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Improve your playing in the Playing Hub
Technique: Singing with the bow
Valentina Scheldhofen Ciardelli on broadening your expressive range on the double bass
Technique: 19th-century cello technique
Edith Salzmann takes a fresh look at techniques from the era
Technique: Going from the violin to viola
Petr Holman gives tips on switching instrument, particularly focusing on the right hand
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: Singing with the bow
Valentina Scheldhofen Ciardelli on broadening your expressive range on the double bass
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: 19th-century cello technique
Edith Salzmann takes a fresh look at techniques from the era
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: Going from the violin to viola
Petr Holman gives tips on switching instrument, particularly focusing on the right hand
Why you should stop and think before you play
Violinist and Suzuki pedagogue Helen Brunner advocates for a thoughtful, step-by-step approach to practice
Why you should stop and think before you play
Violinist and Suzuki pedagogue Helen Brunner advocates for a thoughtful, step-by-step approach to practice
Opinion: why don’t string players practice pizzicato?
Perfecting bowing is a lifelong quest for string players – but what about pizzicato? Cellist Davina Shum advocates setting aside some dedicated practice time to this neglected technique
Opinion: why don’t string players practice pizzicato?
Perfecting bowing is a lifelong quest for string players – but what about pizzicato? Cellist Davina Shum advocates setting aside some dedicated practice time to this neglected technique
Why practice doesn’t prepare musicians for performance
Violinist and educator Maggie Watson explores why performance feels so different from the practice room, revealing how perception, the nervous system and psychological skills shape what really happens under pressure, and how musicians can train for the stage as deliberately as they train their technique
Why practice doesn’t prepare musicians for performance
Violinist and educator Maggie Watson explores why performance feels so different from the practice room, revealing how perception, the nervous system and psychological skills shape what really happens under pressure, and how musicians can train for the stage as deliberately as they train their technique
Stress is our friend, not our foe: how to manage stress to perform at your best
Cellist and researcher Joanna Latała encourages positively reframing the feeling of stress, and offers strategies on how to transform it into a force for growth and success
Positive self-talk: a key to boosting musicians’ confidence
Cellist and researcher Joanna Latała shares methods for how to enhance your performance with affirming language, plus what musicians can learn from top athletes and sports psychology
Vibrato: three reminders from our online editor Davina Shum
Don’t overdo it and avoid slipping into auto-pilot mode, writes the cellist
Vibrato: three reminders from our online editor Davina Shum
Don’t overdo it and avoid slipping into auto-pilot mode, writes the cellist
The Art of Vibrato: Techniques and Tips for Violinists
Donna Maurer offers six tips to help violinists master the technique of vibrato
Should vibrato exercises be practised separately from the repertoire?
Teacher Talk: your string teaching questions answered by our panel of experts. From 2011
Interpreting Dvořák vs. Mozart — a technical perspective for violinists
Grace Park provides a mini masterclass on how violinists can bring to life to the stylistic and musical qualities of the two seemingly opposite composers
Those notorious liars: thirds and sixths!
Getting the intonation right on your thirds and sixths can be tricky and misleading. Cellist Michael Reynolds shares some strategies to make the process less painful and more in tune
Those notorious liars: thirds and sixths!
Getting the intonation right on your thirds and sixths can be tricky and misleading. Cellist Michael Reynolds shares some strategies to make the process less painful and more in tune
What in-tarnation? Exploring expressive intonation with cellist Michael Reynolds
Cellist Michael Reynolds shares the importance of expressive intonation, as well as practical intonation tips that should prevent your string quartet from disbanding!
Numbness of the fingers in violinists: what causes it and how can you fix it?
J.L.H. Thomas delves into a physical exploration of what causes numbness, as well as exercises to help strengthen muscles to alleviate its symptoms
Numbness of the fingers in violinists: what causes it and how can you fix it?
J.L.H. Thomas delves into a physical exploration of what causes numbness, as well as exercises to help strengthen muscles to alleviate its symptoms
Setting 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
Cornerstones 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
VideoNew video: Ilya Kaler and Rasa Vitkauskaite perform Florence Price’s ‘Adoration’
The work features on The Bridgetower Project, which aims to highlight the legacy of Afro-European violin virtuoso George Bridgetower.
VideoSignum Quartet performs Vítězslava Kaprálová
The ensemble performs Kaprálová’s song ’With a White Kerchief He Waves’, arranged by Xandi van Dijk
Premium ❘ Focus‘Your first instrument is your body’ - Matthew Jones’s life lessons
The Welsh violist and violinist and head of chamber music at Guildhall School of Music & Drama on his teaching approach and unconventional journey
Video
New video: Ilya Kaler and Rasa Vitkauskaite perform Florence Price’s ‘Adoration’
The work features on The Bridgetower Project, which aims to highlight the legacy of Afro-European violin virtuoso George Bridgetower.
