Managing the Humidity Level of Your Instrument is a Matter of Balance
By Elizabeth MarshallThough musicians are taught to keep a violin, viola, cello, or double bass properly humidified during the dry winter season, over-doin... Read More...
How To
Technique, advice, and tips.
Beat ‘Practice Block’: 5 Tips For Building Effective Practice Habits (When You Would Rather Binge Netflix)
By Susanna Klein | From the September-October 2020 issue of Strings magazineSo much time, so little to do, and so much Netflix to catch up on. If you are f... Read More...
6 Ways to Protect Your Instrument from Damaging Winter Chill
Winterizing your fiddle will stabilize it and ensure that your fiddle survives the season's humidity changesBy Erin ShraderStringed instruments are happiest... Read More...
6 Tips to Keep Your Bow In Top Playing Shape
By Erin ShraderTaking care of a bow is not complicated, though it does require diligence. Whether you’ve just bought your first bow or are playing on a fin... Read More...
Bridge Care Basics for Bowed Instruments
A few simple tricks to help keep your bridge healthy and warp-freeBy James N. McKeanA version of this article first appeared in the July 2015 issue of ... Read More...
Instrument-Care Basics—Advice from the Experts
You've just brought home your first stringed instrument. You might be tempted to take it out of its case just to admire it, to imagine all the happy times ahea... Read More...
Home Recording: 5 Quick Tips on Promoting Your Own Recordings
By Laurel Thomsen1. Test & Plan for Success
The process of album promotion should begin long before your first recording session, at performances whe... Read More...
Home Recording: 5 Tips on Making Awesome YouTube Videos
By Patrick Sullivan1. Don't Be BoringThe first rule of YouTube: Don’t be boring. “Create content that you find fun, that activates you,” advises violi... Read More...
Tackling the runs in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
By Laurie Niles | From the July-August 2020 issue of Strings magazineLeopold Auer might have hit on some truth when he declared that the violin concerto wr... Read More...
Never Fear: Even if You Struggle with Pitch on Your Stringed Instrument There Are Tools and Techniques to Help
By Laurie Niles | From the July-August 2020 issue of Strings magazineI used to believe in a simple rule: If you can’t play in tune, you can’t play in tune.... Read More...