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How to Tame Those ‘Wolf Tones’ on Cello
Understanding that stuttering sound that’s the arch enemy of nearly every cellist is the first step toward eradication
The Beethoven Quartet’s Unique Relationship with Shostakovich
By Sasha Margolis | From the November-December 2020 issue of Strings magazine Seldom has a composer been more closely connected with a particular group of performers than Dmitri Shostakovich was with the Beethoven Quartet. Though little known in the West,…
How to Lose That E-String Whistle on Your Violin
Understanding more about how bowed strings work can help solve the problem of a whistling E string on violin (it's not necessarily a sign of deficient bow technique!)
Movie Magic: Recording Violin for the Soundtrack to the Blockbuster Horror Film ‘Us’
By Melissa White | From the September-October 2020 issue of Strings magazine It’s the music that makes or breaks a scary movie. Not convinced? Watch a horror flick on mute—the joy of being held in suspense diminishes significantly without the…
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MusiCares Wellness in Music Survey
The Recording Academy—whose name undoubtedly brings to mind crimson carpets and shiny, golden statuettes—has been providing a safety net to the music community through its nonprofit arm MusiCares since 1989. Musicians facing hardship—financial, health-related, or personal—can apply for confidential assistance,…
Managing the Humidity Level of Your Instrument is a Matter of Balance
By Elizabeth Marshall Though musicians are taught to keep a violin, viola, cello, or double bass properly humidified during the dry winter season, over-doing it with the humidifier can create a different—and occasionally grosser—set of problems for string players. Finding…
Beat ‘Practice Block’: 5 Tips For Building Effective Practice Habits (When You Would Rather Binge Netflix)
So here are five tips to help you build good habits, courtesy of the past few decades’ research by social scientists
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 changes By Erin Shrader Stringed instruments are happiest given a constant temperature of 60 to 70 degrees and a relative humidity of 35 to 50…
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6 Tips to Keep Your Bow In Top Playing Shape
Whether you’ve just bought your first bow or are playing on a fine antique or contemporary handmade bow, here's how to keep your bow in top playing shape.
Essential Historical Recordings: Violinist Zino Francescatti’s Virtuosity Extended from the Stage to the Page
Francescatti was one of the 20th century’s great soloists, with interpretations that were unfailingly gorgeous, often original, & never less than thrillingly virtuosic.
Song For the Singing Bass: Andrés Martín’s Concerto for Double Bass Showcases the Instrument’s Beautiful Voice
By Patricia Weitzel | From the September-October 2020 issue of Strings magazine Bassist Patricia Weitzel is lecturer of double bass at Columbus State University and the membership chair of the International Society of Bassists, an organization with a mission to…
Violin Maker David Bonsey’s Road to ‘Antiques Roadshow’ & a Varied Career
By David Templeton | From the September-October 2020 issue of Strings magazine If there’s one thing David Bonsey has learned about musical instruments over the years—and for the record, he’s learned a lot more than one thing—it’s that approaching a…
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Bridge Care Basics for Bowed Instruments
A few simple tricks to help keep your bridge healthy and warp-free By James N. McKean A version of this article first appeared in the July 2015 issue of Strings. When you pick up a manuscript, the notes are all…
Pirastro Adds to its Evah Pirazzi Violin and Perpetual Cello String Lines
By Megan Westberg | From the September-October 2020 issue of Strings magazine Twenty years ago, Pirastro unveiled its Evah Pirazzi violin-string line, to which the company has been steadily adding ever since. The synthetic-core strings were designed with the soloist…
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 ahead, to reaffirm that after all that time spent in the…
Keep Connected with James Wilson
As told to Greg Cahill Keep Connected chronicles the ways in which string players and organizations are supporting and keeping in touch with their audiences or students throughout the global coronavirus pandemic. Even as society reopens, virtual concerts and social-media outreach programs…
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October Web Focus: Instrument Care
Stringed instruments can last centuries—but tend to have better odds of doing so if properly cared for. Clearly, if you’ve made the investment in a quality instrument, you want to maintain it. But perhaps you’re not entirely sure how or…
Essential Historical Recordings: Nathan Milstein was Born to Play the Fiddle
What Milstein brought to the music he performed was total clarity, when it came to both interpretive intent and violinistic articulation.
The Great Scot: Scottish Fiddle Legend Niel Gow’s Influence Lives On
By Greg Cahill | From the September-October 2020 issue of Strings magazine “I first became aware of Niel Gow after hearing an older fiddler friend play the famous ‘Niel Gow’s Lament for the Death of His Second Wife,’ dedicated to Gow’s…