All playing articles
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BlogsPizzicato technique is often neglected, says violinist Jennifer Pike
There are many ways to vary sound and colour, but beware the perils of playing forte for sustained periods. From 2014
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Where should string players look when performing from memory on stage?
Teacher Talk: your string teaching questions answered by our panel of experts. From October 2011
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Focus
10 tips on maximising tone quality & projection
From the archives: advice on projecting your best sound from over 120 years of The Strad
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Review
Book review: The Paganini of the Double Bass: Bottesini in Britain
Stephen Street reviews one of the first works in English on the great 19th-century double bassist Giovanni Bottesini
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Blogs
5 pieces of advice for playing Bach by violinist Lisa Batiashvili
The artist shares her ideas about performing works of the great Baroque composer
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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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Article
Double bassist François Rabbath demonstrates his crab technique
In honour of François Rabbath, who turns 90 today, we are republishing content from our archive related to the French-Syrian double bassist
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Blogs
A 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
