Monthly Archives: February 2011

The Sevcik School of Bowing Technic Opus 2 Book 1 is probably the most systematic thought out plan for control of the bow that anyone has ever developed. On the cover page it states that it contains “systematically and progressively graded bowing exercises for the violin.”

The book is divided into the following sections:

• How to hold the bow – the colle stroke at the tip, frog and middle of the bow (works on hand shaping)
• How to Guide the bow – use of whole bow, half of bow, and the middle of the bow (changing hand shaping for each part of the bow)
• Study in Whole Notes with 57 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
• Study in Half Notes with 75 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
• Study in Quarter Notes with 260 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
• Study in Eighth Notes with 214  variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
• Study in Eighth Notes in Six Eight time with 91 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
• Studies using the bow in higher positions
• Studies using the bow for string crossings in arpeggios

The edition I am analyzing of this piece is from the Barbara Barber Solos for Young Violinist.

This piece contains many challenges for players of very high skill level.

• Use of the whole bow and uneven bow distributions in the Theme – This should be planned out if the student has trouble using the whole bow and different parts of the bow for the theme at the beginning.
• Challenging tuning in beginning of Theme – Tuning should be paid attention to in this theme as it is difficult because of intervals that leap.
• Shifts to fourth position for harmonics in Variation 1 – Instead of an extension, students should shift to the fourth position for the harmonic.
• Spiccato Bowing in Variation 2 – Any etude that uses spiccato on singled and doubled notes can be used. Kayser #19 is a favorite of mine for spiccato on doubled notes.
• Ricochet Bowing in Variation 2 – There is a Wohlfahrt Op. 45, No. 40 can be practiced with ricochet. (It is not notated with ricochet in the Foundation Studies Book 2 No. 8, but it can be played that way as a variation.)
• Down bow chords in Variation 2 – The challenging part of this section is tuning while moving 2 and 3 back and forth and then dropping 3 and 4.
• Chords with slurred string crossings in Variation 2 – These chords are simple, but execution should be practiced so the bow moves evenly across the strings.
• Chords with left hand pizzicato in Variation 3 – Smooth dotted half notes should be played while chords are played underneath.
• Challenging shifting and tuning in Variation 3
• Harmonics in Variation 3 – A scale in harmonics (like from the Flesch book) can be used to get proper tone on this passage.

The Salut D’Amour by Edward Elgar, from his opus 12, is a piece written for violin. It has virtuosic lines and very delicate articulations that make it a good piece for student working on more advanced shifting and bow distribution to play. The key signature of the edition I am analyzing is E major.  Tuning for this can be very tricky. The piece is a great recital piece and is quick to learn.

The piece contains a difficult bow distribution at the beginning that is repeated several times. Other challenges with the bow include crescendos, decrescendos, fermatas and other expressive changing of the tempo. These require a confident use of the bow weight, speed, and contact point.

Shifting and harmonics are the other challenge of this piece. Although the first theme could be played in first and third positions, expressive shifts, finger replacements, and shifts can be used to create a more artistic effect. The second theme and the transition after it go higher into position. The highest position used in the piece is seventh.

There are some melodic intervals that are challenging, so these parts should be figured out using guide notes for shifting and by listening to a performance of the piece. I found Sarah Chang’s performance (from her youth) to be absolutely charming.

This  is the scale sequence I teach for beginning string players through more advanced stages:

1. Monkey Song (also called a tetrachord). This is half of the scale. I usually teach this with a rhythm such as Mississippi Stop Stop on each note.
2. One octave scale starting on open strings. There are three for each instrument. I start by playing it with a rhythm on each string then progress to playing it with quarter notes, half notes, then whole notes on each note.
3. One octave scales starting with a “Ringing Tone.” (This would be a third finger start for violin and viola or a fourth finger start for cello.)
4. Two Octave Scale starting with the lowest open string.
5. One octave scales starting with first finger. There are also three of these for each instrument. I start by playing it with a rhythm on each string then progress to playing it with quarter notes, half notes, then whole notes on each note.
6. One octave scales beginning with Low 2 or second finger for cello.
7. Two Octave Scales that shift third position for violins and violas.
8. Three octave Scale for Violin and Viola Only.
9. All Key Signatures in First position. (From Sevcik Opus 1, Book 1)
10. One String Scales.
11. One octave scales on two strings in all positions.
12. Two octave scales on all four strings in all positions.

