a viper. For a first, would you consider a fretted or fretless as a first?

@daes5465

6 ай бұрын

If you are pluged Into a Mixer with your Violin Then you can Just buy a Wireless small earplug to Connect to the Main Mixer on an Output This way you can hear the Violin You can adjust the Sound so that you can hear the Violin and the whats going on around you

@maxaya7033

6 ай бұрын

Kawaii Mia❤

Your explanation is what I try to tell people about playing the fretless bass. It’s difficult for me because I’m use to putting my fingers where the fretless bass is. The frets actually get in the way. I prefer the fretless bass over a fretted bass. Considering that I started out on the double bass, switching to electric fretless was easy.

@TehDuckOfDoom

6 ай бұрын

Sad that it's kinda useless in modern rock bands, for example, because guitars and keys are all tuned using equal temperament. So your just intonation does not really make you more in tune with them.

@GrotesqueSmurf

6 ай бұрын

fretless bass is far from useless. they are used a lot, especially in extreme metal. Check out bands like Obscura, Cynic or Beyond Creation and players like Dominic Lapointe@@TehDuckOfDoom

@wren23_bass-synths

6 ай бұрын

@@TehDuckOfDoom I don’t play rock or pop

@boundinstinct7205

6 ай бұрын

​@@TehDuckOfDoom just intonation is relative anyways. And there's many big rock bands that use fretless basses

@TehDuckOfDoom

6 ай бұрын

@@boundinstinct7205 yes but op said that he prefers fretless because "frets get in the way". Which makes no sense if you're playing with piano, for example.

Anyone who says you use it for an easy nose obviously hasn't watched you play

@iggymcgeek730

6 ай бұрын

Wtf is an easy nose. As opposed to a difficult nose?

@desperado8605

6 ай бұрын

@@iggymcgeek730 f'n phone lmao

@ThomasCornejo

6 ай бұрын

Nah but what did you try to say

@desperado8605

6 ай бұрын

@@ThomasCornejo note

@miniyodadude6604

6 ай бұрын

They also have never played a fretless instrument and dont understand why youd use one. I play bass guitar and use a fretless jazz bass, and while it is harder in some aspects, you cant get the same tone on a fretted instrument, and vice versa. Theres a reason microtonal guitars exist, its to capture the exact pitch youre looking for that you couldnt on a normal guitar, and theres its own art and difficulty to it. Anyway, fretted instruments and definitely easier on some level, but like, who cares

Hi Mia! Great video and very informative! Fellow Viper user here (fretless 5-string) and currently waiting on my fretted 7-string. Super excited!

I had just assumed that the frets were there so that you could play faster licks and solos. This has been eye opening. Been following you on Insta for over a year now. Happy for your growth.

I've experienced not being able to hear myself on stage. It was a nightmare-and I'm a keyboardist! I've also played bass, so your explanation makes perfect sense. Thanks.

@Kylora2112

6 ай бұрын

Same with electric guitar. It's terrifying when your monitor cuts out in the middle of a solo, especially an improvised one.

@Murgoh

6 ай бұрын

As a keyboard player in a "hobby level" death metal band I've become used to playing without hearing myself or much else besides the cymbals (I'm usually located next to the drums at the rear of the stage) clearly as we rarely perform in real professional venues with good sound equipment and monitoring. For some reason even if you can hear yourself clearly in the sound check you often won't during the actual performance. It's annoying but as said, you get used to it. But playing a violin without hearing yourself, that's a different thing entirely.

@charlescarmichael1124

6 ай бұрын

Been there. I play keys for a large church and occasionally I can't hear. I've learned to play by sight! Lol

@WelcomeToTiltedTowers

6 ай бұрын

​@@Kylora2112no, not the same As a bassist you will ALWAYS hear the guitar unless your deaf or if the drummer has a serious problem with not being able to play without smashing his entire drumset

@thecrazything95

5 ай бұрын

Worst is when singing. You are just completely and utterly lost

😊cool vlog. I really appreciate the look and sound presentation that the electric violin 🎻 produces. And you’re definitely very versatile and talented. Keep rocking 🎉🎉👌✌️🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

Video well done, Mia! Thorough explanation of that axe and the frets! 💜👍🏽63

As a (beginner) guitar-player, this is super interesting! Keep up the great work!! ❤

I have witnessed you in concert … a truly gifted musician !!

