All Tone articles
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FocusSinging during practice can help improve sound and characterisation
Cellist Laurence Lesser suggests that learning to listen to your voice constructively isn't easy, but it helps to set musical feeling directly into motion
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Focus
10 views on dynamics for bowed strings
Advice on how to produce effective dynamic contrasts from 120 years of The Strad
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Focus
10 tips on maximising tone quality & projection
Advice on projecting your sound from over 120 years of The Strad
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Video
‘With Nicky’ 2: Developing Your Sound
Why is sound so important? ‘With Nicky’ this week delves into the depths of developing sound, while reminding us that no two violinists sound the same, and that they shouldn’t sound the same. There’s lots of experimentation, plus plenty of advice on embracing the journey to finding your own sound. ...
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Focus
From the archive: Technique or tone?
This article from The Strad, September 1954, argues that the trend among students of pursuing mechanical brilliance at the expense of beauty of tone is misguided
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Focus
8 ways to maximise your sound with minimum effort
Advice on how to increase your sound without any extra effort from The Strad Archive
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Debate
How can violinists create a personal sound?
Once upon a time, violinists just wanted to get as close to Heifetz's sound as they possibly could. But now that golden standard no longer applies, Jessica Duchen asks, how do the stars of today mark themselves out as special?
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Focus
7 tips on adjustments to get the best out of your instrument
The finest Stradivari in the world will sound poor if it is badly set up. Here are some points to consider sourced from our archive
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Premium ❘ Debate
Take the hostility out of string playing
Today's performers should remember that you don't need to be aggressive to make a searing point, argues Richard S. Ginell
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Blogs
Aaron Rosand on how to produce a beautiful tone
The American violinist examines the role of the bow in tone production
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Focus
How to produce a strong, uninhibited sound without pressure, by cellist Joel Krosnick
The former Juilliard String Quartet cellist explained to Laurinel Owen how to effectively transmit energy from your body to the instrument in 2005
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Blogs
How to bring 'grain' to your sound - cellist and baritone Matthew Sharp
The British artist describes how to use the body to create a 'fearlessness of expression' and to give the sound meaning 'beyond surface preoccupations'
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Focus
Young players must find their own sound within each composer’s idiom,' says violinist Kyung Wha Chung
Violinist Kyung Wha Chung speaks in The Strad’s October 2016 issue about her long-awaited recording of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, fifty years after she began playing the works - download the full article on desktop computer or through The Strad App. My 1974 Decca recording ...
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Blogs
Violinist Julia Fischer and cellist Daniel Müller-Schott on sound projection
The soloists talk to Pauline Harding about orchestral accompaniment and soloistic sound
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Article
Violinist and violist Pinchas Zukerman on sound production
You need to have the mechanism organised so that you can feel free to express yourself - which then becomes Schubert or Beethoven or Brahms. So you must separate the technique from the music. Most of the time when we try to express ourselves we lose the ...
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Article
'Even the best vibrato can't help a poor right-hand sound,' says cellist Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt
The German cellist and pedagogue discusses how to produce a strong and colourful tone
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Focus
Viola players must decide whether they want a bright or dark sound, say Bruno Giuranna
The renowned violist talks to Ariane Todes about his educational influences, and shares some of his guiding principles
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Article
Violinist Maxim Vengerov on making one violin sound like three in Bach
I want to hear two or three violinists at one time' Maxim Vengerov gives a violin masterclass on the Fugue of Bach's Sonata No.1, recorded at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The student is Nasrin Rashidova. The full 45-minute video is available to buy as a ...
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Focus
How the harmonic series can unleash your tonal energy
Work on the harmonic series and you'll release a wealth of colour from your instrument without effort. Pedro de Alcantara explains how it's done
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Article
Violinist Itzhak Perlman on making the music 'speak'
I know I played every note...' In this clip from Christopher Nupen's film Itzhak Perlman: Virtuoso Violinist the great musician discusses playing Paganini's Caprice no.5 very fast in a concert hall with a lot of echo. Read: Never practise for more than five hours ...
