Jay-Martin Pinner is the founding director of the Bob Jones Junior High and Bob Jones Academy Symphony Orchestras. He conducted the Academy Symphony for 28 years. After serving as Head of the String Department at BJU for 25 years he started Pinner Studios, a private string-teaching studio in Greenville, South Carolina.
Precollege band directors are expected to have at least rudimentary instrument repair skills in order to keep student instruments playable for imminent rehearsals and performances. String orchestra directors are often surprised by and ill prepared for the repair and maintenance needs of their students. For this column I would like to address changing strings on […]
A Layman’s Guide to Purchasing a Violin, Viola, Cello or Double Bass Purchasing stringed instruments for students or an orchestra program may be comparable to walking through a mine field without a map. Selecting an instrument outfit can reward us with an instrument that is genuinely a good buy, or punish us with an instrument we […]
A Layman’s Guide to Purchasing a Bow for Violin, Viola, Cello or Double Bass The first of this series of articles focused on the basics of purchasing an instrument in the violin family. The focus of this column is on the selection of a violin, viola, cello, or double bass bow. Generally, the instrument is purchased […]
A Layman’s Guide to Purchasing a Case for Violin, Viola, Cello or Double Bass The first two articles in this series focused on the basics of purchasing string instruments and bows. This column will deal with the important issue of purchasing string instrument cases. Having purchased hundreds of cases, flown thousands of miles with string instruments, […]
In our experience as music educators, guest conductors and performers, there are few musical problems more recurrent than faulty string intonation. Pure intonation is the sine qua non of good string tone, and it is the foundation upon which to build all other musical elements. One of the challenges for those of us who work […]
Recently we focused on solo and chamber music recital stage protocol: bowing, acknowledging applause, and presenting a stage presence that is appreciative of the audience and one that helps put the audience at ease for a performance. This issue will focus on protocol for orchestra conductors and soloists. As conductors we have nightmares of being […]
Part 1 – On the String Bowings String bowing terms often create confusion for directors of church and school orchestras, even veteran directors who are string specialists. There are two general types of bowings: those prescribing that the bow bounce off the string, “off the string bowings”, and those prescribing that the bow remain in […]
Part 2 – Off-the-String Bowings & Specialized Bowings In this column on string bowings we will take a look at off-the-string bowings and specialized bowings in an effort to help clarify terminology and technique. Off-the-String Bowings Spiccato or bouncing bow are general terms that describe bow movement as the bow hair and stick strike the […]