I love that you did this. Been a fan for years but don't remember many times where you sat and chatted to us. Can you play the fretless version some time in a clip? I'd love to see a dueling violin video between the two to see if I can pick out the intonation differences

Hey Mia, So looking forward to seeing your show at the Beachland in Cleveland on ❤'s Day! Great venue, you guys will love it!

Great answers. You rock and I am a fan.👍👍

As always you are amazing!!!

This is really interesting!!! 💚💚💚Thanks for sharing 😊😊😊

That was fascinating. Thank-you for explaining it all.

Cool! Keep playing and enjoy🎶🎵🎶🔥

I love seeing someone championing the electric bowed instruments, I'm an electric cellist myself and I love watching your content :D

You so gorgeous and so well informed, I could listen to you talk all day. Congratulations on the success of your tour. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving 😊

I'm 3 months into violin after 25 years of guitar and 17 years of mandolin.. man I'd kill for some frets!! finding the correct positions isn't super difficult after playing a similar scale neck but I've gotta tell ya bowing is HARD!! and I'll probably spend years trying to figure that out :D I love what you do, keep being awsome.

@johnny_eth

5 ай бұрын

Lots of practice and muscle memory. Good luck

@j.p.8811

5 ай бұрын

That's exactly what I tried to explain to my uncle who plays mandolin (I've played guitar for like 15 years, he's played mando for maybe 5) but he thinks cause it's the same tuning as a violin that he could just pick up violin easily. I told him good luck on learning bowing and intonation buddy.

Really good job how you explain the fretted violin . As a person who doesn't play violin, I got more understanding of it, thank you mia ❤ya

Loved this!!

When frets were first developed for guitars, lutes, mandolin, and viols, two of the primary purposes for frets were 1) simply to enable stopped pitches to ring as clearly as an open string and 2) facilitating performance of chords. While Viper frets are more subtle and are intended to be stopped atop the fret rather than behind it, they can have a similar effect of increasing clarity and facilitating multiple stops and tapping. GREAT video, Mia!!

You are so talented and explained that so effortlessly ❤ you are absolutely adorable

I love my Viper, Mark and I worked together on and off from 2005 to 2010. I only have 2 videos on my channel and they're ancient. You're amazing, thanks for representing the Viper family!

Awesome FAQ thingy. Thanks.

Cool! I really enjoy it when you talk about your instrument and your music. You have a great voice. Do you sing or do voice over work?

You are an incredible musician I love your videos ❤

Nice overview on the violin frets 🎻 👍

Very cool. I learned a lot. The frets get in your way? You make it look so effortless anyway. Of course, I know it took 18 years of hard effort to make it look effortless. Mad respect!!

That explains why your sound range is more eclectic and hits that tone of a guitar at times. Really cool instrument!

@JeighNeither

6 ай бұрын

Range is a measurement. It's either wide or narrow, not eclectic like your listening tastes might be. The word your looking for is "tone".

@retromacman620

6 ай бұрын

@@JeighNeither no, I think "eclectic" works. If you prefer to work it that way though, you can comment and use "tone", I think that works too. If you disagree, that's also fine.

I agree - I've played fretted violins and regular violin and always find that fretted ones just get in my way, but I can definitely see the benefit of having them for live play!

Hi Mia, I always wondered how you are able to walk around with your violin without holding it in your hands. Now the riddle has beed solved. Btw, I was at the concert in Düsseldorf. Best concert I've ever been to. Although I have to admit I haven't been to that many concerts. LOL

Dude this is awesome. There's the violin/guitar candy of just playing sweet stuff, but this video is like the grungy stuff that's fun to hear about. I played flute in college music school. I always get to hear about Jethro Tull. Yeah. Or Ron Burgundy.

Beautiful honey. I love that you explain your electric violin you play so well and why it is made the way you wanted it. ❤❤❤❤

Guitarist here; it’s fascinating to hear how things work on a different instrument. Thank you!

Wow thanks for the great info.

