MY FIRST BEGINNING STRINGS BOOKLET

This is the first beginning strings booklet I wrote for my students starting after the violin left hold is established.  I have revised it somewhat over the years.  It is meant specifically for violin but I have some accomodations for using the "C" string.  This booklet should be a good lead into starting the Suzuki book Number 1.

BOWING EXERCISES ON OPEN STRINGS

1. OPEN STRING BOWING:
SILENT BOW LEVEL ROCKING
[perform at the middle bow (MB), lower half (LH), and upper half (UH)]

2. OPEN STRING BOWING:
SEPARATE BOWS UH
[later perform this at other parts of bow and also using the whole bow (WB)]

3. OPEN STRING BOWING:
VARIATIONS


4. OPEN STRING BOWING:
SLURRING ON ALL 4 STRINGS
Start exercise using the WB separating the bow into 4 equal sections
(one string for each section)


Move the bow in the same direction making a slight stop while changing strings


Repeat the above step except make smooth transitions between strings
This creates the SLUR


Perform the exercise DOWN bow and when perfected start it UP bow

BOWING ON THE VIOLIN FOR THE BEGINNER

HOLDING THE VIOLIN BOW

LEOPOLD AUER ON BOWING

and 

BOW HOLD

PRE-BOWING ON THE SHOULDER

MOVING THE BOW ON THE VIOLIN 

PROPORTIONS OF THE BOW

 ELIPTICAL MOTIONS CREATED BY 

BOW STROKES and LIFTED BOWS

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

QUOTE:
“Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes.”

AUTHOR: Ludwig van Beethoven

MEANING OF THE QUOTE:

“Some artists can never rest until they are allowed to express themselves.”

COMPOSER

CHOPIN

Etude in C Minor 
Revolutionary (Fall of Warsaw)1831

ETUDE:  

This is a short composition for a solo instrument intended as an exercise 

or to demonstrate technical virtuosity; a musical exercise.

GENERAL MUSIC
01. MUSICAL ALPHABET GRAPHING SHEETS
02. DISCUSSION OF MUSICAL ALPHABET WORD LISTS
03. PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
.......a. REVIEW OF NAMES OF PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS LEARNED IN CLASS
.......b. ORCHESTRATION OF PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
            (HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHICH INSTRUMENTS TO PLAY AT THE DIFFERENT 

            PASSAGES)
...........1) CONTRAST
...........2) TIMBRE
...........3) PRACTICALITY OF USE (EX: CERTAIN INSTRUMENTS CAN ONLY PLAY 

               CERTAIN PARTS BECAUSE THEY ARE INSTRUMENT IS INCAPABLE OF 

               FAST RESPONSE TIME or THEY VIBRATE TOO LONG, ETC. 

...........4) VARIETY OF INSTRUMENTS AVAILABLE TO CHOOSE FROM
.......c. CLASS ORCHESTRATES PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS FOR "ALLEY CAT"
.............1) DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS ARE ASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT COLORS ON 

                 THE CHART
.......d. CLASS PERFORMS ORCHESTRATION (TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)
.............1) STUDENTS ARE SEPARATED IN GROUPS
.............2) EACH GROUP IS ASSIGNED A PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT TO PLAY

                 ACCORDING TO THE COLORS ON THE CHART
.............3) STUDENTS WILL COUNT ALL THE RHYTHMS (AS PREVIOUSLY LEARNED) 

                 BUT PLAY THEIR INSTRUMENTS ONLY ON THEIR ASSIGNED COLORS

ADV. STRINGS

01. BURGUNDIAN CAROL
.......a. PLAYED THROUGH THE ENTIRE PIECE
.......b. LISTENED TO THE CELLO HARMONY PART TO SEE HOW THE MELODY 

           AND HARMONY WILL FIT TOGETHER REPLAYED THE PIECE AGAIN SO 

           WE COULD BLEND BOTH PARTS TOGETHER
02. NO HOLLY FOR MISS QUINN
........a. INTRODUCTION: TEACHER DEMONSTRATION
........b. NOTE READING REVIEW OF FIRST PHRASE
.............1) DISCUSSION OF FINGERING C# (FINGER SPACINGS and HIGH 3RD FINGER)

