All playing articles
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BlogsA break from string playing can be a constructive experience
With many musicians returning to the stage for the first time in months, violinist Cara Laskaris reflects on her own experiences to offer some words of advice
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Focus
6 tips for improved coordination
Guidance from The Strad’s archive for greater synchronisation between left-hand fingers and bow
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Review
Book review: Musicians in Motion: 100 Exercises with and without Instrument
Ruth Phillips reviews a book about helping musicians improve their posture, build strength and prevent injuries
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Review
The Bridge: Connecting Violin and Fiddle Worlds
Alex Laing reviews a book bringing together two disparate genres of string playing
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Focus
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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Article
How a forgotten chamber masterpiece finally saw the light
A powerfully expressive chamber work by one of the most important British composers of the interwar years failed to make it into print – but why? As Rebecca Clarke’s 1923 Rhapsody for cello and piano is published for the first time, John York, who recorded the piece with cellist Raphael ...
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From the Archive: December 1909
The pseudonymous ‘L.H.W.’ gives his thoughts on teaching, in an article he might himself call ‘profuse and extravagant in expression’
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Focus
Performing entirely by reflex, by cellist Leonid Gorokhov
The Russian musician and Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hannover professor describes how he trains himself to transcend the physical restraints of playing
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How to play with a flexible bowing arm by cellist Gary Hoffman
The American musician explains how he developed a supple and varied bow arm motion, guided by his ear and musical instinct
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Focus
Singing during practice can help improve sound and characterisation
Cellist Laurence Lesser suggests that learning to listen to your voice constructively isn't easy, but it helps to set musical feeling directly into motion
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Harnessing 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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Focus
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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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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Focus
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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Focus
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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Focus
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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Focus
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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Focus
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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Focus
10 tips on maximising tone quality & projection
Advice on projecting your sound from over 120 years of The Strad
