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Welcome to Basics!

​The Basics series in The Strad magazine ran from July 1991 until November 2014, comprising 281 consecutive monthly articles in total. Copyright for these articles returned to Simon Fischer immediately upon publication of each one.

Now, the series will continue with new articles which will be added here.

Meanwhile, all the old articles are gradually being uploaded for you to download and save to your computer for free, These are all the original copy which was sent to the magazine each month, so they are before any editorial changes (for 'house style'), or fancy magazine layout and design. 
.
The first thirty or so articles may take some time to appear here, because first they have to be reconstructed. The music examples in the earliest ones were written by hand on manuscript paper, and the text was not set in Word for Windows. Then, the first ones done in Word were in such an early version of it that the files cannot be read today. Once these have been reset, they will be added.

Later articles were not only set in Word, and the music in Finale, but digital photographs could now be included, so these rough drafts get better and better.
​


​1991
1 July     Soundpoints
2 August     Two left hand relaxation exercises
3 September     Pressure exercise     PDF
October     Finger preparation
November     Speed exercise     PDF
December     Vibrato release


1992
January     True legato
February     Shifting: Substitutions
March     The bow: resistances
April     Intonation: Sympathetic vibrations
May     Intonation: Tuning accidentals  
June     Thumb counter-pressure
July     Vibrato: Proportions
August     Shifting: Drop-out practice
September     Spiccato
October     Shifting: Slow arrival speed
November     Double-stopping string-crossings
December     Straight bow

1993
January     Vibrato: Two exercises
February     Bow tilt
March     Fast fingers
April     Changing soundpoint
May     Trill release
June     Tuning the hand using perfect intervals
July     Exchange shifts
August     Bow angles
September     4th finger strengthening exercises
October     Co-ordination
November     Straight bow
December     Uniform intonation 

 
1994
January     Blocks
February     Seven levels of the bow
March     Vibrato
April     Soundpoint and length of string     PDF
May     Tuning scales
June     Holding the violin and viola     PDF
July     Uniform intonation      PDF
August     Square and extended finger shapes    PDF
September     Chords: Smooth pivots     PDF
October     Tone production: Soundpoints      PDF
November     Fast runs   
December     Staccato   
 
1995
January     Pivoting     PDF
February     ABC method of practice     PDF
March     Exchange shifts    PDF
April     Left thumb     PDF
May     Key bowing patterns (1)     PDF
June     Key bowing patterns (2)     PDF
July     Rhythm practice     PDF
August     Essential aspects of the bow and arm     PDF
September     Uniform intonation     PDF
October     Moving from the base joints     PDF
November     Widening at the base joints     PDF
December     Finger pressure     PDF
 
1996
January     Classical shifts     PDF
February     Octaves     PDF
March     Semitones     PDF
April     Tone production     PDF
May     Over-lapping      PDF
June     Measuring spaces between fingers     PDF
July     Tapping
August     Shifting in thirds      PDF
September     Thirds     PDF
October     Co-ordination     PDF
November     Bruch Concerto: Tenths     PDF
December     Pivoting     PDF
 
1997
January     Son filé     PDF
February     Finger preparation     PDF
March     Clarity in fast passages     PDF
April     Speeding up with the metronome     PDF
May     Slow arrival speed     PDF
June     Continuous vibrato     PDF
July     Tone production     PDF
August     Forearm rotation     PDF
September     Tone/semitones in blocks     PDF
October     Left hand pizzicato     PDF
November     Timing in shifting     PDF
December     Chromatic glissando     PDF

1998
January     Using less bow     PDF
February     Third tone     PDF
March     Widening the left hand     PDF
April     Intonation     PDF
May     Exchange shifts
June     Spiccato     PDF
July     Trills     PDF
August     Sautillé     PDF
September     Rhythm     PDF
October     Left hand release (1)     PDF
November     Left hand release (2)     PDF
December     Fast passages: blocks     PDF 

1999
January     True legato     PDF  
February     Pizzicato     PDF 
March     Chords (1)     PDF 
April     Chords (2)     PDF 
May     Guide notes     PDF 
June     Détaché     PDF 
July     Low fingers     PDF 
August     Shifting to a harmonic     PDF 
September     Fast fingers     PDF 
October     Listening (1)     PDF 
November     Listening (2)     PDF 
December     Loops     PDF   

2000
January     Martelé     PDF   
February     Narrow vibrato     PDF 
March     Localising actions     PDF 
April     Chin rest     PDF   
May     Soundpoints (1)     PDF 
June     Soundpoints (2)     PDF 
July     Classical shifts     PDF 
August     Fingertip placement     PDF 
September     Bow hold (1)     PDF 
October     Bow hold (2)     PDF 
November     Left hand: reaching back     PDF 
December     Intonation: Testing, relating, comparing     PDF   

2001
January     Feeling the shift  
February      Splitting the double stop     PDF
March     Left fourth finger     PDF
April     Bowing from the elbow     PDF  
May     Smooth bow changes     PDF
June     Square and extended     PDF
July     Chromatic scales     PDF
August     Straight bow     PDF
September     Vibrato: the track     PDF  
October     Single finger scales     PDF  
November     Tuning the hand (1)     PDF
​December     Tuning the hand (2)     PDF  

2002
January     Placing the bow on the string     PDF  
​February     Intonation: checking tuning     PDF
March     Kreutzer 2     PDF
April     Placing fingers     PDF
May     Ricochet     PDF
June     Extensions (1)     PDF
July     Extensions (2)     PDF  
August     Ear Tests     PDF
September     String crossing: staying close     PDF
October     Tremolo     PDF
November     Groups     PDF
December     Hypo and hyper     PDF  

