Kaye

Welcome to your lesson notes page Kaye!

Sun 23^rd June

Fri 26^th April 2024

Fri 22^nd March 2024

Use a tuner to help you practice tuning your violin.

Mozart Concerto no.3

• Aim for lightness in the sound at all times – even in the fs.
• How cheeky and fun can you make the quavers in 44?
• Halfway through 54, focus more on the down bow and tuck the up bow in just before it.
• Any quavers slurred in pairs should have a bit of a lean on the 1st note and a lift on the 2nd note.
• Think about bow distribution in 58-60.
• See if you can really bring out the contrasting dynamics in 60 and 61.
• How neat can you get your shifts in 65 and 67?
• Practice 68-70 slowly at first with open strings to get the light, short staccati. Make sure you’re mainly off the string with the bow. When you add the fingers, keep those notes super short.
• Drill bars 71 and 72 a fair bit for your fingers to get used to it. Focus on the highest note of each pair.

Francesca Dego’s recordings of the Mozart are really good – have a listen!

Shostakovich

• Practice the 8ve higher bit to find your perfect fingerings and write them underneath.
• You might like to memorise this piece.

Schindler’s List

• Try to colour each and every note with vibrato – especially 4th fingers!
• Ask yourself on each shift whether it needs to be clean or whether adding an audible slide could add to the emotion of the piece.
• For most of the slides, travel on the finger of the first note, rather than with the finger of the second note.
• Make sure all crotchet upbeats really connect with the next downbeat – using a faster, longer bow on them will help with this.
• At 16, the first half of the bar is extension but the B flat is a proper shift.
• Careful with the rhythm from 26.
• At bar 40, try to make the first two pairs of notes sound as similar as possible, despite them having different fingerings.

Fri 1^st March 2024

Mozart Concerto no.3

• Get to know the notes.
• Keep the bow light.
• Feel free to carry on further.

Here’s the most famous aria from Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte:

Fri 26^th January 2024

Kreutzer

• Go over the Kreutzer studies we’ve already done and start looking at no. 4.

Bach

• Warm up with as many A minor-related scales as you can think of!
• Play a 2-octave minor scale with the bowing pattern you see in bar 1 of the piece, like we did in the lesson. Try to keep in the lower half of the bow and keep the 3rd note of each 3 light as you jump off the string.
• Every time you encounter a rest, check you’re still in the lower half of the bow.
• Try not to use too much bow on the tied notes in bars 15-17.
• At fig. A, work on the tuning of your arpeggios.
• Despite the upside-down bowing in bar 40, see if you can make it sound like it has the same bowing as the previous bar.
• Use the B ghost note in bar 49 to practice the shift.
• The appoggiaturas in 52-53 should last a whole quaver.
• Listen to at least 3 recordings. Let me know who you listened to, how they differ and which is your favourite (and why!).

Shostakovich

• Follow the top fingering for the first time through and the bottom fingering the 2nd time through (an octave higher).
• Take this a little slower to give yourself time for vibrato and phrasing – maybe somewhere around crotchet=60.
• Despite the romantic style, make sure your rhythms are really exact, eg. bar 25.

Sat 9^th December 2023

In Dulci Jubilo

• Start by practising the bow stroke.
• Try to stay in the lower half most of the time, regaining any crotchet ground on the quavers.

Deck the Halls

• Work on the off-the-string bow stroke at the beginning (we call this spiccato).

Thu 30^th November 2023

In general – keep thinking about your flexible bow hold.

Bach Andante

• Practice bars 14-15 the most this week.
• Work a little also on the sections that could conceivably be major or minor.
• Start working on the last movement.

Kreutzer 2

• When working with a metronome, make sure you start exactly with the first tick.
• In the sections with lots of string crossings, always anticipate those string crossings with your right elbow.
• Play this to me again when you’ve got it up to 70!

Kreutzer 3

• Get to grips with the notes of this and we will add some bowing technique next lesson.

Shostakovich Romance

• Once you are familiar with the fingering, think about adding a really consistent vibrato.

