Featured stories
Double Bassist magazine: Nights in the gardens of Spain
Without the arrival of the Neapolitan double bass players at the beginning of the 18th century, the history of the bass in Spain may have been quite different. Xosé Crisanto Gandara examines the evidence, in this article taken from the Spring 2001 issue of our now-discontinued sister publication, Double Bassist
‘Don’t write it down. Remember it!’ - Inside Jascha Heifetz’s teaching studio
Heifetz’s former personal accompanist Ayke Agus recalls the violinist’s incentives and methods for getting the best from his students, in this extract by Enrico Alvares
‘I want to create a community where lifelong friendships are formed’ - Domingo Hindoyan
The violinist and new chief conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra shares his musical journey which began with the renowned music education programme El Sistema
Performance anxiety: Fighting stage demons
How often has a potential performance of a lifetime turned into a performance from hell? Are you suffering from from stage fright? Laurinel Owen gives advice overcoming this common affliction, from the December 1996 issue
’A musician must be broadly based, not just an instrumentalist’ - auditioning for music colleges
In this extract from September 2000, faculty members at some of the world’s top music colleges share what they’re looking for in an ideal conservatoire candidate
Orchestra auditions: Success strategies
Orchestra auditions are the ultimate examination for many college-age players, so is there a blueprint for achievement? Femke Colborne asks pedagogues and orchestra principals how they prepare students for the experience, in this feature from May 2014
Opinion: Dare to be different
When selecting repertoire for that crucial audition it’s an advantage to avoid predictable choices, writes Julian Lloyd Webber, who suggests alternatives for cellists
Memories of cellist John Gwilt
Students and colleagues of Gwilt share their memories of the celebrated cellist, who died last month aged 91, in this compilation from his wife Dawn
Black America: A race for change
Still now, in the 21st century, black people are inadequately represented within classical music. Pauline Harding talks to string players in America about lingering social oppression and what the wider community can do to bring about progress
Photo gallery: Royal College of Music opens new museum
Take a look at these exclusive pictures of instruments from London’s newest museum
Music studies in China: Tianjin Juilliard School
Tom Stewart examines how students from China and abroad may be tempted to pursue studies at the new Tianjin Juilliard School
Long read: Playing Baroque and Classical
Current trends encourage stylistically informed performances of Baroque and Classical music, but how does an uninitiated player get started? Pauline Nobes offers some advice in this feature from September 2003
Baroque cello playing: Going for baroque
You don’t need years of study to play Baroque cello with style and panache, argues Daniel Yeadon in this article from June 2000 - just a willingness to think differently
Global impact of Suzuki: The method and the movement
From humble beginnings in a Japanese music school, Suzuki teaching has become one of the most popular forms of music education worldwide. In this feature from September 2012, Laurie Niles reports on the programme’s global impact
Masterclass: Rainer Moog on Brahms’s Viola Sonata in F minor op.120 no.1
Viola pedagogue Rainer Moog revisits the original score for clarinet and reveals some alterations that may be better left unchanged, in this article from the August 2015 issue of The Strad
Ševčík’s legacy: how important is he to string players today?
Leading performers and teachers share their views on the use of Ševčík today, in this article from September 1998. By Sarah Mnatzaganian
Opinion: Relaxed body, focused mind
The art of Chinese calligraphy has much to teach us about playing a stringed instrument, writes violist Hsin-Yun Huang
The ‘Ševčík Colony’: the global spread of a master pedagogue
In this extract from the December 2009 issue, Endre Granat outlines the international movements of violin professor Otakar Ševčík in the early 20th-century
Playing Concertos the Ševčík Way
His method books transformed violin pedagogy, but Otakar Ševčík’s later studies based around the concerto repertoire languished until rediscovered by Endre Granat. In this article from December 2009, Granat argues that Ševčík’s analytical approach can be applied to any work
Yampolsky study: Wrist-crippling finger-twister
Rok Klopčič gives tips on getting your hands around the fiendish Yampolsky study in this article from June 2009