Miscellaneous Articles

Strings are made from basically three different core materials: gut, synthetic (nylontype) fiber and steel. Laurinel Owen discusses the advantages – and disadvantages. Read more…

The Strad, December 1996 Vol. 107 No. 1280 page 1324

How often has a potential performance of a lifetime turned into a performance from hell? Are you suffering from stage fright? Laurinel Owen gives advice on overcoming this common affliction.

‘I hope I won’t mess up the semi-quavers on the next page…my gosh, I can’t believe he’s here, I wonder what he’s thinking… oh man, I missed that shift, I’ve got to try harder on the next one…why is my bow shaking…hold it tighter…that kid on the front row is kicking his feet he’s going to mess me up…did I count three or four bars rest?’

A little adrenaline can lift a performance from good to extraordinary, too much can cause the classic symptoms of blurred vision, upset stomach, racing heart, confused thoughts, the need to go to the toilet, trembling bow, tight muscles and general panic. As if all this were not bad enough, many players are not only afraid of performing, but in addition, worry about facing stage fright itself. These debilitating physical symptoms are caused by what psychologists term the ‘fight or flight’ response, in other words, the body responds as if danger is present. Read more…