                 SHARPS (#) RAISE THE FINGER AHEAD 1/2 STEP
........c. SIGHT READ FIRST PHRASE

BEG. STRINGS

01.  BOW HOLD REVIEWED
02.  CONCEPT DISCUSSION OF PLACEMENT OF VIOLIN BOW IN RELATION TO THE VIOLIN ANGLE AS IT IS HELD AT THE JAW
03.  DISCUSSION OF PROPER PLACEMENT OF THE BOW IN BETWEEN THE BRIDGE AND                                    FINGERBOARD
........a.  USING THE CONCEPT OF SQUARES, TRIANGLES and TRAPEZOIDS AND HOW THEY ARE USED IN SETTING THE ANGLE OF THE BOW ON THE STRING
03. PRACTICING USING THE BOW ON THE SHOULDER (INSTEAD OF THE VIOLIN)
........a.   BOW LEVELS (MOVEMENT OF BOW AND ARM AT THE SAME LEVELS TOGETHER USING SEE-                 SAW LIKE ACTIONS
........b.   BOW SPRING (USED TO START THE ARTICULATION OF THE BOW SOUND) PRODUCED BY THE                RIGHT UPPER ARM APPLYING WEIGHT THROUGH THE RIGHT POINTER INDEX FINGER                            MIDDLE JOINT ONTO THE BOW
........c    DISCUSSION and PRACTICE OF:
..............1)  BOW MOVEMENTS FROM MIDDLE OF THE BOW TO TIP (SQUARE TO TRAPEZOID) MOVING                      THE ELBOW
..............2)  BOW MOVEMENTS FROM FROG TO THE MIDDLE OF THE BOW (TRIANGLE TO SQUARE)                             MOVING SHOULDER and ELBOW

THE ABOVE TO BE CONTNUED NEXT WEEK

BOWING ON THE SHOULDER

BOWING ON THE SHOULDER

A. MAKING SQUARES WITH THE BOW ON THE SHOULDER VS PARALLELOGRAMS
.....1. Where the square is formed (depending on arm length vs bow size, etc.) is the middle of the bow for each particular   player. 
.....2. Using the idea of the "square" is an important concept because it keeps the violin bow from traveling into the fingerboard area (which is one of the major causes of scratchy, ugly sounds on a violin). 
B. BOW LEVELS
..... 1. Bow and arm stay together and move as a unit together in order to assure that the the bow will sound the string that is intended and not hit another one by accident 
..... 2. There are 4 basic arm/bow levels; one for each string("G," "D," "A," "E") and there are 3 more added levels used when performing double-stops (more than one note played at a time on 2 neighboring strings). Those levels find the bow placed on two strings at the same time: G+D, D+A, A+E 
..... 3. At the "G" string bow level the bow and arm (forming the square) are both parallel to the floor (sort-of like a table top upon which can sit a glass of water) and at the "E" string bow level, the elbow of the bow playing arm is towards the floor. 
C. MAKING TRAPEZOIDS WITH THE BOW ON THE SHOULDER
..... 1. The tip of the bow (the amount of bow that can comfortably be used; not the actual tip) is where the bow forms a trapezoid in proportion to the arm's length with the bow on the shoulder. 
..... 2. Since everyone's arm length (and its proportion to the bow size) is different, the tip of the bow is not always in the same place. 
..... 3. If in order to reach the actual tip of the bow the player must extend the right arm completely straight, then the amount of bow used must be lessened a bit. The idea is that the right arm must never be extented completely straight; there must always be a slight bend in the right elbow when at the tip of the bow. .
.... 4. Practice bow arm levels at the tip and compare with the bow arm levels at the square; bow arm levels are different when playing at different parts of the bow. 
D. MAKING TRIANGLES WITH THE BOW ON THE SHOULDER
..... 1. The lowest part of the bow is called the "frog." When placing the bow on the shoulder at the frog a triangle is formed. 
..... 2. Compare all three bow levels: bow at the frog, bow in the middle, bow at the tip; movements of the arm are greater when the bow is placed at its tip and very minimal when the bow is placed at the frog.