Technique
-
Premium ❘ FeatureTechnique: Violin bow landings with Gina McCormack
Violinist Gina McCormack on teaching bow landings in reference to Mozart
-
VideoOur 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
-
BlogsVibrato: three reminders from our online editor Davina Shum
Don’t overdo it and avoid slipping into auto-pilot mode, writes the cellist
-
BlogsThe 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
-
BlogsPlaying 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
-
Blogs6 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
-
BlogsHow 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 ❘ FeatureTechnique: Octaves for cellists
Cellist Seth Parker Woods on overcoming the fear and finding joy in octave practice
-
Feature6 ways to improve left-hand flexibility
Tips from The Strad’s archive on increasing suppleness of movement and reducing tension
-
BlogsHow 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 ❘ FeatureAsk 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
-
FocusCan 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 ❘ FeatureCellist 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 ❘ FocusAsk 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 ❘ FeatureFrom 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
-
FeatureShould 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 ❘ FeatureFrom 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
-
FocusWhy can't players get vibrato right?
Vibrating need not compromise purity of tone if it's done tastefully, says Tully Potter, who takes to task those who overplay, misplay or completely disown it. From October 2009
-
FocusDealing with Dystonia
Violinist Bernard Zinck shares his experiences of his devastating diagnosis of focal dystonia in his forties and his rehabilitation process to resume playing
-
FocusBow holds of the great violinists
How does the positioning of fingers on the bow affect sound and flexibility? Rok Klopčič examines the bow holds of leading violinists and pedagogues in this extract from October 2007