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Please use the search bar below to sort posts by category or keyword. If you're enjoying a topic, you can also click categories listed below, or the tags listed at the top of a post to organize a new list of posts with the same categories and/or tags. Happy reading!

How-To
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Although we all have to start our intonation journey with figuring out how to play in tune up and down single strings, pretty quickly we encounter music which requires us to find our intonation in various zig-zag patterns across the strings. Arpeggios, ...

Interview
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In this episode we speak with Tokyo born, New York based Jazz violinist and composer about her new album, "Lingering," with pianist Kevin Hayes, how her conversion to Judaism has informed her life and music, her journey from Julliard to free ...

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This question was posed by a violin teacher whose student wanted to quit after a handful of lessons. Do we just let our student go in these instances, or should we try to encourage them to stick it out a little longer?

Students of all ages ...

How-To
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What is shifting? How do we make our shifts more accurate and clean? If we're just beginning and not ready to learn how to shift yet, what can we do to ensure we'll be ready when the time comes? Join me as we dive deep into the nuances of shifting ...

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Many of us were drawn to play the violin, viola, or cello because we'd heard playing that brought us to tears, filled us with joy, or expressed a feeling that we couldn't even describe with words. Truly, there seems to be no limit to the emotions and ...

Please email me at laurel@laurelthomsen.com if you have a violin, viola, fiddle, music biz, or practice related question you’d like answered in the blog or on a podcast, have a story or insight to share, or if you’d like to inquire about violin, viola, or fiddle lessons with me, in-person or online via Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom.

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Laurel Thomsen

Violin, Viola, Vocals
Performance, Instruction, Recording

Based in Santa Cruz, California

Site by Laurel Thomsen
Photography by Michelle Magdalena

laurel@laurelthomsen.com
831-224-0913
Skype: laurelthomsen

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