Fri 17^th November 2023

Kreutzer 2

• You are somewhere around crotchet=60 at the moment but some bits dip under and some bits are faster.
• Practice this actually with the metronome and tick off each tick box at feels like you have mastered each speed.
• Carefully tune your octave intervals from line 3 onwards.
• On the penultimate line, watch the tuning of your harmonic minor notes.

Bach slow movement

• In bar 5, think about how you move off each tie into the demisemis – it needs to be in the same sleep mood as the rest of the piece.
• In bar 6, “highlight” the first note of each triplet with an airy past bow. Always be listening though – it’s easy to overdo it once you’ve got used to the idea!
• Work on the tuning of the first two notes of each triplet.
• In 9-12, aim for a really serene line in which the listener’s attention isn’t drawn to any shifts or bow changes. The shifts need to be light and quick, and you can practise long bows on one note to work on your smooth bow changes, changing your hand shape as you move down the bow.
• Listen out all the time for any bulges in the bow, and don’t play too close to the bridge as this will make the sound harder.
• Try to eliminate the shift noises in the second half of bar 14!
• Get more comfortable with the shifts around bars 24-26.
• Let’s start at bar 23 next time!

Sat 21^st October 2023

Always play a scale and arpeggio in the key of the piece or study you are about to play. Some days you might also want to add dominant and diminished 7ths, chromatic and double stop scales. Work on your elbow leve

Kreutzer 2

• Fingering for C chromatic – G34 D12/1234 A12/1234 E12/123/123. Remember that on the way down your 4th fingers don’t need to go too high!
• In the first few bars of the study, really listen to your tuning of open Es vs. 4th fingers. This will set your ears up well for the rest of the piece!
• You got a nice strong sound quality from about the 3rd line. See if you can get this right from the start.
• Work in sections, the way we did in your Bach. Aim for no hesitations, and looking ahead so your fingers know if they need to move position at all.
• Always be looking ahead for shifts so that they don’t disturb the flow.
• Practice with a metronome at the end of each practice session.

Bach 2nd movement

• C diminished 7th – the notes are C, E flat, G flat, A. Tell yourself the notes before you play each one.
• When you shift in bar 10, listen to the sound quality and make sure the sound doesn’t get harder when you shift.
• Be on the hunt for audible shifts and see if you can iron them out. Also be on the hunt for slurs that aren’t quite smooth (including those with string crossings within them.

Sat 7^th October 2023

Pick another movement of the Vivaldi to learn.

Bach 2nd movement

• Start with your imagined mood and try to keep all your bow changes and shifts as calm as that too.
• Remember to keep accidentals going through the whole bar.
• Try to aim for no vibrato for now, but we may add some as a decoration futher down the line.

Kreutzer 2

• Have a good think about your finger spacing before you start, maybe even by playing a C major scale.
• Use the middle of your bow, and always aim for really good contact between the bow and string. If the sound ever gets a bit whispy, use less bow.
• Check in the mirror every now and then to see if your bow is running parallel to the bridge.
• From bar, really listen to the tuning of your octaves.
• Try to always be looking ahead so that each finger is ready before you play the note.

Have a look through the Vivaldi movements and choose one to work on.

Sat 23^rd September 2023

Well done for making it into both of the orchestras at school!

Smetana

• Play along with a YouTube video of this at about 0.75 speed to identify the areas that need the most work (I would use a headphone in my right ear to do this).
• Mark any sections that need work with a cross or star in the margin, so you know where to start practising when you’re not playing long with a recording.
• Notice patterns in passages with lots of similar bars, and always be looking ahead for where the next change is.
• Practice your E major arpeggios and the diminished 7ths starting on G and G# (or A flat).

Fri 20^th July 2023

Keep working through the notes from earlier this week, but here are a few points we added today:

Bartók

• In the 4th movement, try not to take the bo off at the end of each 4-bar phrase – this will help the start of the next feel more controlled.

Vivaldi

• Work on the precision of your demi-semiquavers in 87 and 88 like we did in the lesson, playing just 2 notes of the run, then 3 etc. always playing the notes as quickly as you will in context.
• Think about leading the pianist as you land on the low Fs at the end of those runs.
• Work a little on the tuning from 89 onwards.

