Technique – Page 8
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ArticleHow to achieve perfectly controlled bowing
The presentation may be a little odd, but this video on how to achieve a clear and controlled bow stroke, drawing inspiration from the method of Paganini, features some very useful tips.Read: The evolution of violin bow holdRead: Violinist Aaron Rosand on improving bow technique
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Violinist Rachel Podger gives Baroque bowing masterclass
Imagine your hand is like seaweed in the water, always flowing...'British Baroque violinist Rachel Podger gives a bowing masterclass as part of the York Baroque Strings Project for students at the National Centre for Early Music in 2014.Podger speaks about the singular challenges of Biber’s Rosary Sonatas, considered ...
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5 views on playing the perfect harmonic
Learning how to do harmonics properly is invaluable to a player’s left hand, bow arm and intonation – as the following tips from The Strad's archive demonstrate.
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Ask the Experts: how to cure a locked left-hand fourth finger
Strad readers submit their problems and queries about string playing, teaching or making to a panel of experts
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Violinist Itzhak Perlman on mastering up-bow staccato
Josef Gingold: 'I'm sorry Mr Ysaÿe, I don't have a good staccato' Eugène Ysaÿe: 'Ah, don't worry, I'll give you a good staccato - and you won't forget!' While giving a masterclass for a young Cho-Liang Lin, violinist Itzhak Perlman relays a humorous story, passed on to ...
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Violinist Aaron Rosand demonstrates the impact of bow direction
For me the bow is the breathing process - it has to be free and clear' Violinist Aaron Rosand speaks about the importance of bowing direction and demonstrates his ideas in the opening of Sibelius's Violin Concerto. Read Aaron Rosand's blogs: Improving bow technique and Every movement ...
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Using 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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Cellist 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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Violinist 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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6 ways to develop a smooth legato
Tips from The Strad’s Archive on producing a fluid and beautiful tone
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Violinist 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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Cellist 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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Violinist 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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The 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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Cellist 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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Cellist 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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How 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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Ask 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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Did 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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Violinist 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.
