Strings Magazine | For players of violin, viola, cello, bass & fiddle

Violinist Francesca Dego and Conductor Sir Roger Norrington’s Mozart Concertos Are a Fresh Take Based on Historical Resources

How To Master the Legato Bow Stroke (Hint: It’s Harder Than You Think)

Concert Review: Cellist Inbal Segev’s Athleticism and Artistry on Full Display with California Symphony

INSTRUMENTS, BOWS, & GEAR

Fancy Rib Inlays Are a Satisfying Bit of Extra Work in the Violin-Making Process

Carving fancy rib inlays on a violin isn’t a sound requirement. It is extra work. It has little bearing on the functionality of the violin. But it is artistically satisfying.

stringed instrument bows and pernambuco tree

State of the Heart(wood): With Pernambuco Conservation Efforts Underway, Makers Search for Other Bow-Wood Options

CodaBow’s Escent Offers Advanced Players a Versatile Tool

Remembering Legendary Louisiana Fiddler Edius Naquin’s Unique Instrument

instrument re-graduation label inside violin

The Tricky Topic of Instrument Re-graduation

close-up-of-Major-Bling-Fine-Tuner-Swarovski-Crystal-by-blingtuners

How to Add a Little Sparkle to Your Stringed Instrument

REVIEWS

Concert Review: Cellist Inbal Segev’s Athleticism and Artistry on Full Display with California Symphony

Inbal Segev’s athleticism is on display with the California Symphony as well as her artistry as she navigates the cello’s tightrope upper registers down to its throaty, resonant depths.

Sheet Music Review: Jean Sibelius’ Lesser-Known Cello and Piano Work ‘Malinconia’

Jean Sibelius' Malinconia for cello and piano rewards the players with a soulful opening cello cadenza and a hauntingly beautiful melody that brings out the cello’s most captivating tonal qualities.

Sheet Music Review: Joachim Raff’s Opus 85 Has More to Offer Beyond the Popular Cavatina

Many young violin students will be familiar with Joachim Raff’s Opus 85, not realizing that it is the third of six equally enchanting pieces of Opus 85.

HOW TO

These stories offer advice, instruction, tips, and tricks to help you grow as a string player.

Cellists performing in an orchestra section

How Musicians Can Combat Comeback Performance Stress and Anxiety

As COVID-19 vaccinations continue, so do plans to get full orchestras and chamber ensembles back in halls before in-person audiences.

Successfully Playing Beethoven’s Music Requires Mastery of Your Bow-Arm Weight

3 Ways Alt Styles Can Revive Your String Program

Be Kind to Your Tendons: 6 Low-Tension Exercises for Beleaguered Cellists

Develop an Individual Sound on the Strings

JS Bach. Play Bach Better by Improving Your Fifths

Play Bach Better by Improving Your Fifths on Violin

ESSENTIAL HISTORICAL RECORDINGS

Essential Historical Recordings: Joseph Szigeti’s Curiosity and Dedication to Practice Paid Off

What most shaped Szigeti’s career were more human characteristics: integrity, curiosity, and sheer dedication to the hard work of practicing.

Essential Historical Recordings: When Fritz Kreisler Changed How We Hear and Play Violin

By Sasha Margolis Fritz Kreisler, who forever changed the way we listen to and play the violin, was a disarmingly charming revolutionary... Read More...

LATEST STORIES

All Motions Great & Small: How to Practice String-Crossing Technique for Bariolage

“Bariolage” is a French word for a bowing technique that involves rapid changing of strings, often between open strings and “stopped” strings—that is, strings with the fingers down.

State of the Heart(wood): With Pernambuco Conservation Efforts Underway, Makers Search for Other Bow-Wood Options

Pernambuco is renowned as the perfect wood for making bows. What many string players don’t realize is that pernambuco is becoming increasingly rare.

Wadada Leo Smith’s String Quartets Offer Players the Chance to Find Their Own Way

Presenting a roiling assortment of people, events, and landmarks in American history, composer Wadada Leo Smith’s string quartets have been gaining wider notice.

tamarack arts online music lesson screenshot

Tamarack Arts Is a Program For Adult Learners That Insists On Taking Them Seriously

Tamarack Arts is year-round, nonprofit music education program aimed at providing “conservatory-level” instruction and programming for adult musicians at all levels.

how to develop structure and flexibility in your bow hold

Developing Structure and Flexibility in Your Bow Hold

Awareness of the bow arm is key to improving tone and technique—and it all begins with the bow hold. Here's how to develop structure and flexibility in your bow hold.

A ‘Song’ in His Heart: Sheku Kanneh-Mason Releases an Eclectic, Personal Album

The cello and its vocal qualities explain the title of Sheku Kanneh-Mason's album, Song, but this very individual collection of pieces reflects Kanneh-Mason’s personal interests.

violinist practicing Martele bowing technique on violin

A Refresher on Bold Martelé Bowing Technique

Martelé bowing is remarkably useful as a teaching tool, specifically for bow-hand strength & balance, & for development of accurate direction in the bow arm.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music president David H Stull

SFCM President David H. Stull on the Pentatone Acquisition and His Vision For the Unique Alliance

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s acquisition in May of the Dutch label Pentatone creates a unique platform for the conservatory’s already formidable array of professional music education resources and opportunities.

young violinist playing for music school audition

8 Tips to Ace Your College Music School Audition From a College Professor

The journey to music school actually begins long before the audition. Here are 8 tips to ace your college music school audition, from preparation to performance.

Before collapsing locking fourth finger on cello

Fixing the Pinky Problem: How String Players Can Retrain a Collapsing-Locking Left 4th Finger

The “pinky problem” is one of the top complaints among string players. But fret not, here's how to retrain a collapsing-locking feft 4th finger.

3 Keys to Conquering Upper-Position Anxieties on Stringed Instruments

Many advancing violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists have a fear of playing in the registers beyond the neck position. Here are 3 keys to conquering those upper-position anxieties.

Gabriel Martins performs with Sphinx Symphony and Maestro Roderick Cox

The Sphinx Organization Marks 25 Years of Pushing to Increase Ethnic Diversity In the Classical Music Industry

For 25 years, the Sphinx Organization has advanced the careers of young Black and Latinx classical string players through programs that include a prestigious national competition.

How American and European Classical Music Tastes Develop on Local and Global Levels

Among the younger composers globally, there is a yearning for the freedom of being decompartmentalized—and many look to the U.S. for new models in composition and programming.

CodaBow’s Escent Offers Advanced Players a Versatile Tool

It is the advanced player whose career reflects this kind of versatility that CodaBow was considering when it launched its new Escent bow.

Remastered Ed Haley Recordings Reveal the Many Delights Found in His Fiddle Playing

Appalachian fiddle player Ed Haley performed for nearly half a century and forever altered the landscape of American fiddle music, but never produced a commercial recording.