All Focus articles – Page 2
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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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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
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FocusConquering performance nerves: I'm great in practice but don't perform so well on the day
Brian Hodges and Diana Allan answer student questions on coping with stage fright
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Premium ❘ FeatureHarnessing breathing to improve your string playing
Breathing naturally is one of the first principles of Alexander teaching - and it's a must for anyone who suffers from stage fright, says Joseph Sanders
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Focus7 techniques to combat stage fright
Are you suffering from stage fright? Laurinel Owen gives advice on overcoming this common affliction
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FocusMartelé: Essential foundations for a top-quality bow technique
Rictor Noren offers grounding, exercises and repertoire suggestions to help you work on your martelé stroke
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FocusMovement in the bow hand and wrist, by violin professor Boris Kuschnir
Kuschnir explains how to master control of your sound through correct use of the bow
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Premium ❘ FeatureFrom the Archive: How to memorise solos
The art of memorising can be mastered by even those who believe they have no aptitude in the area, wrote Edwin H. Pierce in The Strad's December 1894 issue
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Premium ❘ FeatureHow to develop left-hand finger strength
Up and down movement is the basis of left-hand technique and many pedagogues have invented fiendish exercises to improve it. Rok Klopčič takes a look at some of them
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DebateSlow practice should be used only when needed as a learning tool
Are you wasting your time? As musicians we should be doing more to question the standard warm-up and practice regimes, writes violist Paul Neubauer
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FocusTechnique: How to achieve clean and effortless definition in the left hand, by Grigory Kalinovsky
Professor of violin at Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, with some exercises to improve your left-hand articulation. From 2018
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Focus7 ways to improve your tone
The elusive and deeply personal subject of tone production is pondered in the following quotes taken from the pages of The Strad over the past 130 years
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Focus8 ways to develop musical expression and individuality
Views on cultivating personal style and engaging your audience from 130 years of The Strad
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Focus10 tips on maximising tone quality & projection
Advice on projecting your best sound from over 130 years of The Strad's archives
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FocusHow to produce a strong, uninhibited sound without pressure, by cellist Joel Krosnick
The former Juilliard Quartet cellist explained to Laurinel Owen how to effectively transmit energy from your body to the instrument in 2005
