"Useful and elegantly written, Stanley Ritchie's book will be a most valuable resource to accomplished modern violinists wishing to learn to play the baroque violin." Marc Destrube, violinist "Before the Chinrest is aimed at modern violinists and viola players who are 'curious to learn about technique and style as understood and practised by their seventeenth and eighteenth-century predecessors', so it is designed as a practical guide and includes a wealth of information, musical examples and technical exercises... Ritchie divides the book into four sections: right-hand technique, left-hand technique, interpretation, and a technique and intonation practice guide. I found myself in agreement with a great number of his points about matters technical and interpretative, and many of his technical exercises would be extremely helpful to those new to period playing. However, I would have expected more information on how the baroque violin differs in its setup from the modern and how the bow developed over the years, as well as some advice as to how to go about getting hold of the instruments, bows and gut strings... Before the Chinrest is highly recommended for what is included, but disappointing as to what is omitted. My recommendation to modern-trained players would be to buy Judy Tarling's Baroque String Playing for Ingenious Learners as an ideal reference book for this music and then use this new book for a more detailed practical guide to playing the instrument."-Classical Music, Dec 2012

Stanley Ritchie is an internationally recognized violinist, teacher, and recording artist. He is a professor at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington and the 2009 recipient of the Howard Mayer Brown Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Early Music.