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Improve your playing in the Playing Hub
Technique: Going from the violin to viola
Petr Holman gives tips on switching instrument, particularly focusing on the right hand
Technique: Working with hypermobile violinists
Drawing from both personal and teaching experience, violinist Usha Kapoor outlines the ways players and teachers can deal with hypermobility
Technique: Shifting on the double bass
Shifting can be especially tricky for bassists, Nina Decesare gives tips on how to best approach it
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: Going from the violin to viola
Petr Holman gives tips on switching instrument, particularly focusing on the right hand
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: Working with hypermobile violinists
Drawing from both personal and teaching experience, violinist Usha Kapoor outlines the ways players and teachers can deal with hypermobility
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: Shifting on the double bass
Shifting can be especially tricky for bassists, Nina Decesare gives tips on how to best approach it
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!
‘We just love what we do’: 21 years of the Sacconi Quartet
Comprising violinists Ben Hancox and Hannah Dawson, violist Robin Ashwell and cellist Cara Berridge, the members of the Sacconi Quartet chat with The Strad about their guiding principles throughout their shared history together, as well as as some memorable performances
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
Blogs‘Tchaikovsky’s harmonies in a Berlin nightclub’: classical string improv at the Edinburgh Fringe
Ahead of a Fringe Preview show, violinist Rita Fernandes breaks down how her classical training and the sonic possibilities of string instruments inform the comedy improv show she’s bringing to the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
BlogsKavakos and Pace take a bow in Santa Fe
Richard Linnett reports back from the opening concert of the Santa Fe Chamber Festival, which offered works by Beethoven, Stravinsky, Mozart and Franck
Blogs‘Fulfilment comes from continuing to grow’: a conversation with violinist and pedagogue Winfried Vögele
Vögele reflects on his holistic approach to music education, performance psychology and the notion of ‘success’ in music – ideas central to The Concertmaster, a film in which he features and for which he wrote the soundtrack
Blogs
‘Tchaikovsky’s harmonies in a Berlin nightclub’: classical string improv at the Edinburgh Fringe
Ahead of a Fringe Preview show, violinist Rita Fernandes breaks down how her classical training and the sonic possibilities of string instruments inform the comedy improv show she’s bringing to the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Blogs
Kavakos and Pace take a bow in Santa Fe
Richard Linnett reports back from the opening concert of the Santa Fe Chamber Festival, which offered works by Beethoven, Stravinsky, Mozart and Franck
Blogs
‘Fulfilment comes from continuing to grow’: a conversation with violinist and pedagogue Winfried Vögele
Vögele reflects on his holistic approach to music education, performance psychology and the notion of ‘success’ in music – ideas central to The Concertmaster, a film in which he features and for which he wrote the soundtrack
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: 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: Schubert Piano Trio no.2 in E flat major, first movement
David and Edgar Moreau dive into Schubert’s sound world, exploring colour, balance and the expressive detail that shapes their interpretation of this late work
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: 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: Schubert Piano Trio no.2 in E flat major, first movement
David and Edgar Moreau dive into Schubert’s sound world, exploring colour, balance and the expressive detail that shapes their interpretation of this late work
Masterclass: Bruch Violin Concerto no.1, second movement
Bella Hristova outlines the importance of pacing oneself and creating a hierarchy of intensity in this popular slow movement
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: Schubert Piano Trio no.2 in E flat major, first movement
David and Edgar Moreau dive into Schubert’s sound world, exploring colour, balance and the expressive detail that shapes their interpretation of this late work
Masterclass: Bruch Violin Concerto no.1, second movement
Bella Hristova outlines the importance of pacing oneself and creating a hierarchy of intensity in this popular slow movement
Painting with sound: how synaesthesia shaped my eight-cello work ‘Sun On My Skin’
Cellist and composer Isobelle Austin shares how colours inform sound in her debut original single
Jordi Savall: connections beyond words
The Catalan gambist and conductor Jordi Savall speaks with Michael White about his six decades of music making, the ideals that have guided his work and the future of the early music world he helped to shape
Postcard from California: Ojai Music Festival
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s California homecoming created a dialogue between European modernism and American experiment, as Thomas May discovered
Dave Soldier: how I completed Stuff Smith’s unfinished violin concerto
When jazz violin pioneer Stuff Smith left behind six minutes of themes for a concerto, composer Dave Soldier set out to complete what he had started. He shares how he transformed the fragment into a full-scale work while grappling with a central question: how do you finish a masterpiece without ...
Painting with sound: how synaesthesia shaped my eight-cello work ‘Sun On My Skin’
Cellist and composer Isobelle Austin shares how colours inform sound in her debut original single
Jordi Savall: connections beyond words
The Catalan gambist and conductor Jordi Savall speaks with Michael White about his six decades of music making, the ideals that have guided his work and the future of the early music world he helped to shape
Postcard from California: Ojai Music Festival
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s California homecoming created a dialogue between European modernism and American experiment, as Thomas May discovered
Dave Soldier: how I completed Stuff Smith’s unfinished violin concerto
When jazz violin pioneer Stuff Smith left behind six minutes of themes for a concerto, composer Dave Soldier set out to complete what he had started. He shares how he transformed the fragment into a full-scale work while grappling with a central question: how do you finish a masterpiece without ...
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