I'd love to see the fretless Viper too! 😁 Sounds like an ideal combo indeed. I tried someone's fretted Viper two years ago and was slightly disappointed it was no easy intonation fix, haha!

@RockStarOscarStern634

3 ай бұрын

The bridge needs to be slanted to fix that

"it ain't in tune but close enough" is so rock and roll statement I cry laughing ❤

You are awesome and amazing mia and very talented mia ❤❤❤❤

Love your violin and I want one! I sing bass and I don’t know high positions very well so it’d be very cool to play the lower notes on the violin! Love your music!!!

Interesting thanks for the lesson I really learned something

I know nothing about violins. I certainly didn’t know what a fret was. I follow your channel just because I love your music. So it was fun to learn a bit from the craft from you.

Thanks. I played Fretles Bass and I loved this. And yes the Monitoring was difficulty too.

Hey thanks for mentioning me in your video!!!

caught the collection, Ya mentioned why/why not have frets, oh geez I got suckered in, No worries it is cool ya piqued the interest keeping it summarily in tune. Got it interesting different from guitars.

Cool to hear about the frets - I ended up going with a fretless Jordan when I bought a 7 string. How do you feel about the Bb string? Dunno if its just mine but I've found it varies a crap ton in pitch depending on how hard you bow it vs the other strings, took a while to kindve get used to

@shepberryhill4912

5 ай бұрын

Getting that note out of a string that short really pushes the extremes of string engineering. I have the same issue with my six string NSDesign cello's low F string.

that's an amazing looking instrument that would make me actually interested in trying to learn a violin :)

I'll have to show this to my daughters. Identical twins. 1 plays the violin, and the other plays the viola.. love your stuff!

Beautiful..... Pretty Violin to. I Love your videos & Love hearing you play......

Very cool, thank you for sharing.

I remember being obsessed with the original Mark Wood album. It’s interesting to see the evolution of his original electric violin evolve, especially from using dimarzio guitar pickups. I do believe he had his own reasons for frets and it also offered a gateway to guitar players. Fun fact I got to meet his brother Steve as he instructed a lot of my friends on violin.

@jeffreyp1855

6 ай бұрын

Mark Wood is awesome! I think that I first heard him around twenty years ago. 🤘

@khzhak

6 ай бұрын

Voodoo Violince is my soundtrack to the summer of '94. maybe '93 too. I listened to it every day when I biked from the high school in Mequon to Summerfest and got in free with the pin, usually making it by only minutes to get in free.

@jeffreyp1855

6 ай бұрын

@khzhak , I love these types of stories. So many of us have such great memories, due to good music! 🤘

Beautiful music and cool looking violin

You were badass with TSFH in Wacken. 🤘

That low Bb string is such a flex. Playing all parts of a string quartet on one instrument

You are awesome and amazing mia and very talented mia ❤❤❤❤❤❤

that thing sounds amazing. my question is what pedals n shit are you using cause im sure it aint always clean.

Awsome Mia, i have the 6 string Wood Violin and i must say i love it but still can not give away my Yamaha without frets.

Hello, I am new to your music. I LOVE the electric violin, 7 strings WOW, I just bought my family a violin and we ALL are going to be learning how to play, I played when I was in school some 40 years ago. but with HARD work we will be playing, I will be buying more violins as I can find them, I LOVE your VOILIN

Very interesting. Can I ask a question? What kind of strings do you use (especially on F and B flat, of course)? Thank you 😊

Great Job Mia Asano You're Pretty Good With Violin and You are Amazing

I have personal experience with not being able to hear myself in a loud electronic band, so I can appreciate the frets, even though they limit your range of expression otherwise. I'm really surprised by the three strings below standard - I've played five strings and the intonation isn't perfect. How do you keep all seven in tune, all the way up the neck? Thanks for the video.

Very interesting, thank you Mia

Que hermoso instrumento, realmente poco común pero en tus dedos, suena y se ve de lo más increíble!!! Saludos desde Buenos Aires Argentina.🇦🇷

I’m a guitarist who invented my own version of a fretted fiddle (more like a lyra or erhu). I haven’t learned to play bowed instruments without frets, so I would say that the frets help me to stay in tune. However, it’s far from easy and I still had to develop the technique and learn how to play it.

