Technique
-
Premium ❘ Focus
Opinion: why don’t string players practice pizzicato?
Perfecting bowing is a lifelong quest for string players – but what about pizzicato? Cellist Davina Shum advocates setting aside some dedicated practice time to this neglected technique
-
Blogs
Cornerstones for violinists: the Australian violinist and teacher Alice Waten on left-hand set-up
The Australian violin pedagogue Alice Waten (1947-2022) shared advice on achieving fluidity and expressivity in the left hand in an interview with Joy Lee from early 2022
-
Blogs
Five tips for achieving flawless legato for violinists and violists
Artists from The Strad’s extensive back catalogue share their insights on playing smoothly with the bow arm
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: Violin bow landings with Gina McCormack
Violinist Gina McCormack on teaching bow landings in reference to Mozart
-
Video
Our bow is our breath: cellist John-Henry Crawford
Understanding the relationship between the bow and the voice is key to creating a singing line, as the cellist discovered while preparing his new album Voice of Rachmaninoff
-
Blogs
Vibrato: three reminders from our online editor Davina Shum
Don’t overdo it and avoid slipping into auto-pilot mode, writes the cellist
-
Blogs
The anatomy and function of the bow arm: violinist Rachael Ridge
Having an awareness and understanding of how the bow arm moves is crucial to achieving a good tone on the violin
-
Blogs
Playing Fast: add these above-and-beyond rhythm exercises to your practice routine
Changing up rhythm and metre are great ways to get that fast passagework down, writes violinist Susanna Klein
-
Blogs
6 tips for practising fast passages: violinist Susanna Klein
Susanna Klein gives advice on left and right hand dexterity and coordination for violinists wanting to improve their virtuosity
-
Blogs
How to memorise earlier and smarter: Adam Hockman
The practice and performance consultant identifies what causes memory slips and gives tips on improving memorisation technique
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Technique: Octaves for cellists
Cellist Seth Parker Woods on overcoming the fear and finding joy in octave practice
-
Feature
6 ways to improve left-hand flexibility
Tips from The Strad’s archive on increasing suppleness of movement and reducing tension
-
Blogs
How Bach enhances right-hand dexterity: Violinist Rebeca Nuez Suarez
Rebeca Nuez Suarez discusses the contribution the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by Bach can make to gaining dexterity and strength in the right hand
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Ask the Experts: how to encourage students to trust their ears
A reader asks what can be done to help young students who rely on learning finger placement rather than trusting their ears. Three teachers give their views
-
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
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Cellist Pablo Casals on expressive intonation
The great artist believed that 50 per cent of a player's total dramatic power lay in exaggerated intonation, writes former pupil Pamela Hind O'Malley
-
Premium ❘ Focus
Ask the Experts: how to help a beginner pupil with intonation issues
Strad readers submit their problems and queries about string playing, teaching or making to our experts
-
Premium ❘ Feature
From the Archive: the difficulties of playing in tune
The Strad writer E. Polonaski bemoans the number of string players with suspect intonation in our March 1893 issue
-
Feature
Should soloists always perform music from memory?
Pointless and terrifying, or essential for musical communication? Playing without the music arouses some strong opinions, finds Laurinel Owen
-
Premium ❘ Feature
From the Archive: How to memorise solos
The art of memorising can be mastered by even those who believe they have no aptitude in the area, wrote Edwin H. Pierce in The Strad's December 1894 issue