All Focus articles – Page 6
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Focus7 tips on adjustments to get the best out of your instrument
The finest Stradivari in the world will sound poor if it is badly set up. Here are some points to consider sourced from our archive
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Focus
Forecasting the future: Postcard from Sochi
The 13th Winter International Arts Festival in February presented no fewer than seven world premieres, a Beethoven sonata marathon and a double bass extravaganza, writes Peter Quantrill, who met artistic director Yuri Bashmet
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How to record chamber music in lockdown
Graham Oppenheimer, Senior Chamber Music and Viola tutor at Chetham’s School of Music, gives a step-by-step guide to recording chamber music remotely
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Running an educational chamber music programme remotely
Graham Oppenheimer, Senior Chamber Music and Viola Tutor at Chetham’s School of Music, explains how he managed to transfer the Manchester-based school’s chamber music programme online during the coronavirus lockdown
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A genuine Amati or a clever fake?
Could the cello shown here be one of the eight ‘bass violins’ ordered by Catherine de’ Medici for the court of Charles IX of France? Luthier Filip Kuijken explores the known history of the instrument and considers whether it could be an original Andrea Amati – or a clever fake ...
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Slide rules: 10 thoughts on portamento
Sinning or singing? The transition from one note to another on the same string without a break is a peculiarly sensitive topic, as seen in these clippings from The Strad archive
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5 festivals that hope to go ahead this summer (at least in part)
Although many festivals have been forced to cancel this summer’s plans owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the following are still hoping to go ahead - at least in part - in accordance with social distancing rules
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Nathan Meltzer: Life Lessons
The up-and-coming US violinist on his early years in Austria and summertime chamber music by the sea
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Sarasate’s thoughts on New York
During a two-year concert tour of America, violinist Pablo Sarasate corresponded with his adoptive mother Amélie de Lassabathie in Paris. His surviving letters have been translated for the first time into English by Nicholas Sackman and Bastien Terraz, who present a digest of their contents
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9 tips for flexibility in the right hand
A look in The Strad archive for wisdom regarding the importance of flexibility in the bowing arm, hand and fingers
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The Tetzlaff Quartet: is the profundity of Beethoven’s music a barrier to enjoying it?
The members of the Tetzlaff Quartet, who recently released their first Beethoven disc, talk to Tom Stewart about what’s really behind the composer’s late quartets
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Classical routes: Postcard from Havana
The annual La Ruta de Mozart festival presents the composer’s complete string quartets in a day of celebration at open-air locations around the city of Havana. Chloe Cutts attended this year’s edition
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7 tips for playing fast passages for string players
Guidance from The Strad’s archive on increasing left-hand finger speed and minimising tension
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We are living in a golden age of violin making - but where do we go from here?
Philip Kass takes stock of the violin making industry, and identifies highlights and challenges - aside from the current threat posed by Covid-19
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Focus
7 tips for avoiding repetitive strain injury when making instruments
For instrument makers, repetitive strain injuries can mean untold pain and misery – and possibly the end of their career. Luthier Cameron Robertson explains how, with the help of occupational therapist Sara Propes, he adapted his work process to guard against the problems of RSI in the future
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Focus
What to do when you’re ‘Zoom’ed Out’
The violinist and educator Gregory Harrington shares 8 tips for keeping fresh from visual fatigue during the current pandemic
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Focus
A day in the life of a music therapist
Violinist and music therapist Joy Gravestock describes a typical day in her field
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Rachel Podger: Life Lessons
Learn to question received wisdom and keep an open mind, says the acclaimed Baroque violinist
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10 ways to motivate yourself to practise during lockdown
The 25-year-old American violinist Esther Yoo shares her tips on getting the get up and go to practise even during a lockdown
