All Blogs articles – Page 7
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Blogs
A novel way to practise double-stops - Rachel Barton Pine
The US violinist advocates emphasising either the top or bottom lines when practising double stopped scales to anticipate more accurately what occurs in the repertoire
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Blogs
Video: making a violin bow, by former W.E. Hill & Sons maker William Watson
In the ten-minute video below William Watson, employed by W.E. Hill & Sons from 1945 to 1962, demonstrates the bow making process - from start to finish.The final pupil of William Retford, Watson continued to make bows after leaving the Hill firm and built a reputation as an ...
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Blogs
Whatever happened to improvisation in classical music?
'Duelling' violin brothers Vladimir & Anton grew up surrounded by Romani music and use a variety of Romani techniques in their performances - including writing their own variations and cadenzas. Here they discuss the lost art of classical improvisation
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Blogs
Video: violinist Hilary Hahn knocks bridge over during a concert - and is helped by two luthiers in the audience
Hilary Hahn has posted video footage on her Twitter page of luthiers Peter and Wendela Moes re-fitting her bridge after a concert. The violinist managed to collapse the bridge while pushing her mute back on stage before her final encore. The two luthiers of Munich violin shop ...
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Blogs
Connecting, communicating and playing with character - cellist and baritone Matthew Sharp
The British artist uses the Greek word 'melos' - meaning both 'melody' and 'limb' - to explain the connection between movement and sound
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Blogs
Venice Baroque Orchestra performs on a tour bus
The Venice Baroque Orchestra, which is currently on a 13-city tour of North America with violinist Nicola Benedetti, missed one of its scheduled flights. Refusing to be downhearted, the enthusiastic musicians gave an impromptu Vivaldi performance on the bus to pass the time.The video was shared on Facebook ...
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Blogs
Violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky on the importance of practising scales
Scales are invaluable to all aspects of playing says the Royal Academy of Music and Royal Northern College of Music violin professor
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Blogs
Conquering performance nerves: staying focused on stage
Brian Hodges and Diana Allan answer student questions on coping with stage fright
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Blogs
Developing a natural and relaxed approach to string playing – part 2
Portland State University professor Dr Tomas Cotik gives an introduction to kinesthetic feelings and demonstrates techniques and exercises
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Blogs
Developing a natural and relaxed approach to string playing - part 1
Portland State University professor Dr Tomas Cotik gives an introduction to kinesthetic feelings and demonstrates techniques and exercises
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Blogs
10 tips for winning a chamber music competition
The Notos Quartet has won numerous competitions - including the Parkhouse Award in London in 2011, Premio Vittorio Gui in Florence in 2013, the Almere Competition in the Netherlands in 2016 and the Schoenfeld Competition in China in 2016. Here they offer advice to aspiring chamber groups
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Blogs
How to bring 'grain' to your sound - cellist and baritone Matthew Sharp
The British artist describes how to use the body to create a 'fearlessness of expression' and to give the sound meaning 'beyond surface preoccupations'
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Blogs
How do I overcome the fear of not being good enough?
Brian Hodges and Diana Allan answer student questions on coping with stage fright
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Blogs
Intermediary notes are unnecessary for shifting
One the great pedagogical minds of the 20th Century, Yuri Yankelevich (1909-1973) wrote an extremely detailed treatise on shifting that has now been published in English by Oxford University Press. Translator Masha Lankovsky takes a look at one of his conclusions
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Blogs
Conquering performance nerves: how can I become more comfortable during lessons?
Brian Hodges and Diana Allan answer student questions on coping with stage fright
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Blogs
Sing your way to string playing perfection - violinist Jack Liebeck
Breath control is very much like bow control, says the British violinist and Royal Academy of Music professor
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Blogs
'Taking part in competitions improved my playing tremendously,' says violinist Ray Chen
The former winner of the Menuhin and Queen Elisabeth contests advises young musicians to stop thinking about prizes and instead to use competitions as vehicles for self-improvement
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Blogs
'Portamento, when used tastefully, can bring a piece to life,' says violinist Aaron Rosand
The American virtuoso examines how the great 20th-century violinists used the ‘gliding technique' to bring personality and individuality to their interpretations
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Blogs
The power of legato practice for string players - Moonkyung Lee
The violinist shares her tried and tested method of practising to improve tone and memory skills
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Blogs
5 things you need to succeed as a musician
Northwestern University viola professor Helen Callus describes the combination of skills necessary to succeed as a musician - talent being just one in a mixture of abilities