natesviolin.com
There is method to the mastery
Many years ago I asked a colleague, "how do you practice spiccato?" He answered, "Oh, I practice it off and on." I assumed that meant "now and then", so I asked, "OK, but how?" "I practice it …
Continue Reading about To bounce or not to bounce? Spiccato off and on →
The first time I picked up Nathan Milstein’s violin, three years ago, all I could think about was my shoulder rest. I had been toying for the past few days with the idea of giving it up for good, and …
Continue Reading about Speed-dating a Strad: one week with Milstein’s ex →
There’s an old brainteaser about a frog stuck at the bottom of a well. The well is thirty feet deep, but the poor frog can only jump five feet high. There’s good news: he sticks to the wall at the end …
Continue Reading about Tired of losing practice battles? Wage a practice campaign →
Step back with me to August of 2004. It was summertime in Chicago, I had just started dating Akiko, and I was about to fly across the world for my first ever international competition. …
Continue Reading about What does Zigeunerweisen sound like with no E string? →
Editor's note: The original version of this post was missing several concertos, each of which was pointed out by my faithful readers. I have now added the most requested, including one that was …
Continue Reading about Which violin concerto has the toughest opening? →