The Clef Sign penny charts are very useful for teaching beginning note reading. Initially, I teach about whichever clef the student uses. Next I talk about the five lines and four spaces of the staff. We count them from bottom to top. Next we alternate climbing up and down the lines and spaces with a penny.

After all of that discussion, I talk about placement of the open strings and have students move the penny back and forth between the open D strings and A string with the penny.

Eventually we move up and down to different scales and songs on the lines and spaces with our pennies.

Penny charts for treble, alto and bass clef are available here:

Penny Charts

The following are some supporting web sites that will help students with note reading and rhythm reading on their instruments.

Note Reading for Violin (Beginning)
Note Reading for Violin (G, D, A and E Strings)

Note Reading for Viola (Beginning)
Note Reading for Viola (C, G, D, and A Strings)

Note Reading for Cello (Beginning)
Note Reading for Cello (C, G, D and A Strings)

Basics of Music Theory (All of the “Basics” can be covered on this site.)

Counting Music

To have a greater understanding of the fingerboard, students must also understand the map of the fingerboard. In addition to finger pattern exercises, they should also be using a variety of aids to help learning the theory behind the fingerboard. I have created this chart to help the be able to name and map the fingerboard.

Violin Finger Board Chart (PDF)

In the second volume of the Laoureux “A Practical Method for the Violin,” the first five positions on the violin are covered.

In the beginning, it has preparation for shifting to third position. I like that is quite compacted compared to that in the Whistler “Introducing the Positions.” It also has several exercises and etudes all in third position reminiscent of Wohlfahrt third position studies and the Whistler. I find it more visually pleasing that the whistler book. After a few exercises in third position, it has shifting exercises similar to Yost. Following that are several etudes that shift between first and third position. I like that it doesn’t cover every key signature, it just gets the basics of shifting covered.

After several shifting etudes, it covered the extended fourth finger harmonic. I have recently found a lot students who need some remediation of this extension because they are actually shifting to the position, not extending.

Second position is covered next (not fifth as in many texts). I think it is good to give students an introduction to second position early so they are not afraid of it. Exercises that shift between first, second and third positions follow.

Other techniques addressed in this volume are:

• Octaves (double stops and arpeggios)
• Sixths (double stops and arpeggios)
• All other intervals (double stops and arpeggios)
• Trills
• Fourth Position
• Fifth Position

In my study of violin method and technique books, I have found some use in an old edition of the Nicolas Laoureux “A Practical Method for Violin.”

In the Book I, he begins with some exercises quite like those in the Sevcik School of Bowing Technique. These open string exercises would be great for working on reading of open strings, leveling of the arms, and bow distribution. Next he has slurs across strings.

The next section of Book I works on the left hand including intervals and scales. Next, he works on slurring of fingered notes. There are several etudes with duet parts that help develop the left hand.

Other topics approached in the Book I are syncopation, chromatic scales, martele, grand detache, hooked bowings, arpeggios of chords, difficult intonation, and the springing bow. I like some of these exercises for supplements to other study materials.

You would think students should have developed all techniques necessary for playing the violin in Book I, but Laoureux offers three more volumes. I wish this book was available for viola.

Recently I have been compiling a list of etude materials to help with second and fourth positiions.

1. Sevcik Opus 1, Book 2 covers the second through seventh position including some shifting in between the positions.
2. Sitt Studies for the Violin Part 2 covers second through fifth positions.
3. Whistler’s Introducing the Positions Volume 2.
4. Shradieck School of Violin Technics.