Technique – Page 9
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FocusUsing harmonics as a violin teaching and practice tool
Although harmonics are most often used for musical effect, in the search for a perfectly pure sound they can be a wonderful aid to learning and practice, argues Laura Reed
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ArticleCellist János Starker on vibrato
Vibrato is tension and release. I had an argument with Paul Rolland, who claimed I was rolling above the note and back, but I don't think so. I am in the middle of the note and then releasing' Cellist János Starker speaks about vibrato in an interview with Paul Katz ...
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ArticleViolinist Ray Chen reviews fans' up bow staccato videos
Violinist Ray Chen shares his humorous reviews of videos sent in by string players in response to his up bow staccato masterclass.Read The Strad’s 6 ways to improve your staccato.Watch Ray Chen performing Ysaÿe’s Solo Sonata no.6 at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium in 2009 – ...
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Focus6 ways to develop a smooth legato
Tips from The Strad’s Archive on producing a fluid and beautiful tone
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ArticleViolinist Ray Chen gives up bow staccato masterclass
Violinist Ray Chen shares his technique for mastering up bow staccato - making use of tremolo.Read The Strad's 6 ways to improve your staccato.Watch Ray Chen performing Ysaÿe’s Solo Sonata no.6 at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium in 2009 – which he later won.
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ArticleCellist Myles Jordan discusses bow changes
In The Strad's September 2015 issue, cellist Myles Jordan gives a detailed analysis of bow changes, particularly focusing on how mastering the collé change gives a seamless transition. Here he gives an audio–visual demonstration.
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ArticleViolinist Jascha Heifetz performs Hora Staccato
Jascha Heifetz demonstrates impeccable bow control in up- and down-bow staccato in his arrangement of Dinicu's Hora Staccato. Read The Strad's 6 ways to improve your staccato.
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FocusThe evolution of violin bow hold
From the awkward grips of the past to the relaxed approach of today, the bow hold has come a long way. Globalisation has a lot to do with it, says John Krakenberger
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ArticleCellist David Finckel on effective articulation
We need articulation to excite the strings and give our playing clarity' Cellist David Finckel talks about 'bow clicks', enabling each bow stroke to start with a 'pop'. Read The Strad's 6 ways to improve your staccato. Read David Finckel's 10 habits of successful musicians. Subscribe to ...
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ArticleCellist David Finckel on producing a wider vibrato
The wider your fingertips, the easier it is to produce a wide vibrato' Cellist David Finckel demonstrates how to produce a wider, richer vibrato. Watch Finckel's video demonstration on smooth bow changes and read his 10 habits of successful musicians. Subscribe to The Strad or download our ...
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FocusHow to master bow speed and distribution
Physicists think of time and space as aspects of the same thing. Gerald Fischbach applies the same theory to bow division
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FocusAsk the Experts: how to help a student with a short fourth finger
Strad readers submit their problems and queries about string playing, teaching or making to our experts
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FocusDid early string players use continuous vibrato?
Contrary to current thinking, a light vibrato was the order of the day for 18th-century musicians, asserts Beverly Jerold
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ArticleViolinist Itzhak Perlman performs the Devil's Trill Sonata
Violinist Itzhak Perlman demonstrates impressive ornamenting skills in Giuseppe Tartini's Devil's Trill Sonata. Discover 7 ways to improve your trills from The Strad's archive. Subscribe to The Strad or download our digital edition as part of a 30-day free trial. To purchase single issues click here.
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FocusHow to master staccato bowing, by cellist Xavier Phillips
The French cello soloist and chamber musician explains how, with practice and patience, the challenges of staccato playing can be overcome
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BlogsI never practise scales and studies from books, says violinist James Ehnes
The Strad’s November issue cover star on why pieces contain almost all the technical components necessary for practice
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FocusThere's more to making a good sound than bowing parallel to the bridge
In our July 2006 issue, cellist Gerhard Mantel writes that there's more to good tone production than keeping the bow parallel to the bridge
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Premium ❘ FeatureHow to use bowing angle to vary articulation by cellist Colin Carr
How to vary the attack and timbre of a note by modifying the angle of the bow to the string
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ArticleSteven Isserlis on using the right amount of vibrato
You do need vibrato to emphasise phrasing and emotion, but not as an automatic part of your sound' Cellist Steven Isserlis puts former BBC Young Musician of the Year winner Guy Johnston through his paces in Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata at the International Musicians' Seminar Prussia Cove, and ...
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ArticleCellist David Finckel on smooth bow changes
'Dorothy DeLay said, 'I never saw a bow change that I couldn't hear'. And she's right.' Cellist David Finckel talks about how to achieve smooth and fluid bow changes. Read The Strad's 6 tips for smooth bow changes and David Finckel's 10 habits of successful ...
