Intonation
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Ask the Experts: how to encourage students to trust their ears
A reader asks what can be done to help young students who rely on learning finger placement rather than trusting their ears. Three teachers give their views
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Blogs
4 ways Bach can improve your playing: Violinist Rebeca Nuez Suarez
Rebeca Nuez Suarez reflects on the application of Bach’s Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas in the technical and musical development of young performers
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Feature
How harmonics and singing can help to build a sound technique
Violin and viola pedagogue Jane Metcalfe discusses using techniques inspired by Kodály and Colourstrings methods
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Focus
Can 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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Cellist 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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Blogs
Why violinists need an adaptive approach to intonation: Alexandra Gorski
Intonation needs to be flexible depending on context and repertoire, writes the violinist
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Ask the Experts: how to help a beginner pupil with intonation issues
Strad readers submit their problems and queries about string playing, teaching or making to our experts
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Focus
8 ways to improve your intonation
Tips and tricks for playing in tune – or giving the impression of playing in tune
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From the Archive: the difficulties of playing in tune
The Strad writer E. Polonaski bemoans the number of string players with suspect intonation in our March 1893 issue
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Focus
How to develop secure intonation, by cellist Maria Kliegel
Maria Kliegel explains how developing accurate intonation gives security and confidence to her playing
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Focus
‘I can see good tone’ - Suzuki’s tonalisation exercises
With musical examples, Helen Brunner examines how Suzuki’s tonalisation exercises are used to create a beautiful sound on the violin. From the September 2021 issue
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Focus
Returning to playing after a break: top string teachers share their tips
For those who have picked up their instruments after a hiatus and thought, ‘What on earth is this?!’ - five string teachers from around the UK share exercises for both hands, posture, listening and performance
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Ask the Teacher - Ruggiero Ricci
The veteran violinist and teacher gives his top technique tips in a special anniversary feature
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Article
A 30-minute daily practice routine for violinists and violists
How to keep your playing in shape while maintaining a busy schedule, by Misha Galaganov, professor of viola and chamber music at Texas Christian University, TX, US
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Technique: A 30-minute routine to keep your playing on top form
Ideas to help violinists and violists maintain high technical and musical standards around a busy regime
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Video
TwoSetViolin: The Twelve Levels of Violin Playing
The musical double act abandon their usual hijinx in favour of something more serious for newbie violinists: a whistle-stop tour of what their violin-playing career could look like (with a bit of practice).
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Article
How I interpret Bach: Tomás Cotik on strings, intonation and vibrato
Ahead of his 2020 album release of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, the violinist continues his blog series, in which he discusses the contradictions between the opposing trends and traditions in Bach interpretation, and his personal solutions to them
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Perfect 5ths
British violinist Rodney Friend has spent many years formulating his method for achieving a relaxed left-hand position. Here, he shares his voyage of discovery with Charlotte Smith
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None of my teachers were any good at explaining technique - Ruggiero Ricci
Celebrating his 90th birthday in July 2008, the legendary violinist looked back at his teaching influences and revealed that he was largely self-taught
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Technique: the importance of practising in 5ths
How the ability to play in perfect 5ths can help you to hone your position, intonation and vibrato