A Player’s Guide to Musical Instrument Appreciation
What sorts of instruments manage to exhibit investment growth? Let’s talk about investing in that violin with this player's guide to instrument appreciation.
INSTRUMENTS, BOWS, & GEAR
REVIEWS
Sheet Music Review: Zemlinsky’s Intense and Emotional String Quartet No. 2, Op. 15
Zemlinsky's String Quartet No. 2, Op. 15, is end-of-century Romantic music on a grand scale and remains one of his most frequently performed works.
Violinist Randall Goosby’s Debut Album ‘Roots’ Reignites Interest in Forgotten Works
For inspiration on his debut album, violinist Randall Goosby turned to his ancestors while offering a nod to the future. The result is the impressive Roots (Decca).
Sheet Music Review: Jean-Louis Duport’s 21 Études for Cello are a Staple of Cello Pedagogical Repertoire
Duport’s études are a staple of cello pedagogical repertoire, focusing on bowing and fingering technique. This edition also offers the original second cello part.
HOW TO
These stories offer advice, instruction, tips, and tricks to help you grow as a string player.
Safety First! Avoid the Most Common Causes of a Lost or Broken Fiddle
By James N. McKeanMany years ago, in a town next to where I was living at the time, a young mother ducked into a dry cleaners to drop of... Read More...
ESSENTIAL HISTORICAL RECORDINGS
Essential Historical Recordings: Violinist Szymon Goldberg Escaped Nazi Germany to Forge a Long, Fruitful Career
He eschewed extravagance and obviousness in his playing. But for the attentive listener, his art was full of energy, drama and sheer brilliance of musical conception.
Essential Historical Recordings: Nathan Milstein was Born to Play the Fiddle
What Milstein brought to the music he performed was total clarity, when it came to both interpretive intent and violinistic articulation.
LATEST STORIES
Video Premiere: Parker Quartet Performs Dvorák’s String Quintet, Op. 97 with Violist Kim Kashkashian
The Parker Quartet, made up of violinists Daniel Chong and Ken Hamao, violist Jessica Bodner, and cellist Kee-Hyun Kim, perform a work by A... Read More...
Play Bach Better by Improving Your Fifths on Violin
By outlining the tonic and fifth of the harmony in the lowest two voices, Bach gives great solidity to the chord voicing on violin.
Cellist Miranda Wilson on Finding Lifelong Inspiration with Bach
It’s not that I’m unhappy, exactly. Yet here I am, a cellist weeping over a book full of unplayed notes. But then a voice in my head says, “You’ve still got Bach.”
10 Bow Stroke Tips from Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins
By Greg CahillString players have a bevy of tips and tricks up their sleeve when it comes to adding nuance to their sound, and many of ... Read More...
The Attacca String Quartet Navigates Its Middle Years With Love and Humor
But as it reaches the elusive place known as “mid-career,” the New York–based Attacca comes by its youthful vibe honestly, with its eclectic, try-anything ethos.
Strings Sessions in Place: Cellist Anita Graef
In our latest Strings Sessions in Place, cellist Anita Graef performs Sibelius' Theme and Variations for Solo Cello and Gliere's 8 Pieces f... Read More...
Life at Juilliard’s New Tianjin Campus, One Year In
One year in, by all accounts, Juilliard’s new satellite campus in Tianjin, China looks like it's going to shift expectations of what a music school can be.
An Educator’s Guide to Teaching the Music of Underrepresented Composers
Educators are beginning to conserve, understand, & teach the underrepresented music and musicians beyond what classical musicians have traditionally been taught.
Gewa’s Air Luthier Cases Were Designed in Collaboration With Violin Makers
Gewa's Air Luthier cases. designed in collaboration with violin makers, are made in Germany and available only through luthiers.
After 17 Years in the Pacifica Quartet, Violist Masumi Rostad Records a Passionate Solo Album in Lockdown
With his debut solo album, former Pacifica Quartet violist Masumi Rostad assembled a balanced collection of meaningful pieces to traverse the full range of the instrument.
Luthier Rozie Deloach Draws Out the Stories of the Violin-Making World
Luthier Rozie DeLoach not only repairs stringed instruments and bows, but she brings their stories to life as co-host of the popular Omo podcast.
How Barnabás Kelemen and Nicholas Kitchen Use iPads to Gain Deeper Insight Into the Music in Their String Quartets
Barnabás Kelemen, of the Kelemen Quartet, and Nicholas Kitchen, of the Borromeo Quartet, detail how their use of iPads allows them to always use full scores.
Covid-19 Required Flexibility in String Education—and It’s Leaving New Teaching Tools in Its Wake
When Covid is over, will we return to the “old normal” in music education, or will teachers choose to keep some of the new tech skills we learned along the way?
6 Tips for Left-Hand Flexibility in the Violin and Viola
By Laurence VittesThere was a time not so long when pain seemed to go hand-in-hand with left-hand flexibility on the violin and viola. ... Read More...
Idagio’s ‘Live Compare’ Technology Makes Comparative Listening a Breeze
Idagio’s Live Compare technology switches seamlessly between different recordings of a work as the music continues to play uninterrupted.
Orchestras Planning Tech-Savvy Seasons Using What They’ve Learned During Covid
By Laurence Vittes | From the September-October 2021 issue of Strings magazineWhile orchestras of all sizes are framing their return to... Read More...
How to Learn Violin Finger Positions for Beginners
BY LAURENCE VITTESYou've got your instrument, it's in tune, and you're ready to start playing the violin, but what are the correct fing... Read More...