How To – Strings Magazine

Technique, advice, and tips.

Silence: The Way in Which Great Composers Use the Absence of Sound has a Profound Impact on Their Music

By Evan Johnson | From the January-February 2021 issue of Strings magazineSometimes we forget how important silence is in music. It has as many functions a... Read More...

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

By Laurie Niles | From the January-February 2021 issue of Strings magazine“Bariolage” is a French word for a bowing technique that involves rapid changing ... Read More...

Beyond the Music: Tips on Physical Motion and Pain Avoidance for Adult Amateur String Players

You can have the best instrument, the best bow, and great technique, but it doesn't mean a thing if you can't physically play. That's why it's important to pay... Read More...

adult amateur violin and cello technique

3 Technique Tips Especially for Adult Amateur String Players

Whether it's intonation, vibrato, different styles, or mastering your nerves, it seems there is always a technique that can help improve your stringed instrume... Read More...

Pandemic Pedagogy: How Creative Limitation May Sow Benefits in the Long Term

By Scott Flavin | From the January-February 2021 issue of Strings magazine“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” —Orson WellesWhenever I thi... Read More...

George Walker’s Sonata for Cello and Piano Deserves a Place in the Standard Cello Repertoire

By Seth Parker Woods | From the November-December 2020 issue of Strings magazineHailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace,” Seth Parker Woods... Read More...

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

By Laurie Niles | From the November-December 2020 issue of Strings magazineFlashy bow strokes, such as spiccato, sautillé, staccato, and ricochet, get a lo... Read More...

Tackling the Beginning of the Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85

By Emily Wright | From the November-December 2020 issue of Strings magazineElgar’s Cello Concerto has everything a player could dream of, with soaring them... Read More...

6 Tips on Buying a Bow For Your Stringed Instrument

1. Type of Material: You'll find there are several choices in materials to consider; each offers a different mix of durability, affordability, and tonal ... Read More...

When Your Instrument Isn’t Sounding Right, Don’t Go for the Soundpost First

By Christopher JacobyWhen something goes funny with your instrument, like the response slows down, you lose volume or the ability to articulate clearly, or... Read More...