Tango

• Work on the tuning at the end of your first double stops section – otherwise the double stops are really sounding good!
• Work on the timing of the triplets in the section near the end.

I hope your recording session goes really well! Remember to enjoy it and to take your time, especially between pieces as you get into the right headspace for the mood and tempo. I can’t wait to hear the recording!

Things to play after your recording:

• Other movements of the Four Seasons
• Other movements of your Bach.
• The Kreutzer studies I gave you last lesson – choose 1 or two to start working on.

In the Autumn we could start working through a Composer Alphabet challenge together – click on the Alphabet Challenge menu picture here to find the printable and if you like, get a display book that we can start filling with music! It should have at least 20 pockets.

Tue 18^th/Wed 19th July 2023

As you tune this week, use a tuner to check that you have tuned well.

Practise your speaking and print off your sheet.

Give yourself enough time between pieces to get into the right mindset for the next piece.

Bach

• Great consistent tempo.
• Practise bars 7, 18 and 23 and 74 for tuning and co-ordination on the string crossing.
• Work on bringing out the shape of line from bar 33.
• Work on getting 41 really safe.
• 74 tuning.
• Use less bow in 77 to keep the f from getting fluffy.
• Not weaker at the start of 111/114.
• Remember to concentrate lots at H!

Bartók IV

• f and mf are too weak.

Bartók V

• Started at a good tempo but sped up by 5th bar and then sounded a bit out of control.
• Try to stay relaxed!

Bartók VI

• Rhythm at 33
• Don’t worry about speeding up too much in the faster section.

After your Bartók, take a breather and make sure your shooulders are relaxed again.

Autumn

• Aim for a more brushed bow stroke in the material like bars 1-13. Keep the two up bow quavers (eg. bar 3) short.
• Use this brushed stroke in the double stops too, and keep the tempo relaxed.
• Work a bit more on the tuning at 20.
• At 36, aim for a clearer first and second notes in the runs.
• 45 etc. try not to have a huge break.
• To help bar 49, practise in 6-note groups. Play in the upper half of the bow and use less bow.
• I love bar 53! It has great flow 😊
• At 80, aim for consistency of articulation, even in the changing dynamics.
• For the F at the start of 88 and 89, aim for a gentler landing gentler.
• More at 89.

Tango

• Practise 22 into 23, aiming to get both notes together at the start of 23.
• Aim for more separation on the staccato notes from 35. You should practise this on one note like we did in the lesson.
• At 40, emphasise the on-the-string bowing for the last 4 notes so that it contrasts with the next bar. Also get used to your new fingering!
• From 44, practise without the open As to hone in on the spacing between the melody notes – it felt like you were feeling around fpr them a bit too much.
• Work on a clean shift at 56.
• Slow the bow as you get to the end of your last note and hold the atmosphere at the end.

Fri 14^th July 2023

Order: Bach, Bartók, Vivaldi, Tango

Vivaldi

Vivaldi

• Work on bar 13 to the down beat of bar 14 to get a curved 3rd finger. Once that feels secure, add the next few bars, listening all the time for tuning and thinking about tone and semitone spacings.
• Try to be free without slowing down too much at 32, being free but within the general tempo.
• Listen for smooth bow changes at 39, keeping it light and in the upper half of the bow. Also make sure the shifts aren’t slowing you down.
• Tidy up bar 39 by playing it at tempo but in small chunks. I would recommend the first 7 notes as your first chunk, always keeping the bowing clean and simple.
• Practise 67 a bit slower to get more of a curve between your string crossings.

Bartók

• As we did in the lesson, work on any danger areas in small chunks, adding a little bit each time you feel secure.

Next lesson: run-through of the exam, including talking.

Sun 2^nd July 2023

D major 3 octaves

• G string 234
• D string 1234
• A string 12/1234
• E string 12/12/12344321\4321\21
• A string 4321
• D string 4321
• G string 432

D major arpeggio

• G string 24
• D string 2
• A string 1/13
• E string 2/12421\41
• A string 31
• D string 2
• G string 42

Sight reading – dig out some grade 5 and 6 pieces to sight read, and have a good at some other Vivaldi and Bach movements.

