All playing articles
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Premium ❘ FeatureHarnessing breathing to improve your string playing
Breathing naturally is one of the first principles of Alexander teaching - and it's a must for anyone who suffers from stage fright, says Joseph Sanders
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5 views on teaching and performance from William Pleeth
The late British cellist and teacher of Jacqueline du Pré spoke to The Strad in June 1996 at the age of 80
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Premium ❘ Feature
The 4 stages of memorising music for performance
With the right concepts and skills, any musician can successfully learn music by heart, as Gerald Klickstein explains
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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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10 tips for performing from memory
Guidance from The Strad’s archive from how to incorporate memorisation into your practice, what the benefits might be – and when not to bother
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10 views on dynamics for bowed strings
Advice on how to produce effective dynamic contrasts from 120 years of The Strad
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7 warming up and cooling down exercises for musicians
Suggested warm-ups prior to playing and cool-down stretches following performance and/or practice
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6 ways to improve shifting for string players
Advice on how to shift smoothly and cleanly from 120 years of The Strad
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10 tips on maximising tone quality & projection
Advice on projecting your sound from over 120 years of The Strad
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6 tips for smooth bow changes
Advice on smooth and inaudible bow changes at the tip and the heel from The Strad's archives
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There is no such thing as a piano 'accompanist'
String players and pianists are uniting to end the perception of piano accompanists as lesser musicians. Elana Estrin delves into the emerging field of collaborative piano
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6 tips for improved coordination
Guidance from The Strad’s archive for greater synchronisation between left-hand fingers and bow
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8 ways to improve Baroque performance
Tips from The Strad’s archive on the use of vibrato, bow strokes and rhythmic hierarchy
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Left-hand pivots and the crab fingering system with bassist François Rabbath
The French soloist and teacher advises on how to improve intonation and dexterity on the double bass. From the October 2015 issue
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Article
Double bassist François Rabbath demonstrates his crab technique
François Rabbath demonstrates his crab fingering system as an alternative to traditional shifting. The double bassist explains in greater detail how to use his left-hand pivot and crab techniques in The Strad’s October 2015 issue – download through The Strad app . Read Rabbath's thoughts ...
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Article
Violinist Jascha Heifetz imitates bad playing
Violinist Jascha Heifezt gives a wincingly accurate impression of a bad performance he once heard of Vieuxtemps' Fourth Violin Concerto - proving not only his gifts as a performer, but also as a sharply observant comic. Read former Heifetz pupil Sherry Kloss's article: Studying the violin ...
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5 views on playing the perfect harmonic
Learning how to do harmonics properly is invaluable to a player’s left hand, bow arm and intonation – as the following tips from The Strad's archive demonstrate.
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6 ways to improve your staccato
Tips from The Strad’s 125-year archive on achieving crisp and clean articulation
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Blogs
Cellist Lynn Harrell on the art of playing up high
The American musician tells Pauline Harding that many tuning problems stem from a lack of exposure to the upper registers
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Article
Violinist performs while suspended upside down from bridge
Félix Analís performs his violin while suspended upside down from a bridge in Xalapa, Mexico. Subscribe to The Strad or download our digital edition as part of a 30-day free trial. To purchase single issues click here .