Video
Signum Quartet performs Vítězslava Kaprálová
The ensemble performs Kaprálová’s song ’With a White Kerchief He Waves’, arranged by Xandi van Dijk
Premium ❘ Focus
‘Your first instrument is your body’ - Matthew Jones’s life lessons
The Welsh violist and violinist and head of chamber music at Guildhall School of Music & Drama on his teaching approach and unconventional journey
Masterclass: Haydn Piano Trio in C major, Hob.XV:27, first movement
Violinist Elene Meipariani of Trio E.T.A. highlights the importance of finding a unified sound that brings life to this sprightly movement
Masterclass: Grieg Violin Sonata no.3 in C minor, op.45, first movement
Esther Yoo guides violinists through a movement of turbulence and tenderness in a work that requires complete technical command
Masterclass: Mozart Violin Sonata no.32 in B flat major, first movement
In a movement that evokes all the delightful quirks of a Mozart opera, it’s important to maintain a dialogue between violin and piano, says violinist Arnaud Sussmann
Masterclass: Haydn Piano Trio in C major, Hob.XV:27, first movement
Violinist Elene Meipariani of Trio E.T.A. highlights the importance of finding a unified sound that brings life to this sprightly movement
Masterclass: Grieg Violin Sonata no.3 in C minor, op.45, first movement
Esther Yoo guides violinists through a movement of turbulence and tenderness in a work that requires complete technical command
Masterclass: Mozart Violin Sonata no.32 in B flat major, first movement
In a movement that evokes all the delightful quirks of a Mozart opera, it’s important to maintain a dialogue between violin and piano, says violinist Arnaud Sussmann
More from the Playing Hub
6 tips for improved coordination
Guidance from The Strad’s archive for greater synchronisation between left-hand fingers and bow
Numbness of the fingers in violinists: what causes it and how can you fix it?
J.L.H. Thomas delves into a physical exploration of what causes numbness, as well as exercises to help strengthen muscles to alleviate its symptoms
Opinion: why don’t string players practice pizzicato?
Perfecting bowing is a lifelong quest for string players – but what about pizzicato? Cellist Davina Shum advocates setting aside some dedicated practice time to this neglected technique
Cornerstones 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
Masterclass: Haydn Piano Trio in C major, Hob.XV:27, first movement
Violinist Elene Meipariani of Trio E.T.A. highlights the importance of finding a unified sound that brings life to this sprightly movement
Masterclass: Grieg Violin Sonata no.3 in C minor, op.45, first movement
Esther Yoo guides violinists through a movement of turbulence and tenderness in a work that requires complete technical command
Masterclass: Mozart Violin Sonata no.32 in B flat major, first movement
In a movement that evokes all the delightful quirks of a Mozart opera, it’s important to maintain a dialogue between violin and piano, says violinist Arnaud Sussmann
Masterclass: Chausson Poème for Violin and Orchestra op.25
Understanding the harmonic framework is key to making sense of Chausson’s fluid, freely structured Poème, says violinist Maria Włoszczowska
Masterclass: Haydn Piano Trio in C major, Hob.XV:27, first movement
Violinist Elene Meipariani of Trio E.T.A. highlights the importance of finding a unified sound that brings life to this sprightly movement
Masterclass: Grieg Violin Sonata no.3 in C minor, op.45, first movement
Esther Yoo guides violinists through a movement of turbulence and tenderness in a work that requires complete technical command
Masterclass: Mozart Violin Sonata no.32 in B flat major, first movement
In a movement that evokes all the delightful quirks of a Mozart opera, it’s important to maintain a dialogue between violin and piano, says violinist Arnaud Sussmann
Masterclass: Chausson Poème for Violin and Orchestra op.25
Understanding the harmonic framework is key to making sense of Chausson’s fluid, freely structured Poème, says violinist Maria Włoszczowska
Pulling at the heartstrings: why record music that has been recorded many times before?
There is no shortage of recordings featuring staple violin repertoire, so why record them again? Violinist Sonia Lee makes the case for why performers and listeners keep coming back to old favourites and how there is always more to say in these pieces, as she releases her album Heartstrings Highlights
The Ukrainian violin sonatas nobody plays – and how to play them
Violinist Oleksii Hamov on Naum Lapynsky’s 1935 Sonata and Mykola Silvansky’s Sonata in A minor (1978): two little-known works whose performance challenges had not previously received detailed analysis in Ukrainian musicology – and what they demand of a duo
‘A commentary on my musical identity and journey’: catching up with Jacques Forestier
The Canadian violinist speaks to The Strad about his career since his joint victory at the 2024 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, ahead of his debut album release of works close to his heart
The practice principle: how I practise
Musicians spend thousands of hours practising but the questions about how to do it most efficiently never go away. Four leading string players share their insights with David Kettle and reveal their individual, and sometimes surprising, approaches to practice
Pulling at the heartstrings: why record music that has been recorded many times before?
There is no shortage of recordings featuring staple violin repertoire, so why record them again? Violinist Sonia Lee makes the case for why performers and listeners keep coming back to old favourites and how there is always more to say in these pieces, as she releases her album Heartstrings Highlights
The Ukrainian violin sonatas nobody plays – and how to play them
Violinist Oleksii Hamov on Naum Lapynsky’s 1935 Sonata and Mykola Silvansky’s Sonata in A minor (1978): two little-known works whose performance challenges had not previously received detailed analysis in Ukrainian musicology – and what they demand of a duo
‘A commentary on my musical identity and journey’: catching up with Jacques Forestier
The Canadian violinist speaks to The Strad about his career since his joint victory at the 2024 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, ahead of his debut album release of works close to his heart
The practice principle: how I practise
Musicians spend thousands of hours practising but the questions about how to do it most efficiently never go away. Four leading string players share their insights with David Kettle and reveal their individual, and sometimes surprising, approaches to practice
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