The Art of Quartet Playing: Guarneri Quartet in Conversation with David Blum

All sorts of wonderful insights for the amateur musician who plays too. When you have fully digested Mrs Norton's excellent book, have this on your shelf ready; it will help you become a better chamber music player.

Thorough information on quartet playing. Many good points of view and insights on common problems.

This is a great and fun read for any string player. There are numerous subjects from articulations, interpretative issues, intonation, practice techniques, ensemble dynamics and much more. It's really a rare treat to get such a clear picture into the workings of such a renowned group, as well as getting a sense for every individual in the quartet. As a bassist, I took a lot from this book and feel almost all of it is directly applicable to my work as an orchestral player.If you're looking for a little inspiration, new ideas, or just curious about the string quartet genre, this is a must.

David Blum's 'Art Of The String Quartet' is a fantastic work. Its interviews with the experienced musicians of the Guarneri Quartet allow the reader to learn about the elementary aspects of the string quartet and beyond - both concerning the musical form itself as well as the ensemble that performs it. In addition to the clear and vivid statements of the players and their interviewer, the book contains many notations of musical examples that allow the reader to understand also in a visual way what is talked about. A small dictionary with the most used musical terms is a helpful addition. Highly recommendable for everyone who shares a love for the string quartet and is interested in how it is done!

I have Arnold Steinhardt's two books on the Guarneri, and love them. Each of the three books is complementary but slightly different. This one is far and away more technical than the others, but if you have ambitions of playing string quartets, it really gives you a clear picture of what you will want to know about approaching the genre. It's not an easy read, though--more of a reference, although there are a lot of ways to approach it.

Este libro es, en mi opinión, simplemente el mejor libro escrito sobre música de cámara. Es una gran ayuda para cualquier interprete, profesor o alumno.Dimitri van Halderen