All Focus articles – Page 8
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FocusTabea Zimmermann's top 6 practice tips
To tie in with our review of her Berlioz CD, Tabea Zimmermann shares her wisdom on getting the most out of your practice
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Masterclass: Philippe Graffin on Ravel’s Violin Sonata no.2
The French violinist explores how to create an orchestra of abstract colours and characters in the first movement of Ravel’s last chamber work
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7 warming up and cooling down exercises for musicians
Suggested warm-ups prior to playing and cool-down stretches following performance and/or practice
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9 views on antiquing a modern violin
Tips and opinions from The Strad's archive on capturing a classic look in new instruments – or not
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5 tips for conquering performance nerves from 5 solo string players
Artists share their wisdom on battling the fear monster, as featured over the last five years of The Strad
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In focus: the 1696 Stradivari 'Archinto' viola
John Dilworth praises the archetypal beauty of Stradivari’s ‘Archinto’ viola, a magical example of form and aesthetic
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Jascha Heifetz – champion of modern violins
Dario Sarlo reveals a lesser-known passion of the great violinist, and how it led him to start his own lutherie competition
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4 reasons why Arabic poetry inspires me
To tie in with our review of her Inner Rhyme CD, Lebanese violinist Layale Chaker explains why she finds musical inspiration in Arabic poetry
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7 tips on motivating yourself to practise
7 different string players share their wisdom on maintaining motivation - as featured over the last 10 years in The Strad
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Looking after Paganini's 'Il Cannone' violin
Entrusted with the task of conserving one of the world’s most valuable violins, Bruce Carlson has made it easier to play, while taking it closer to how it would have looked to Paganini. In this article first published in 2004, he explains
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Why aren't more British string players making it big internationally?
Despite the large number of young and talented string players in Britain, few seem to make an impact as leading soloists on the world stage. Charlotte Gardner explores the reasons for this phenomenon
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5 views on Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto
Five violinists share their insights into this pillar of the repertoire in these snippets of interviews featured in The Strad
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6 ways to improve shifting for string players
Advice on how to shift smoothly and cleanly from 120 years of The Strad
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Resonanzio resonance podium for double bass
Turning everyday practicality to musicians’ acoustic advantage
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Musical emissaries: The Shanghai Quartet
The players of the pioneering ensemble, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, speak to Charlotte Smith about forming at a time when Western chamber music was barely understood in their native China
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Alfred Staar on what constitutes the Viennese School
Alfred Staar’s influence continues to be felt today – no fewer than 22 of his former students currently hold posts in the Vienna Philharmonic. Inga Brandini shares a conversation with the professor from 15 March 2000, shortly before his death a month later
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Stringtelligence by Thomastik-Infeld: wolf tones and string buzzing
In the second of the new blog series for The Strad celebrating Thomastik-Infeld’s 100th anniversary, Franz Klanner, the Austrian string manufacturer’s director of engineering and technology, shares his experience in how to tame a wolf tone and get rid of irritating string buzzing
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Postcard from South Africa - ‘What It Takes: Double Bass’
Young South African double bass players took part in a new dedicated course for their instrument at the end of last year – with promising results, writes faculty member Leon Bosch
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Yogic principles and string playing
Cellist Ruth Phillips looks at the connections between yoga, playing an instrument and making music through the elements of breath, gravity and the wave
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Masterclass: Jan Vogler on Schumann's Fantasiestücke
Cellist Jan Vogler discusses how to colour these fantasy pieces using a mixture of technique and imagination
