All Focus articles
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Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: Vadim Gluzman on Brahms’s Violin Sonata no.1
The Israeli violinist discusses why colour, shading and restraint are key in the first movement of this often-misinterpreted work.
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Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: Baiba Skride on the Berg Violin Concerto, first movement
The Latvian violinist discusses the importance of thorough planning, together with emotional engagement, when playing this awkward work
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FocusWords of wisdom from cellist Aldo Parisot
As Yale School of Music announced the official retirement of the cello guru in 2018, we looked back at some of the inspiring quotes from an interview for The Strad conducted by one of his most illustrious students, Ralph Kirshbaum
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FocusThe teaching of Dorothy DeLay - by violinists Itzhak Perlman, Stephen Clapp and Brian Lewis
Shortly after the legendary Juilliard School violin professor died in 2002, pupils and colleagues paid tribute to her teaching magic
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Focus11 views on teaching by Juilliard School violin professor Dorothy DeLay
During the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover in 1995, jury member Dorothy DeLay led a 90-minute discussion on teaching. Evelyn Chadwick recorded some of her views.
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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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FocusThere is no such thing as a piano 'accompanist'
Elana Estrin delves into the field of collaborative piano
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FocusMy 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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FeatureStudying the violin with Carl Flesch: Yfrah Neaman
Lebanese violinist Yfrah Neaman, who died in 2003, shared memories of his teacher with Evelyn Chadwick in December 1994
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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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Premium ❘ FeatureBlue Sky Teaching: Using creative approaches to refine students’ technique
In our June 2019 issue, Judith Kogan spoke with three string teachers, all based in North America and whose unique ideas are achieving significant results
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FocusAnne Akiko Meyers on playing the ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
The US violinist, who has been loaned in perpetuity what is currently the world’s most expensive instrument, discusses its tone quality and projection
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FocusThe thief, his wife and the ‘Huberman’ Strad
The ‘Gibson, Huberman’ Stradivari now owned by Joshua Bell has a history worthy of a blockbuster thriller
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FocusPhoto gallery: 300 years young – Stradivari’s decorated ‘Rode’ violin
The 1722 instrument will be performed in concert at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum on 20 October, to mark its 300th anniversary
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FocusCan bowing-wrist suppleness improve intonation?
John Krakenberger has made a number of interesting connections between good tuning and loosening the bowing wrist in his teaching
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Premium ❘ FeatureCellist Pablo Casals on expressive intonation
The great artist believed that 50 per cent of a player's total dramatic power lay in exaggerated intonation, writes former pupil Pamela Hind O'Malley
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ReviewMastering intonation, by cello professor Antonio Lysy
Cellist Antonio Lysy provides exercises to help you play in tune every time you put your finger on the string
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Focus8 ways to improve your intonation
Tips and tricks for playing in tune – or giving the impression of playing in tune
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FocusHow the violin trade has changed since the Queen’s accession
In this article from 2012, Philip Kass examines how everything from manufacturing to trade in the Far East have all changed during the Queen’s reign