Welcome to Bluff City Strings, an exciting division of Amro Music!
It was in October of 1921 that Amro Studios opened on the second floor at 166 South Main, then cobblestone and traveled by streetcars and early model Fords. Initially, the firm was strictly a studio for piano lessons, taught by Mil Averwater and his business partner, who had studied piano in Cincinnati. Amro eventually expanded to sell instruments, first as an accommodation to students but ultimately as the mainstay.
As school music programs grew in popularity, Amro introduced an instrument rental plan. Mil and others of the firm traveled the gravel roads of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri, calling on school music programs and often staying overnight in the directors' homes. Today, nearly 100 years later, Amro Music has grown above and beyond the original vision of the piano studio in Downtown Memphis into something truly unique to Memphis and the Mid-South. It is still owned and operated today by the Averwater family, now in the fourth generation.
All strings attached
Orchestral musicians of all ages and skill levels are invited to Bluff City Strings, a division of Amro Music. Bluff City Strings offers orchestral musicians of all levels the opportunity to find their perfect instrument, ranging from rentals for beginning musicians to hand-crafted instruments for the most demanding players. We hand-select our instruments from highly reputable makers from across the world.
Find your instructor
Bluff City Strings is doing more to bring teachers and students together. If you're looking for a private instructor for violin, viola, cello, and bass, simply check out our Find an Instructor map and find out who is teaching near you! Connect with qualified string teachers in your area to match any skill level.
Are you a teacher?
If you're a teacher searching for students, join our ever-growing list of professional string instructors. We want to help teachers and students find one another. Just fill out the String Instructor Questionnaire and begin scheduling lessons.
Find your instrument
Instruments are nearly as unique as the people who play them and finding the right match can sometimes be challenging. We help take the guesswork out of finding the right fit. Talk to experts and discover the difference that a well-paired instrument can make in your learning and playing experience.
The Amro difference
Amro has been serving the Mid-south music community for nearly 100 years. We are the greater Memphis Area's number one stop for instrument purchases and rentals, teaching supplies, instrument accessories, sheet music, and more. To learn why people choose Amro Music, call or visit us and hear the difference our experience makes.
Bluff City Strings exists to:
- Equip instructors across the Mid-South with resources to help their students be successful
- Stock unique, high-quality, handcrafted instruments that cater to the needs of advancing players
- Provide a one-on-one, personalized instrument selection experience for our guests
- Combine Amro Music's 100-year tradition of excellence with the needs of modern-day string instructors and advancing musicians