Technique, practice strategy and repertoire — written for players who want to know why, not just what.
20 articles
Auditions & Exams
What Juilliard Pre-College asks of violin applicants: the prescreening video, live audition repertoire by age, the application timeline, and how to prepare, from a teacher who studied there with Dorothy DeLay.
Adult Learners
Returning to violin as an adult, or building on a few notes? Use this realistic 90-day plan to rebuild technique, reading, repertoire, and a practice routine.
Auditions & Exams
Preparing for an AMEB violin exam in Australia? Learn how to check the current syllabus, plan repertoire and technical work, and use online lessons effectively.
Adult Learners
Left-hand tension often begins elsewhere in the setup. Follow the connected roles of the chin, shoulder and both hands before changing finger pressure.
Technique
A bow trial is a comparison of response, balance, articulation and sound—not a single first impression. These are the variables worth testing systematically.
Technique
Bow speed, contact point, weight, hair angle and distribution work as one system. Learn what each variable changes and how to balance them.
Technique
Sounding point and arm weight must be coordinated with bow speed. This guide explains the relationship and what to adjust when the sound is choked or unfocused.
Technique
Bow distribution determines where speed, weight and sounding point can work across a phrase. Learn how to plan the available bow before the sound becomes rushed.
Technique
Shifting changes position; sliding makes the movement audible as part of the phrase. This guide explains the distinction and how to practise each one deliberately.
Technique
Russian- and French-school approaches organize the hand and finger motion differently. This comparison explains what changes physically and how each approach affects the sound.
Practice
Scales and études isolate recurring technical demands so repertoire does not carry the entire burden of practice. Here is how to give each one a clear purpose.
Auditions & Exams
The final variations of Paganini’s 24th Caprice require more than speed. This article looks at pacing, breathing and physical release across the larger structure.
Technique
The second movement of Haydn’s Op. 76, No. 3 asks the violinist to shape a familiar melody without overstating it. This analysis considers pacing, bow use and harmonic direction.
Technique
Slur spiccato depends on a coordinated release rather than added effort. Here are the bow, hand and timing variables to examine when the stroke becomes uneven.
Technique
Dots in the score do not prescribe a single bow stroke. Compare the mechanics, contact and musical uses of spiccato, sautillé and staccato.
Young Musicians & Parents
Dancla’s Op. 84 studies introduce specific left- and right-hand problems in a compact form. Here is how to use them with developing violinists.
Technique
A thin or pressed sound can begin with how the upper arm, elbow, forearm and hand are organized. This article traces those relationships through the bow stroke.
Practice
Études are most useful when their technical purpose matches the player’s needs. This roadmap organizes core studies by level and the skills they address.
Practice
A look at the handwritten lesson checklist Dorothy DeLay used with Baek Kim at Juilliard Pre-College, and what its sequence reveals about technical priorities.
Young Musicians & Parents
A practical list of the instrument, accessories and information that help a first violin lesson begin smoothly.