Technique – Page 4
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Premium ❘ DebateEarly vibrato was one aspect of a vastly different sound world
A response to Beverly Jerold’s article 'Did early string players use continuous vibrato?' by Kevin Class
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FeatureCellist Jian Wang on the importance of slow practice
The Chinese artist explains why his method of practising hand movements has its origin in the jungle
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Premium ❘ FeatureQuick exercises to improve string playing technique
Bruno Giuranna, Mimi Zweig, Bonnie Hampton and Boris Kuschnir reveal their secret teaching weapons
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe 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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FeatureHow to shift smoothly and cleanly by cellist Jeffrey Solow
When it comes to shifting, the American cellist and Boyer College professor gets his inspiration from the physics of ball games in this 2007 article
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Premium ❘ FeatureNone of my teachers were any good at explaining technique - Ruggiero Ricci
Celebrating his 90th birthday in July 2008, the legendary violinist looked back at his teaching influences and revealed that he was largely self-taught
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Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: the importance of practising in 5ths
How the ability to play in perfect 5ths can help you to hone your position, intonation and vibrato
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DebateYoung students must learn to listen if they are to practise effectively
String students who struggle in the early stages of learning often don't know how to listen. Patiently help them to train their ears, says Peter Quantrill, and practice sessions will become ever more fulfilling
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Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: Walking bass
Essential foundations for producing a jazz bass-line with good sound, rhythm and harmony
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ReviewBook review: The Violin in 5ths: Developing Intonation and Sound
Anne Inglis reviews Rodney Friend’s inspiring volume
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BlogsÉmile Sauret, moderation and the ‘saccade’ bow stroke
As Nazrin Rashidova continues her recorded exploration of Sauret’s Études-Caprices played on his own Stradivari, she contemplates an unusual technical challenge
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BlogsYuri Zhislin on the 6 pillars of violin playing
The violinist and violist boils down a career’s worth of experience as soloist, chamber musician and teacher
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Premium ❘ FeatureAsk the Experts: helping double-jointed students
Five teachers and health specialists respond to a reader's query on how best to teach a double jointed student.
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Premium ❘ FeatureAsk the Experts: purchasing the right Baroque bow
A trio of Baroque bow makers give their thoughts on what to look for when making the leap into historically informed playing
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FocusThe secret behind Paganini's amazing technique
Generations of violinists have tried to discover what it was that made Paganini so legendary. In this article from 2014, the late great Ruggiero Ricci shared his thoughts with Strad readers
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Video‘With Nicky’ 9: Recap – vibrato in Massenet’s Méditation
A recap from Nicola Benedetti’s vibrato video, using the first two bars of Massenet’s Meditation as a vibrato exercise. ‘It’s important to remember that with all exercises, in the end, use your ears – they will tell you exactly how you want to sound and send messages to your hands ...
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Video‘With Nicky’ 8: Recap – Playing Fast
A recap of last week’s video today on Nicola Benedetti’s journey of YouTube tutorials, in which the violinist goes back over one of the most important parts of developing the basics for the left hand: Playing Fast - Velocity Requires Flexibility. See the full series here
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Video‘With Nicky’ 7: Back to More Basics, Left Hand Part II
After a few very busy weeks practising, Nicola Benedetti presents Back to More Basics Left Hand Part 2. She says: ‘Before you watch this week’s video, I’d really encourage you to revisit Back to More Basics Left Hand Part 1 as this week is a continuation from what we were ...
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FocusTechnique: Velocity studies with Hans Jørgen Jensen
Some musicians love playing fast. Others struggle with it, both psychologically and physically: they can’t control their tempo, they play too loudly, their fingers collapse and lose their natural curvature, they have unnecessary tension in different parts of the body, they make facial grimaces, or they lift their fingers too ...
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Video‘With Nicky’ 4: Vibrato Part II
Following on from last week’s episode in her series of video tutorials, Nicola Benedetti is on to Vibrato Part 2, in which she progresses from easier to slightly harder vibrato exercises. She focuses on how to put some of last week’s exercises into practice with one of the most popular ...