Bach

• Play from I, listening to the clarity and sound quality of the first notes of each beam. Be on the lookout for other places like this too.
• Practise C and J slowly, landing on the tricky notes to check them and thinking about tones and semitones.
• Practise 112-116 trying to really cover up the string crossing – make it sound like one long line of uninterrupted notes.
• Aim for more air in the sound at 61-62, 65-66, H, 148-149 and 152-153.

Tango

• Practise bar 40 by trying to get the top harmonic right 10 time right 10 times in a row each practise session. Imagine your hand being drawn there like a magnet.
• Practise from 44, luxuriating in the top line of melody.
• Work on getting your staccato quavers in 48 and 50 equally short and light to help the clarity at the start of the next bar.
• Use a metronome set to 184 to help you with your triplets 52-57.
• Remember not to burst the bubble at the end of the last note!

Sun 4^th June 2023

Bartók IV

• Let’s definitely follow your tempo research and stick with 70!
• Think vibrato from the start.
• When you move to p at 15 make sure the tempo keeps moving.
• Reminder: don’t take too much time 18 into 19.
• From 19, remember to play nice long minims.
• Try not to slow down right at the the end as you diminuendo.

Bartók V

• 130 is a good speed to aim for in this movement – we then get good detail.
• Match the tuning of your A in 17 to the long A you just played in 16.
• Make sure you’re holding the minims in 16 and 28 long enough – remember it’s a 3/4 bar this time!

Copy the 6th movement and tape it to save you turning the page.

Bartók VI

• Try and focus more on your bow as you try to keep the tempo going.

Listen to Janine Jansen’s Handel Halvorsen variations from the 2005 Amsterdam concert.

Tango

• Work on 52-57 with a metronome at about 180 to get the triplets really even.
• Take the double stops back to basics each time you practise.

Sun 21^st May 2023

Bach

• Try once or twice going through this with a metronome. Use this to help you find where you’re slowing down! It should be at about crotchet=76.
• Work on the tuning of the D and E in bar 6.
• Practise 20-23 for the tuning in 23. Imagine your 1st finger shifting to an F# after the D#.
• Listen out for the tuning of the Ds in 24-28.
• Make sure you’re starting 29 in the lower half.
• Try 29-32 slowly for tuning and getting used to the new fingering. Listen out particularly for the C in bar 29.
• Get more familiar with the shift into bar 48 and the note spacing.
• Make sure the Es in 50 sound bright.
• D-E, single out the higher notes for tuning work.

Vivaldi

• Record yourself again and give yourself a lesson on it!
• At 44-48, try not to have a gap between the long notes and the triplets.
• Work on bars 87-89 and imagine how you want the low Fs to sound. They should round off the phrase nicely.

Sun 7^th May 2023

Tango

• Record yourself playing the first four bars a few times to assess how the triplet sounds. Once you are happy with these, try checking some others too (eg. bar 44).
• Go back to basics on bars 7-10 for a bit – practise in separate lines, and then as block chords shifting back and forth between them.
• Set your metronome to quaver=40 and work on bar 40 in minute detail. Remember that we started in the lesson just with the 3rd quaver beat of that bar and added bits. I expect you’ll need to stay at this tempo for a few practise sessions, but once you’ve got all your pieces of the jigsaw working together, you can up the tempo to 45 or 50.

Bartók

• Listen to lots of recordings of each movement and make decisions about your goal speeds are.

IV

• Pour your soul into the beginning of this!
• Work on connecting each 4-bar phrase.
• Try not to make the groups of 4 semiquavers sound too different from the triplets – broaden the semiquavers a little.
• Careful not to slow down on the longer notes – always have an inner pulse driving you forwards, maybe imagining I’m playing along with you.
• In the crescendoing minims in the second half, aim for no silence before the next note, to keeo the momentum going.

