All Focus articles
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FeatureAsk the Experts: how to correct a violin bridge position
Three top luthiers answers a reader's query on preserving the correct instrument geometry after changing strings, in this feature from 2014
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Focus
The Doric Quartet on switching to Classical bows
In this extract from their cover story in the August 2018 issue of The Strad, the British quartet discusses how a recent experiment with Classical bows has taken the players’ musicianship to new heights. Interview by Toby Deller
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Focus
‘I try to teach the students to think for themselves’ – the singular teaching legacy of Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay was born on this day in 1917. In this excerpt from September 2017, Laurie Niles speaks to former students about the legendary pedagogue’s teaching methods
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Article
Life Lessons: David Harrington
The American violinist recalls the path that led him to found the genre-defying Kronos Quartet
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Feature
Professor Ševčík addresses Strad readers
The Czech violinist and influential teacher passes on words of wisdom to readers of The Strad in February 1912
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Focus
8 pieces of advice for happy string quartets
Words of instruction and inspiration on quartet playing from the pages of The Strad
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Focus
My violin heroine Maud Powell, by Rachel Barton Pine
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine examines why Powell's pioneering contribution to the art of violin recording so richly deserved the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 56th Grammy Awards in 2014
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Focus
Pioneering Female String Players from The Strad archives
Ahead of International Women's Day on 8 March, take a look at these string players who graced the pages of our early magazine
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Focus
Developing arm, wrist and finger vibrato
Rok Klopčič takes a look at different types of vibrato through the eyes of the great teachers and players - from the June 2003 issue
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Focus
Leila Schayegh's top 5 tips on historically informed vibrato
The Baroque violinist shares her wisdom on how to use vibrato authentically
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Feature
How to help music students with sightreading
If your students only brush up their sightreading at exam time, they're missing out on an important part of music making
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Focus
10 tips for learning and teaching sightreading
Advice from The Strad’s archive on how to improve sightreading and reminders of its crucial place in any good musician’s skillset
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Focus
Playing with a relaxed fourth finger by violinist Ros Stephen
Ros Stephen, author of the Oxford University Press Globetrotters series and Violinworks method books, gives exercises and advice to help string players reach fourth finger notes without straining
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Premium ❘ Feature
Where should string players look when performing from memory on stage?
Teacher Talk: your string teaching questions answered by our panel of experts. From October 2011
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Focus
Double bass technique: Back muscles, weight, and flexibility in the right hand
How to get the most out of your body when playing the double bass, by Dan Styffe, principal bassist for the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music
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Focus
Double bass beginners should play in all left-hand positions
Thomas Martin pinpoints some common technical problems for young bassists and insists that beginners shouldn't be restricted to playing in the lower positions. From the May 2014 issue
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Focus
7 techniques to combat stage fright
How often has a potential performance of a lifetime turned into a performance from hell? Are you suffering from stage fright? Laurinel Owen gives advice on overcoming this common affliction
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Focus
How to produce a strong, uninhibited sound without pressure, by cellist Joel Krosnick
The former Juilliard String Quartet cellist explained to Laurinel Owen how to effectively transmit energy from your body to the instrument in 2005
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Focus
10 tips on maximising tone quality & projection
From the archives: advice on projecting your best sound from over 120 years of The Strad
