Left Hand

Articles and videos to help improve all aspects of left-hand technique, from mastering fast passages with evenness and clarity, to building finer strength and flexibility, and achieving confident chords and double stops.

Latest Left Hand

6 ways to improve left-hand flexibility

Tips from The Strad’s archive on increasing suppleness of movement and reducing tension

Dealing with Dystonia

Violinist Bernard Zinck shares his experiences of his devastating diagnosis of focal dystonia in his forties and his rehabilitation process to resume playing

More Left Hand

Numbness of the fingers in violinists: what causes it and how can you fix it?

2024-05-08T09:28:00+01:00

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

Geminiani’s scales: a portal to the past

2024-05-07T08:01:00+01:00

Geminiani’s scale exercises in his seminal 1751 treatise The Art of Playing on the Violin may look puzzlingly random to modern eyes, but violinist Benjamin Shute argues that they can reveal useful insights into the thinking behind performance practice of the time

Flexibility

Technique: Left-hand lightness for cellists

2023-06-27T09:10:00+01:00

Richard Tunnicliffe on how to develop healthy and sustainable habits in the left hand

Fast Passages

6 tips for improved coordination

2024-05-08T10:00:00+01:00

Guidance from The Strad’s archive for greater synchronisation between left-hand fingers and bow