Today we speak with violinist, educator, and Violin Class podcast creator and host Julia Reddy about making time for practice. We discuss how to ramp back up after a hiatus, how to make the most out of limited time, how to effectively divide up our ...

In this recent teaching video I'm sharing on my YouTube channel I'm sharing one of my favorite exercises to share with my students. Do you conveniently avoid playing in the lower half of the bow, or outright fear the tones you might encounter down ...

In this fourth installment of the Violin Geek Podcast's Intonation Mastery series we explore common issues within our technique that may contribute to intonation issues, as well as some considerations within our approach to tonality, and tempered versus ...

This is a very good question, and a tough one! Though it might seem obvious at first - yes, of course we want to play with good technique, the answer is actually much more nuanced. This question was posed by the mother of a very young child, who, although ...

This question was posed in my Complete Vibrato Mastery online course recently: Is wrist or arm vibrato better for violists?

I personally don't believe that one style of vibrato is better for ...

I had the pleasure of making the recent online acquaintance of David France, violinist, teacher, and the founder and executive director of Revolution of Hope, a Boston based program which helps bring the joy of playing music to the lives of inner city ...

We should never underestimate the power of foundational exercises. I really can't stress this enough in fact. In her YouTube series, “With Nicky,” violinist Nicola ...

My latest article for Strings Magazine focuses on some of the challenges of my favorite violin concerto. Check it out here: https://stringsmagazine.com/tips-on-nailing-tricky-double-stops-in-mendelssohns-violin-concerto/?mc_cid=2ba968c6f0&mc_eid=a5cf24edb5

I received a question recently from one of my Complete Vibrato Mastery students asking whether one of type of vibrato (wrist, arm, or in modern times, the lesser used "finger" vibrato) ...

The age old story goes - you set up your bow hold, perfectly, just as your teacher showed you, but as soon as you start playing, the pinkie finger stiffens, or worse a joint fails and it buckles. Your tone starts to suffer. Your hold feels tense, and ...

Not all shifts are created equal. And no, we’re not talking nightgowns!

Learn how to refine your violin or string family shifting technique for optimal expression! Did you know that the finger you “travel” on during a shift makes a subtle but ...

All chapters of my online course are now available through String Letter Publishing. Here’s a brief rundown of the contents of each chapter in case you want to dabble, otherwise, consider purchasing the complete set of 9 chapters for just $29.99!

How ...

Another excerpt from my Improve Your Bowing Technique online course is featured in the December 2011 edition of Strings magazine! Want to move your bow from G to D? Or perhaps E to G? Or...A to E? No matter where you’re rocking your bow, your upper ...

An excerpt from my Improve Your Bowing Technique online course is featured in the November 2011 edition of Strings magazine. As the foundation of your bowing technique, how you hold your bow can mean the difference between beautiful tones and perpetual ...

Once we can play with good tone and intonation, and we’ve mastered the most basic tunes in the repertoire - Twinkle, Hot Cross Buns, etc., it’s time to add color and interest with dynamics - volume changes in performed music. Among these are the F’s ...

Happy new year everyone! The year is beginning for me with another published article in Strings magazine. Check out the January 2011 edition in bookstores now or follow the link below to the online version. The article is all about the left hand thumb ...

Very excited to have my first Strings magazine article published in the upcoming October edition. I received my copies over the weekend so, it’s official! I’ve been working on several more articles over the past few couple of months and thrilled to ...