Magazines

March 14, 2005 at 07:06 PM · Strings Magazine (American) and the Strad (British) are probably the best known. You should get a copy of each and see which one seems to have more of what you want.

March 14, 2005 at 11:27 PM · Greetings,

I have bene a Strad reader for thirty years . There is more cello stuff in these days so it might be worth your while. But to be honest, aside form the ocasisonal gem it seems rather a drag these days. My impresison is it is trying to broaden its appela across the whole string world with the result that much o f it is not interesting - just too wtaered down.

A good place for you actually is the Cello Internet site-not sur eof the url but it is hard to miss. That is huge and has dozens of in depth interviews with top players,-I go there quite a lot.

Cheers,

Buri

March 14, 2005 at 11:55 PM · Buri,

I think I first laid eyes on the Strad about 23 years ago. I'm curious, have you kept all of the issues?

March 15, 2005 at 12:25 AM · I don't know. The Strad seems to be more focused towards luthiering and the technicals of playing (of course it's got the other business in it too) while Strings seems to focus more on players or the buzz in the music biz. They both cover similar material but I have more fun reading Strings. But it would be best to look at both.

March 15, 2005 at 12:30 AM · Greetings,

Johnathon, I wish I had. I even had a pile of issues going back fifty yeras before or something like that. The real old ones were printed on cheap paper more like a pamphlet. Some of those ads were really interesting.

I think the seventies and eighties was the best format. Smaller, no color excpet the cover and always just a beautiful violin on the front.

My favorite interviews in from those days were the ones by Gimpel and a youngish Ricci.

Gimpel talked about how his prodigism collapse dand when he went to Flesch he couldn`t even play a g major scale.

The verbatim quote from Ricci that started his interview*

`Lots of critics say I can`t play Bach because I bash the bow too much. They just want these cellophane wrapped competition players...`

Cheers,

Buri

March 15, 2005 at 05:44 AM · Personally, I love Strings...

March 15, 2005 at 03:02 PM · Both The Strad and Strings are good, although somewhat different. The most noticable difference, (superficially) is the paper. The Strad is all high gloss paper and excellent production. That said, the cost for a year is near $100 US. Content-wise, Strad is a bit more geared to the UK player, with concert schedules and reviews for UK performances. Strings has a wider audience appeal in that it features more articles on non-classical (Celtic, jazz, etc.) music than does The Strad. It is also more US-centric, though both mags cover worldwide shops, makers, and events (other than concerts, i.e. festivals, etc.) I have to agree that I enjoy Strings a bit more. Best advice is to make it down to a local violin/sheet music shop and see if they carry either or both. Many shops that I have been to have a few back issues as well. (My personal favorite sections of both periodicals are the letters to the editor sections and other sections that feature discussion threads.) Good luck.

March 15, 2005 at 11:53 PM · cello.org. I have met Joyhn Michel, the guy who founded it! :) it's full of great info.

March 17, 2005 at 12:08 AM · Speaking of the Strad, as of the current moment (16th March), why does The Strad website list January 2005 as the latest issue? It's not possible to order any issue later than this. I would have thought at least February and March would have come out by now, and April would theoretically be due out next week.

I have to say the short time I was getting the Strad magazine a year or two back, the distribution was awful, very haphazard and I had to write to my credit card company to get refunds on two magazines that I ordered but never received.

Has anyone experienced any problems with the admin side of Strings magazine? To be honest I am quite reticent to go ordering The Strad given the state of their website and my previous experiences.

March 17, 2005 at 12:27 AM · If you're lucky enough to live by a university library, you can probably access current and past copies of both magazines (for free!). My university doesn't have a huge music department or anything, but they have all past issues of both magazines. That makes it easier to be in the know, especially for poor college students, who can't afford the exorbitant Strad prices...

March 17, 2005 at 01:10 AM · Greetings,

Johnathon, I thought it was just a Japan thing! For the first five yeras I ordered it here it was on my doorstep on the 21st like clockwork. then I moved prefecture and its delivery began to fluctuate up to two wekes later than this date. The real problems occur when you renerw your subscription. and the changeover magazine was six weeks late.

But, you don`t have to go through the credit card rigmarole, in my experience at least.

I complained to the publishers in London a couple of times and got excellent service. No questions asked they sent me a free copy within a week or so. I have complaiend to them about damaged magazines as well as late delivery and each time got the same courteous response and fast reparation,

Cheers,

Buri

March 17, 2005 at 08:37 PM · Hi Buri,

Many thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately in my case the company was unresponsive to my repeated complaints about not receiving goods I had ordered and paid for. It was at that point I had to get my credit card provider involved otherwise it would have been too late for a refund, since there is a time limitation above which I can no longer get a refund. I will admit I did not telephone them, but only emailed them. I was not prepared to spend exhorbidant fees on international phone calls, since they would have cost more than the magazines were worth.

Mind you, I know of other people as well who have ordered from the Strad online store and have had to complain to get things pushed along. On the other hand, my 2005 calender came prompty without any problems.

March 18, 2005 at 03:12 AM · Greetings,

Johnathon, I only e-mailed them too. That`s a pity.

It`s not relevant but I stuck a request on the Amazon wish list for Szigeti`s biography (With SAtrings Attached) forgot about it completley and about a year later it turned up on my doorstep. A bit pongy, but I opend the flypage and the thing was actually signed by the greta man himself. You could actually sense the power of the man through the sheer elegance and grace of his writing.

Perhaps you would fele a bit bette rif the postman signed your elusive Strad Magaznes?

Cheers,

Buri

March 18, 2005 at 03:24 AM · That would seem quite fair actually, since I have had to give the postman my autograph many times ;)

March 19, 2005 at 07:24 PM · I've subscribed to Strings magazine for almost two years now, and I've always been very satisfied with distribution and delivery times.

It's also a very well-rounded magazine in that it isn't just about classical, but covers all genres; I particularly like the way it'll interview Itzak Perlman on one page and have an article on Celtic fiddling on the next. Their articles on instruments and schools are also first rate. I've never tried Strad; I've been too happy with Strings.

They don't just cover violinists, either, but cellos, violas, and (yes) double basses.

Since I've been subscribing, my name has been giving to several string and violin shops across the country that have cut-rate prices on things like strings, metronomes, etc. Southwest Strings is one, and Johnson String Instruments is another. I have ordered strings from both, and have never had any trouble whatsoever with ordering (over the phone) and delivery (six to ten days).

I'm really happy I subscribed to Strings; I can thoroughly recommend the magazine.