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6 Simple Ways to Improve Your Viola Tone Production
The secret to that dark, seductive tone sought by all violists can be found in mastering basic skills, along with checking the setup of the viola.
Learn to Free Your Left Thumb on Violin and Viola
The thumb plays a key supporting role for the fingers of the left hand on violin and viola, but the left-hand thumb can be a help or a hindrance. Here are 4 ways to free your left thumb.
5 Ways to Improve the Results of Your Practice Sessions
Lots of string players talk about practicing more often, but few know how to make it productive. Posted by Robert Howard The Problem Practice is a bore. Try a Fresh Approach Like any endeavor, there isn’t a right way to…
How to Select the Right Chin Rest for Violin or Viola
Selecting a chin rest for violin or viola goes beyond accepting what came with your instrument. The right fit with this small accessory can make a big difference.
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How Tailpieces Can Affect Sound and Playability
Understand the variables that make a difference in an instrument’s performance By David Folland “A modern tailpiece is a marvel of engineering,” fittings maker Eric Meyer says, “and it is very difficult to make both technically effective and aesthetically pleasing.”…
500 Days of Philadelphia
On the making of a world premiere and a family legacy By Gregory Walker Day 500: December 10, 2009. 7:59 pm. Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Orchestra is on the TV—you never get to see live broadcasts of the legendary ensemble where…
Improve Your Cello Spiccato Stroke in 3 Easy Steps
Learn to negotiate both the uncontrolled and controlled techniques
7 Things to Know About Common Bow Repairs
Here's how to know when to get your violin or cello bow fixed and why you should do it.
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5 Tips on Approaching French Baroque Music
Like its English and Italian cousins, this variety of Baroque music offers rich rewards by Sarah Freiberg When you think of Baroque composers, working from 1600–1750, Vivaldi and Bach most often spring to mind. But there’s a rich repertoire for…
A Guide to Buying an Affordable Violin Outfit
Today’s market offers good values at every price point under $2,000 by Erin Shrader “The quality of these is so much better than I expected,” said strings educator Miriam Kammen, referring to the 18 violin outfits assembled in the Strings…
Why Fine German Bows Are Such a Bargain
Tips on finding a good-quality stick for under $5,000 by Phillip Kass If you want to buy the best French bow, be prepared to spend a lot of money. Bows by François Tourte, the creator of the modern bow and…
Improve Your Violin or Viola Bow Hold in 3 Easy Steps
Use this simple exercise to enhance your technical command of the bow by Leah Hollingsworth The proper bow hold is a key part of developing your own sound—it’s a fundamental that needs to be learned and then reinforced, not only…
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Play Cello with Less Effort in 6 Easy Steps
Learn to use gravity with finesse to maintain the proper relaxed balance on your cello and improve your playing.
How to Buy Adequate Instrument Insurance
What a special music policy costs, what it covers, when it makes sense for you by Erin Shrader “You have to buy insurance when you don’t need it,” says Peter Anderson, president of the Anderson Group, one of a handful of…
How to Fix, or at Least Control, a Wolf Tone
New products aim to eliminate that telltale howl caused by annoying wolf tones By James N. McKean By 1974, when the grey wolf became one of the first animals to be protected under the then year-old Federal Endangered Species Act,…
Play Your Stringed Instrument Faster
3 tips to up your speed with precision By Paul Stein Rhythm doesn’t always come easily, let alone naturally—it can come with a cost when players fail to control speed or to prepare by studying études. It’s like driver’s training.…
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The History of Vuillaume’s Bows
Legendary luthier Vuillaume is known for his bows, but he never made one by Erin Shrader The top price paid at Bonhams’ March 11 auction sale in London was not for a fiddle or even a cello, but for a…
A Tale of Two Makers, Jay Ifshin and Haide Lin
From different worlds, two men meet to make the successful enterprise Ifshin Violins by Erin Shrader This article first appeared in the June 2009 issue. “You might want to point out that Jay Haide is a combination of our names,…
Safety First! Avoid the Most Common Causes of a Lost or Broken Fiddle
By James N. McKean Many years ago, in a town next to where I was living at the time, a young mother ducked into a dry cleaners to drop off some clothes. She came back out, reached for her keys,…