Modern Guide to Violin Mastery

Unlock Your Potential

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• Publisher: Matador
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781785895036

This book is a straightforward, comprehensive guide to mastering the violin quickly and efficiently. This method of learning and practicing correctly is tailored specifically for children and adults in this busy modern age who want to be good at the violin but do not have time to fit in hours of daily practice. You will learn how to achieve the best results in the least amount of time and get the most from your instrument. Each section is carefully constructed and individually tailored to the needs of beginner, intermediate and advanced players. It comes complete with simple diagrams, and varied musical examples. You will learn how to attain a relaxed, professional posture in both hands and how to execute passages with ease and precision through a set of simple exercises. The book also comes complete with useful sight-reading strategies, which are addressed at the end of each section and can be applied at any level. Apart from perfecting your posture, overall technique and sight-reading, this book addresses simple, yet highly effective methods of practicing. These efficient and valuable practice techniques frequently used by professional players will help to achieve the best results in the least amount of time. If you are learning the violin and feel that your progress has halted and you have reached a stale point in your journey, this book is for you. This book holds the key pieces of wisdom that will augment your understanding of the violin and transform your playing.

Chapter 1 – How to Read This Book

This book is divided into three sections:

•	Beginner, Grades 1–3
•	Intermediate, Grades 4–5
•	Advanced, Grades 6–8

The book is written to address these recurring, important aspects of violin technique according to each level. As you read the book, the content of these principles progressively expands with each chapter as the difficulty level advances.

In each section, there are five main principles:

I.	The Concept of Good Technique
II.	Bowing Technique
III.	Left Hand Technique
IV.	Practice Strategies
V.	Sight-reading

The points that stem from each principle are tailored directly to the student’s level and their developmental stage. For example: the left hand technique at Beginner level covers the basics such as hand posture, training the fourth finger, intonation, introduction to the third position and shifting. At Advanced level, it covers playing in (as well as moving to and from) higher positions, various types of shifting, fingering, playing double stops and fast passages as well as advanced vibrato techniques.

This book addresses the two main concepts:

•	Learning technique
•	Practising technique.

Learning technique precedes practising technique. It equips you with the basic technical tools that enable you to carry out the practising technique to the max. Practising technique on the other hand, focuses on more concrete technical aspects of violin playing.

Here is an example: learning to hold the bow with flexible, relaxed fingers and producing a good sound would be classified as learning technique. Working on specific bowing articulations and incorporating them into a musical passage would be classified as practising technique.

The Advanced section (Chapter 4) contains two extra principles:

VI.	What Makes a Good Performance?
VII.	Listening to Recordings of the Greats

These sections focus more on performance and personal interpretation. Successful performance is not only based on technique, but also interpretation. This is where listening to and viewing recordings of great violinists comes into place.

Important: it is recommended that you read this book starting from the Beginner chapters (regardless of what level you are at), as each chapter contains valuable information for all student levels.

Chapter 2 – Beginner, Grades 1–3

I: The Concept of Good Technique

Approaching the Violin With a Relaxed Mind and Body

Playing the violin is all about your state of mind. It is commonly said about the violin that it is a difficult instrument to play. Therefore, an avid beginner student already approaches the instrument with a mental block and physically tenses up in both hands.

Why do professionals find basic violin skills so natural? There is a strong correlation between the mind and muscles, timing, intonation and fingering. Referring to Ivan Galamian’s book Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching, the relationship between mind and muscles can be defined as follows: ‘it is about making mental command and physical response as quick and precise as possible’.

When both hands are relaxed, the muscles use energy more efficiently. This in turn leads to better coordinated hands, faster technique and allows the player to fully engage with the instrument. Maintaining natural relaxation in both hands is the key to mastering the violin. Whichever level you are at, it is never too late to learn new, correct habits, which will propel you onto the next level.

To start, here are some simple, effective daily exercises that will help connect you with your instrument, instil relaxation in both hands and help you attain a natural, professional posture that soon becomes habitual every time you pick up the instrument. Minimal effort equals maximum results.

Three Useful Exercises to Attain the Most Natural Violin Hand Posture

Exercise 1: The Invisible Violin

Stand with both arms totally relaxed by your side. Imagine the violin is already in place under your chin. Bring the left hand up to support the neck of your invisible violin without altering the natural, relaxed, curved shape of the hand and fingers. The left hand is being introduced to the violin from a naturally floppy, relaxed state. This is best done without hesitation using a continuous movement of the arm.

Next, try this exercise with the actual violin. Note: it is advised to use a shoulder rest so the violin can comfortably sit between the shoulder and the chin.

Result: the violin neck is naturally supported by a relaxed left hand with naturally curved fingers and a loose thumb.

Exercise 2: Introducing the Left Hand Fingers to the Fingerboard

Drop the fingers lightly on and off the strings. Focus on the springy feeling of the fingers coming off the string rather than pressing into it. Practise this on all strings. Also, try this in the third position, which can be found by moving ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• About the Author
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 – How to Read This Book
• Chapter 2 – Beginner (Grades 1–3)
• Chapter 3 – Intermediate (Grades 4–5)
• Chapter 4 – Advanced (Grades 6–8)
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgement