Violinist turns practice into public lesson

In a series of short, unedited practice videos filmed on his phone, violinist Yu Xiang argues, tests, corrects, interrupts, and rethinks — sometimes all within a single burst of music.

"I just show what I'm thinking," he says. "When I practice, I talk to myself. On camera, it looks like I'm arguing with another person." Viewers jokingly call it his "split personality practice method".

What began as a casual attempt to share practice routines has turned Yu into an unlikely online reference point for young musicians.

The videos are as plain as they come: no filters, no editing, no performance polish — just a musician and his thoughts laid bare.

Yu never planned to follow social media trends until a friend suggested he post his practice sessions. "I thought nobody would watch," he says. "Practice is boring." Instead, thousands stayed — not for the spectacle, but for something rarer: a chance to see how a professional musician thinks.

Long before appearing on so many phone screens, Yu — first prize winner of the 2010 Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition — had already built a solid career onstage. As a soloist, he has performed with major orchestras including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony. As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has appeared in world-renowned venues such as the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Louvre in Paris.

In 2020, he joined the Shanghai Quartet, one of China's earliest and most influential chamber ensembles. In the fall of 2021, he joined the Tianjin Juilliard School, where he currently serves as resident faculty and chair of chamber music.

"There are no shortcuts in music,"Yu, 37, says. "You have to build your foundation carefully. And above all, you must avoid practicing without thinking."