That is one cool violin with a nice colour.

I could listen to you info dump about music forever

Thank you for this video! When I started watching your videos, I wondered if they were frets or lines. Having played fretless bass on and off, I figured they were lines, but kept flip-flopping - I think they're lines. Nah, they're frets. Did I go back to thinking lines? Well now I know! Do they make electric violins with lines?

Love your music 💕💕💕

This electric violin is actually an hybrid between a violin and an electric guitar. So yeah, it’s normal that it has traits from both instruments. It’s amazing that it’s possible to use guitar and violin techniques on it, that gives a lot of range of sounds and tricks. Mia, you’re awesome! I think it’s so hard to learn such a complex instrument

I totally empathize. I'm Deaf and I play electric guitar as a hobby. Since I don't hear at all, I rely heavily on seeing the frets so that I know where to place my fingers to form chords or play notes. I have a hard time with soloing type things. Recently I've been working on "Fly By Night" by Rush. Such a fun song!! Keep doing what you love doing and thank you for videos like this one!!

@Breadbored.

6 ай бұрын

If you don't mind me asking, what was your motivation for choosing to play guitar and what do you find enjoyable about it? I would have guessed a deaf person would naturally gravitate towards a bass or drums, but I also have no frame of reference for what it's like to be deaf so I'm just curious.

@ClearColorCloud

6 ай бұрын

You’re from California aren’t you?I hope all you dumb fucks learn to swim.. I’m prayin for tidal waves

@bassboi5052

5 ай бұрын

how do you, as a deaf person, experience music? have you always been deaf? or is it like a beethoven situation where you lost your hearing

@teacherkev2k4

5 ай бұрын

Hi@@bassboi5052and thank you for your response. I was born hard-of-hearing and with the deafness going to happen. We believe it is an effect of having been exposed to "cytomegalovirus" (CMV) while still in the womb. All kinds of things are thought to result from CMV infection, so you could say I got lucky. So, I was born with my right ear totally deaf, and my left ear hard-of-hearing, it progressed until I was fully deaf in my early 20s. Today I experience music any way I can, chiefly through watching videos and occasionally cranking my tv if I don't bother the neighbors with it! :)

Very interesting video. Thank you Mia Asano 👍👏🌹🌹🌹💕.

I know little music but I'd like listen you and your violin. Hi from Italy.

I am not a violinist but would love the tonal flexibility of a violin for recording. the idea of fretted violins and cellos sounds like it would be easy to pick up as a folk instrument. I wish fretted bowed string instruments were more regularly available.

This makes perfect sense to me..

One thing that frets make possible, that would be especially helpful with the extended range, is the possibility to bar across multiple strings (as a guitarist would when playing power chords). It's pretty much impossible to bar on a fretless instrument and have all the strings in tune, So, it opens up chord/harmony possibilities with the violin beyond double stops.

can you play some meshuggah with that thing? with the extended range, getting the low chuggy chords would be sick!

Thanks!

Question: do they make a viola-sized version of this? I play an acoustic viola, and whenever I've borrowed a friend's violin, it always feels like my fingers are getting scrunched together. I'd be curious if there's a version of this 7-string instrument with the same tuning as yours, but which has scale length similar to what I am used to.

The strap is really cool the way you can hold the violin

that's the sickest looking violin ive ever seen it looks metal as hell

Magic instrument!!!

I get it. I play Trombone with a slide (fretless) and Euphonium with valves (frets). The playing techniques are very different for playing in tune. And even with a slide, you have to compensate to stay in tune.

Cool. I’m a guitar player who is trying to learn violin. I’m sure I would find frets to be very helpful. It seems like it would be easier to wrap my head around. Don’t know about the seventh string though

@lasshrugged

6 ай бұрын

This particular model also comes in a 4, 5, and 6 string version. I've also been considering one of these. I'm a pretty solid guitar player, so having frets on a violin seems super helpful.

