Kentrell Amerson has been learning to play the violin since kindergarten and receives three one-hour lessons with the rest of his class at a school in Omaha, NE.

Thanks to local collaboration, Amerson, whose left arm ends at the elbow, has been presented with a violin that rests on his right shoulder, plus a 3D-printed prosthetic hand to hold the bow.

Luthier Alex Reza has adapted a ‘mirror image’ violin, changing the layout of the strings so that Amerson can follow the same teaching directions as his classmates. The biomechanics department at University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) created a 3D-printed prosthetic that holds the bow and attaches to Amerson’s left elbow.

How does Amerson describe his new violin set-up?

‘Awesome.’

Best of Technique

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Masterclass

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

American collector David L. Fulton amassed one of the 20th century’s finest collections of stringed instruments. This year’s calendar pays tribute to some of these priceless treasures, including Yehudi Menuhin’s celebrated ‘Lord Wilton’ Guarneri, the Carlo Bergonzi once played by Fritz Kreisler, and four instruments by Antonio Stradivari.