All Left Hand articles
-
BlogsSetting up the left hand: a guide for beginner violinists
Rachael Ridge gives some helpful pointers and a step-by-step guide delving into the nitty-gritty of left-hand set-up
-
BlogsCornerstones for violinists: the Australian violinist and teacher Alice Waten on left-hand set-up
The Australian violin pedagogue Alice Waten (1947-2022) shared advice on achieving fluidity and expressivity in the left hand in an interview with Joy Lee from early 2022
-
Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: Left-hand lightness for cellists
Richard Tunnicliffe on how to develop healthy and sustainable habits in the left hand
-
BlogsPlaying Fast: add these above-and-beyond rhythm exercises to your practice routine
Changing up rhythm and metre are great ways to get that fast passagework down, writes violinist Susanna Klein
-
Blogs6 tips for practising fast passages: violinist Susanna Klein
Susanna Klein gives advice on left and right hand dexterity and coordination for violinists wanting to improve their virtuosity
-
Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: Octaves for cellists
Cellist Seth Parker Woods on overcoming the fear and finding joy in octave practice
-
Feature6 ways to improve left-hand flexibility
Tips from The Strad’s archive on increasing suppleness of movement and reducing tension
-
Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: how to play chords
How to tackle multi-stopped passages with more confidence, musicality and alacrity with Pavel Berman
-
Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: Developing powerful base knuckles
Stephen Upshaw on developing powerful base knuckles in both hands for tension-free playing
-
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
-
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
-
FocusViolinist Elena Urioste on why a thorough warm-up routine is a necessity for good practice
The US violinist explains why warming up is an essential part of a day's practice
-
Premium ❘ Feature‘Begin with some finger push-ups’ - Technique: Left-hand finger independence
How to build strength and flexibility for a truly agile left hand with Adriana LaRosa Ransom, professor of cello and string project director at Illinois State University, US
-
Focus7 tips for playing fast passages for string players
Guidance from The Strad’s archive on increasing left-hand finger speed and minimising tension
-
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
-
FocusTechnique: double bassist Alex Henery gives tips on controlling left-hand finger pressure
How to place down, lift and move your fingers in a way that minimises fatigue, by Alex Henery, principal double bassist of the Sydney Symphony and head of double bass studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. From February 2019
-
FocusHow I warm up: violist Maxim Rysanov
The Russian-born viola player gives an insight into his detailed warm-up regimen
-
Focus5 ways to build fourth finger strength
Tips from The Strad’s archive on avoiding a weak, collapsing left-hand little finger
-
Focus‘Take it, make it work and don’t hurt yourself’ - tips for small framed violists
Viola professor at Juilliard and Curtis Institute of Music Hsin-Yun Huang offers practical tips for petite musicians and teachers to avoid unnecessary pain and over-exertion
-
FocusTrills and embellishments: exercises from Wilhelmj and Brown’s A Modern School for Violin
Violist Misha Galaganov recommends exercises from August Wilhelmj and James Brown’s out-of-print A Modern School for Violin, to accompany his Technique article in the October 2021 issue