The Violin Geek Blog Tips, insight, and inspiration since 2007.
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Can't quite get up to tempo? Starting to wonder if you even "have what it takes" to keep up with an ensemble? In this episode, I demystify one of the most universal issues among musicians of all types and skill levels, with tips for how to ...
Released on our fourth album, "Driving By Candlelight," we decided to revisit our song "Crow Flies High" recently and to finally create a music video for it. Written on a tour through the Southwest back in 2016, we had to cancel ...
Although the American Federation of Musicians (our United States musician's union) offers suggestions for the minimum fees musicians should be charging for various types of events, in the music business ...
In this episode, I'm answering your violin questions, including about strings, rosin, the instrument I play, how to get dust out of your instrument, the story about the oldest violin I've ever played, and more. Enjoy! Listen wherever you get your podcasts, ...
Vibrato is particularly strange in that it seems to require a lot of work, but in the end we all seem to find that the best sound comes when we relax and just let go. Unfortunately, hardly anyone can develop a vibrato without a lot of effort, but many ...
We know we can't stop to fix mistakes during a performance, so why don't we ever seem to spend time in the practice room practicing how to recover? In this episode, host Laurel Thomsen shares why "recovery practice" might be the missing factor ...
Beginning students, but even the more advanced among us, often struggle with pitch (intonation) and tone. Troubleshooting sounds we'd like to improve can be especially frustrating when we're having a hard time differentiating between the two. One is ...
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 ThomsenViolin, Viola, Vocals
Performance, Instruction, Recording
Based in Santa Cruz, California
"After the Fire" - released January 21, 2022!
Each song portrays a facet of the journey from setback to reclaimed hope - finding faith in the possibility of LOVE in “Make Me Come Alive,” HOME in “Beale Street,” COMMUNITY in “Together Again” and “Money Shouldn’t Talk That Strong,” and one’s own STRENGTH and FORTITUDE in “If A Wave” and “Hey, It’ll Be OK.”