V

• Record yourself playing the opening to see how your rhythm is sounding compared to a favourite recording.
• Make sure there’s a definite start to each 3-bar phrase.
• Aim for really defined articulation in your left hand fingers on all the the triplets.

VI

• Just keep up the good work!

Thu 6^th April 2023

Vivaldi

• Photocopy page 13.
• Write in bar numbers at the start of each line.
• Make sure your bow arm feels free as you set off at the start, especially in the f sections.
• Don’t be too loud at the start of 13 and any equivalent places throughout the movement.
• Work on your tuning at the end of bar 13.
• At the start of bar 14, give yourself a little break to make sure that first double stop is in tune before carrying on (it’s probably the F that’s too high, so make sure you’re thinking of aiming for the A first).
• Check your tempo at 32 – it can’t be too much slower.
• Check your tuning on the G#s in 45 and F# in 50.
• Use less bow at 49 to make it neater.
• Great tempo prep at 67!
• At 73, more angle to get to the G string.
• Not too fast off the blocks at 77.
• Rhythm at 80 – too big a gap after the first note.

Bach

• Nice and clear on the upbeat to bar 5 – set the bow ready on the string in the rest.
• Watch the tuning in bar 8-9.
• Work on your tuning at E slowly, then in rhythms (elongate the first of each 4 notes, then the second, etc.). Don’t move on to the next permutation until you are happy with the tuning of the current version.
• Work on any tricky patches from 112 onwards, seeing if rhythms will help here too.

Mon 13^th March 2023

Bartók VI

• Start at bar 56 at 50. Get it clean and comfortable before tackling the rest of my comments.
• Careful in bar 56 and 57 that your 1st finger is on both strings from the 2nd beat.
• For general sound quality, remind yourself to curve your little finger and thumb on the bow.
• Make sure you’re taking your 1st finger off at the start of bar 10.
• Aim for super smooth string crossings in the second half of bar 10.
• Work on the tuning of your 5th there too.
• At 17, listen really carefully for the tuning, especially on the unison Es.
• In bar 27, try to loosen up your hand a little more as you shift. Aim for the feeling of freedom you get at the start of the next bar on the open string chord.
• Listen to the sound quality of the crotchets in 34, 36 etc. to make sure you’re not squashing the sound.
• Work on the tuning in 33-40.
• How seamless can you get the shift in 43?
• In all sections, try to identify shifts where your left hand could be freer. It can often mirror the bow coming off the string.
• In 49 and 50, 53 and 54, careful not to emphasise the off-beats.

Sun 12^th March 2023

Tango

• Practise 39-41 with the high E an octave lower like we did in the lesson. Aim to keep the tempo steady throughout.
• Make sure you’re leaving the termination of the trill late in 39 and 40.
• Work on the tuning of 47, breaking it down into smaller parts if necessary.
• 44-51 sounded the least comfortable, so work on this section for security.

Vivaldi

• Play along with a few different performances to see where it’s customary to take time, and how the tempo relationships work between sections.
• Try to use less bow in 39 and 40 – this will help it sound more in control.
• Don’t start the crescendi too soon in 45 and 47.
• Think more about the note lengths 60-66.
• Take your time at the start of 76 and make sure you’re not too fast when you get back to the opening material in 77.

Fri 10^th March 2023

Start thinking about which order you would like to do your pieces in for the exam.

Bach

• Careful not to bulge in the middle of places like bar 21 and 81 – maybe have more impetus on the beginning of the bar. You could even try singing it in your practice to see where you would naturally emphasise it.
• Practise the section from 32 for really clean intonation and fingerwork.
• Try using a much lighter, flowing bow at 112 and 115.
• H is the only place you slowed down, so work on getting this more effortless.
• Timing at M.

Bartók IV

• Get more comfortable with the dynamics in the first section, especially how they relate to each other.
• Think a bit more about the rhythm in the second half, and keep the grace notes less of a feature – getting to the top note is the priority.

Bartók V

• Don’t worry about the feeling tat you’re rushing – it adds to the excitement!
• Record yourself playing this and listen out for any lopsidedness.

Photocopy the last page so you can play attacca into the last movement.

