By Daniel Levitov Many string players perform not as a soloist, but from the string section of an orchestra. Though orchestra is almost always part of the curriculum during the school years, you may have spent hours and hours of…
3 goals for the successful musician By Rory Williams Know Something Deeply In our age of specialization, you want to know something deeply so you have your own niche. Know a tradition deeply—be passionate about it. Be Flexible Because people…
What are the advantages and disadvantages to carbon-fiber cellos, violins, violas and basses? How do they sound? Here's a buyer's guide to carbon-fiber instruments.
By James N. McKean One night, many years ago, I was having dinner at home—a Saturday, and as luck would have it, my birthday—and I made the mistake of answering my phone. Rather than a family member with congratulations, it…
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By Paul Robinson I remember many years ago performing in a chamber orchestra with guest artist Isaac Stern. The virtuoso arrived for rehearsal, removed his violin from its case, and walked about the stage, politely greeting the musicians. At one…
While a name may be little more than icing on a tuneful cake, icing should never be underestimated. Here are tips on how to choose a name for your chamber music group.
So you think the first violinist is running the show in a string quartet? Guess again by James Reel For more than a century after Joseph Haydn established the string quartet as one of music’s most sophisticated art forms, the…
Here we take a minute to demystify fine tuners on stringed instruments. How many fine tuners should you use? And which type is best? Read on to find out more
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Here is a guide to improving pitch accuracy, body alignment, and shifting on the cello by learning the 7 points on the cello fingerboard.
How to sound like your favorite player or find your own voice By Mimi Rabson What is it about your favorite players that makes them your favorites? Is it their clean tone, their intonation, their musical expression? What distinguishes your…
Today, his life is about film and book projects by Louise Lee In some ways, Nathaniel Ayers at age 57 is a typical adult beginner on the violin. Taking his first lesson just this March, he spent the session working…
Bow hair does break and stretch, and eventually stops engaging the string. Here's what to look and feel for to know if it's time to have your bow rehaired.
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Learn the necessary preparation and bow control through these musical exercises By Mimi Rabson Double-stops can sound great when they are played correctly, but they are often maddening to work on. Getting them in tune is a daunting task and…
How can you decide what distinguishes a good fingering from a bad one, and what criteria can you use to figure out the best possible fingering solution?
Are you having trouble steadying your bow? Try the son filé and parlando exercises detailed here to steady your bouncing bow.
Performance is only magical if the audience is fully engaged by Edith Eisler “CONTENT, COMMUNICATION, AND RECEPTION,” cellist Yo-Yo Ma says, “those are the three elements that go into a performance; but unless they are in total alignment, there will…
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For those living in alto clef, here are some of the best loved, and most overlooked, viola works of all time, as chosen by 11 top viola players.
By James Reel When you start playing in orchestras or chamber ensembles, one of the most important bow strokes you’ll need at your disposal is spiccato. Particularly in the inner voices in music of the Classical era, you’ll be generating…
By James Reel Not too many years ago, everybody woke up one fine morning and realized that Stephen Sondheim is one of America’s great composers. Oh, it had been clear since the 1970s that he was a superb theater composer,…
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