One challenge in being an adult beginner is finding a teacher who is willing to divert from the typical lesson format to incorporate adult learning principles
Playing in a community orchestra can be one of the great joys in life
If you’re wondering how to get a new chamber ensemble together, there are numerous programs and services that can help get you started.
Joining an orchestra can be an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience
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I have learned just as much from my fellow musicians as anyone else about how to play, how to get the most out of music, and how to find the real joy in an artistic life.
Tuning should be the first activity you complete with your cello every day, or every time you get the instrument out. Here's a beginner's guide to tuning your cello.
After I rediscovered my passion for cello, my kids' rock music teacher invited me to join his band. At first, I was unsure if I could do it, but here I am 3 years later, onstage playing cello with them and loving it.
Have you ever wondered if you're too old to play violin? The instrument is never off limits because of age. Here are some tips to get started on violin as an adult.
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Playing the fiddle and making music with my friends after retirement has added an element of passion and joy that I never expected at this stage of life.
Over the years, my violin became a carefree outlet to release the pressures of leading a nonprofit organization. Here are 10 leadership tools I gained from playing violin.
We spoke with eight string players from various camps or schools of study about challenges and what keeps them coming back to the practice room for more.
It takes bravery to start taking music lessons, but according to the mature beginners I interviewed, no one is ever too old.
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Summer chamber-music programs abound for adult amateurs looking to hone their chops, expand their musical horizons, or just have fun. Here are 4 camps that do just that.
I had been expecting to work hard every day. What I wasn’t expecting was the long, dark arc. But there is a certain lush singing sound the cello makes. I’m chasing that sound.
I had always had a crush on the cello. Well, maybe more of a romantic fascination. But I was intrigued. And so I began.
Finally, you have the time (and the money) to invest in a violin that makes your heart sing. Here's how adult string students can get started in their search.
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By Kate Levin | From the January-February 2021 issue of Strings magazine My violin is beautiful. Its glossy surface is intermittently disturbed by slight cracks in the varnish that make it more rather than less beautiful. The golden-brown body contrasts…
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 attention to things like posture, tension, and flexibility—things that might unconsciously…
By Brian Forst | From the January-February 2021 issue of Strings magazine My road to the cello started at age eight, when my parents gave me singing lessons, followed by accordion lessons at age 11. We drove from Los Angeles…
Even if you’ve been playing for years, it can be useful now and again to peruse a gear refresher. Here you’ll find some quick, easy tips about selecting strings, chin rests, cases, and bows. Choosing the Right Violin Strings Trying…
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By Mary Chan | From the January-February 2021 issue of Strings magazine How hard can it be? I thought, after watching a ten-year-old perform a Bach violin concerto with ease on YouTube. It takes a certain hubris to pick up…
By George Struble | From the January-February 2021 issue of Strings magazine November 2016. I had agreed to gather a string quartet to provide a concert in Stayton, Oregon’s Charles and Martha Brown House, a historic home that was being…
Here are a few tips that are not only especially helpful for adult amateur string players, but can help players of all skill levels.
By Erin Holt | From the January/February 2020 issue of Strings Magazine My hand is shaking so much I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold the whole-note double-stops that open the first movement of the Schumann Piano Quartet in…