2003
January     Guide notes     PDF​
February     Proportions     PDF​
March     Continuous vibrato     PDF​
April     Scales (1)     PDF​
May     Scales (2)     PDF​
June     Out-of-tune strings     PDF​
July     Bow hold (1)     PDF​
August     Bow hold (2)     PDF​
September     Intonation: finger spacing     PDF​
October     Setting the left hand     PDF​
November     Two-octave scales     PDF​
December     Playing from the hand     PDF​

2004
January     Pivoting     PDF
February     Spiccato     PDF
March     Repetition practice     PDF
April     Vibrato accents     PDF
May     Intonation     PDF
June     Martelé     PDF
July     Left elbow     PDF
August     Dropouts     PDF
September     Flexibility     PDF
October     Vibrato: four groups     PDF
November     Long shifts     PDF
December     Energy     PDF

2005
January     Chords     PDF
February     Pressure exercise     PDF
March     Fourth finger base joint     PDF
April     Flexibility     PDF
May     Holding the violin     PDF
June     Retakes     PDF
July     Middle point of muscles     PDF
August     Bowing     PDF
September     Tone     PDF
October     Thirds     PDF
November     Intonation     PDF
December     Bow hold: how to set up     PDF

2006
January     Shifting     PDF
February     Intonation     PDF
March     Left first finger     PDF
April     Finger pressure     PDF
May     Accents     PDF
June     Right elbow     PDF
July     Left fourth finger     PDF
August     Octaves     PDF
September     How to play scales in tune     PDF
October     Spiccato     PDF
November     Vibrato     PDF
December     Balance     PDF

2007
January     Pushing the wood down towards the string     PDF
February     Fast fingers     PDF
March     Rhythm     PDF
April     Bow hold: Feeling the creases     PDF
May     Playing with feeling     PDF
June     Resonance     PDF
July     Vibrato     PDF
August     Balance     PDF
September     Command-response     PDF
October     Tone: soundpoint exercises     PDF
November     Tone: not following the line of least resistance     PDF
December     Intonation: square and extended, and semitones     PDF

2008
January     Gaining technique through musical expression     PDF
February     Holding the violin     PDF
March     Shifting     PDF
April     Double stops     PDF
May     Mental rehearsal     PDF
June     Vibrato     PDF
July     Intonation     PDF
August     Tone     PDF
September     Scales finger preparation     PDF
October     Curved bowing     PDF
November     Finger preparation     PDF
December     Freeing the left hand       PDF


2009
January     Chromatic scales     PDF
February     Undoing tension     PDF
March     Changing position     PDF
April     Changing soundpoint     PDF
May     Left hand finger action     PDF
June     Right first finger     PDF
July     Warming down     PDF
August     Tune each note of the scale     PDF
September     Staccato     PDF
October     Smooth bowing     PDF
November     How to build technique     PDF
December     Smooth string-crossing     PDF 

2010
January     Pizzicato as a practice method     PDF
February     Freeing the upper arms     PDF
March     Shifting: substitutions     PDF
April     Continuous vibrato     PDF
May     Anniversary issue     PDF
June     Reader’s questions     PDF
July     Speed of left finger action     PDF
August     Right-arm balance     PDF
September     Single-finger scales     PDF
October     Left fourth finger     PDF
November     Warming up the left hand     PDF
December     Warming up the right hand       PDF

2011
January     Warming up vibrato     PDF
February     Warming up shifting     PDF
March     Warming up tone     PDF
April     Freeing the left hand     PDF
May     Double stops     PDF
June     Unlocking     PDF
July     Shifting     PDF
August     Rhythm practice     PDF
September     Holding fingers down     PDF
October     Technical and musical timing     PDF
November     Laws of leverage     PDF
December     Keeping yourself free     PDF

2012
January     Playing fast     PDF
February     Vibrato     PDF
March     Thirds in double stops     PDF
April     The number 5     
May     Soundpoint practice     PDF
June     Reducing effort     PDF
July     Tone-semitone patterns     PDF
August     Finger preparation     PDF
September     Waves     PDF
October     Arpeggio shifts     PDF
November     Tone production     
December       Mindset     

2013
January     Enlarging the playing     PDF
February     Intonation     PDF
March     Shifting     PDF
April      Forearm rotation     PDF
May     Upper half     PDF
June     Two-octave scales     PDF
July     Springing bowing     PDF
August     Playing with expression     PDF
September     Bow hold     PDF
October     Vibrato     PDF
November     Double stops     PDF
December     Connections between strokes     

2014

January     Left thumb     PDF
February     Fingered octaves     PDF
March     Sequences     PDF
April      Perfect intervals     PDF
May     Keeping still     PDF
June     Higher Compatibility Solutions     PDF​
July     Rhythm     PDF
August     Dynamics     PDF
September     Soundpoints     PDF
October     Intonation     PDF
November     Right hand     PDF 




  • HOME
  • Store
  • BOOKS
    • Basics
    • Practice
    • The Violin Lesson
    • Scales
    • Warming Up
    • Tone: Experimenting with Proportions
    • Viola Tone book
    • Double Stops
  • DVD
    • Tone DVD
    • Warming Up DVD
  • Articles
  • CD
  • Transcriptions
    • Anthology
    • Purcell Chacony
    • Mendelssohn Andante
    • Tchaikovsky Waltz
    • Strauss Voices of Spring
  • Basics series
  • Odds and ends
  • Reviews
    • Warming up book
    • Warming up DVD
    • Tone DVD
    • Tone Book
    • Basics
    • Basics user reviews
    • Practice
    • Scales
    • The Violin Lesson
    • Brahms Sonatas CD
    • Concerts
    • ESTA
  • Inspiring quotes
  • Biography
  • Contact