I listen to two steps from hell everyday at work, on the bus yeah actually all the time. I saw the video of impossible at wacken and again two steps stunned me with their music and most important every artist had their own way of expressing their love for this kind if music while they are playing i love that. I always liked violin. Its inspiring to know young people as yourself have such talent actually one of the best :). And you are absolutely right , violin on easy mode doesnt exist

The Frets also act as a grid so you can see where to put your fingers when you're playing music. They're like the Keys of a Nyckelharpa which add precision to the finger placement.

@MiaAsano

6 ай бұрын

Yes! I go into it a little bit at 3:50

@RockStarOscarStern634

6 ай бұрын

@@MiaAsano I have seen Nyckelharpas before. The Nyckelharpa is a traditional Swedish Stringed instrument that's played w/ a Bow & has Keys to change the pitch of the strings. I guess Mark Wood got the idea of a Fretted Violin from a Swedish Nyckelharpa.

@andrewl9191

6 ай бұрын

@@MiaAsano As a flute player, it's frustrating to be like, "You mean they can just CHEAT when they're improving!?!?!" lol

@RockStarOscarStern634

3 ай бұрын

​@@andrewl9191 I play the Nyckelharpa and the Fretted Viper kinda has some relationship to it. The Nyckelharpa has Keys which add precision to the finger placement. The frets on the Viper do the same thing

Awesome

That’s interesting what you said about how how the frets can make it hard to hit the notes right because of how much a difference a little distance makes I’m an adult learner of the viola - I removed my finger tape because I realized I was using my eyes and not my ears and my eyes were not good enough to pinpoint exactly where my fingers needed to be

I put a fiddle fretter on my Wood 5 string Klassik. I'm just an old death metal dude who grew up playing guitar. But the fretter on my axe, even if less than absolute- I give thanks for the out line. Kuzz end of the day I'm a metal head with a violin. Not a violinist playing metal. There's a lot more room for organik knarr on my world. None the less, Nothing but respekt for real violinists tearing it up. It's totally inspiring. That bow Breaker violin dude Liam is also hella inspiring. He's also just a really Kool dude and totally gave me pointers in a komment section. Mad respekt to both of you. 🤘 💀 🎻 💀 🤘

I've never wondered these things. I've wondered if/ how much the action differs from fretless.

Guitarist here, call it cheating all you want I need my frets

@Nerotique

6 ай бұрын

Frets aren't cheating. It really matters what sound you want. Frets give a different sound.

@epsilon6516

6 ай бұрын

@@Nerotique frets give an exact note every time. Never flat or sharp unless I want it that way

@teknoaddict9335

6 ай бұрын

You need frets to make chords. There is fretless guitars but you can't play extended chords with them

@teknoaddict9335

6 ай бұрын

​@@epsilon6516on fretless you use your ears and muscle memory to play the right note

@epsilon6516

6 ай бұрын

@@teknoaddict9335 look “I” need my frets, I’m well aware that fretless guitars exist, they just aren’t for me

You can play music from Suzuki Violin School all the volumes on the Fretted Viper because students can follow the fretboard.

I have a Gold Tone fretless u-bass, but it has inlays where the frets should be. I think that's more common in fretless instruments these days as a visual aid. 👍

The frets are cool. and I looked up the company. I am guessing they can make a fretless fret-marker version (if I wanted to buy one) :P

The frets on a Fretted Viper are usually shaved down nearly flush w/ the fretboard so you touch the strings directly on top of those lines.

I’ve seen Mark Wood play this at NAMM several times … beyond amazing!

Mia Asano Music I've used the Suzuki Violin Method w/ Mandolin & it even works great on the 7 String Fretted Viper because the frets help w/ finger placement. Having the frets is kinda like going back to your basics in Violin & playing w/ tape.

Very interesting. I'm an occasional strictly amateur violist (which I find easier to play, size-wise, than the violin -- I have a 16.5" viola). The idea of a harness to hold the instrument in place, taking the load off my neck and left shoulder, is extremely appealing. I'd also be interested in learning some rock/metal on the instrument. I've seen some great renditions of e. g. The Trooper on viola and various other strings (there was a great mostly-Viper string ensemble version from a few years ago that Mark was part of); unfortunately, I can't play by ear, but that's a separate issue.

That is one cool electric violin

Never apologize for innovation.