Bartók VI

• Get a post-it note and make a tick-box grid for each section and keep track of which sections need more practice to get them faster.
• Start at crotchet = 60 and get the whole piece comfortable at that speed.
• Practise the octave A shift at the end quite a few times.
• Try to fix any tuning issues and wobbly shifts at the slower tempi.

Sun 26^th February 2023

Vivaldi

• In bars 1-32, make sure your echoes aren’t slower than the f sections. They should just sound like a far away version of the same thing.
• Practise bars 36-38 meticulously and listen for tuning all the way down the scale and clarity.
• Remember 41 starts with a different rhythm to 36!
• To get 49’s fingers up to speed, use 1 bow per half-bar.
• Next, get the bow working on one note at the right speed, using tiny light bows in the upper half.
• Then piece it together one beat at a time, but include the first note of the next group too.

Tango

• Make sure bar 1 sounds as connected as bar 2.
• Think light thoughts as you shift up in bar 7.

Sun 19^th February 2023

Tango

• Be constantly on the lookout for places you can highlight the contrast between legato and staccato articulation.
• Get your tempo by looking ahead to somewhere like bar 3.
• Spend lots of time on the double stops 7-10 and 23- 26. Keep the bow calm at all times. Practise with slurred chords like we did in the lesson and return to the previous chord if you arrived out of tune. Make sure you’re constantly assessing the distances your fingers are moving, and whether they can move in parallel or one of them needs to move faster and further than the other.
• If I forget, remind me to send you some links to new chin rests!
• Invent some scale exercises to help you practise the bowing at 35.
• Really sing through the long notes in 45 and 46.
• Shorter at the end of 48 and 50.
• Don’t run away in 53 and 55 – keep the triplets even, especially at the end of the bar.

Sat 5^th February 2023

Bach

• From bar 8, be light on the dismounts of your tied notes (also at D). You could try practising this holding the bow further up first, then replicate that sound.
• Keep the line connected in the first 4 bars of B and F.
• Further into B, try to highlight the notes I have marked by shortening the previous note slightly and using a faster bow on the highlighted notes.
• Practise 49-51 open strings to get the string crossings feeling really natural. Start with one bar, then build it up like we did in your lesson. Then add in the fingers, but start open strings each practice session.
• Work on getting more familiar with the semiquavers at E.
• Make sure your notes at 95 and 131 are right! You played these bars in each others’ places 😅
• Don’t rush the crotchet and the rest at G.
• Work on your tuning at H in double stops with a light bow. Try to think about where your fingers need to be before you move them.
• At fig. I, don’t retake after the crotchet. Try to keep the bow close to the string next door and balance using longer light bows on the separate notes and the opposite on the slurs.
• Practise 133-141 under tempo, analysing where the tones are (especially in 135 and 137).
• Work on the tuning and timing of 157-160. The high C should land on the beat and be as long as you can make it before you retake.
• 159 notes.

Sat 28^th January 2023

Try practising one Bartók movement each practice session.

Bartók IV

• Get in the right mood before you start: mourning; bitterness; anger; desperation.
• Practise the new shift at 11, making sure not to accent the F.
• At 18, full length minim but no hint of f.
• Imagine the tone quality you want on the minims from 19 and let that dictate your vibrato.
• Give vibrato attention to all the dotted minims.
• Practise from the A in 26 to the B flat in 27. This needs to be in tune at least 5 times in a row before you add a note. Then do the same with that note etc.

Bartók V

• Watch the tuning of your top A at the start (and the D on line 3).
• Practise bar 7 for security and rhythm.
• Practise bar 16 on its own to really get the bowing and emphasis in your system, before adding the previous two bars.

Bartók VI

• Use your new metronome chart to work on this.
• When you have quintuplets, the next barline should always be your horizon.

Sat 17^th December 2022

Vivaldi

• When practising the double stops, remember we can always reach further when our muscles are relaxed!
• Don’t forget to listen out for the articulation you’re giving the melody with your bow in the double stops.
• In the long note at 44 and 47, hardly use any bow in the first half to save for the crescendo.
• For 45’s triplets, aim to be 2/3 of the way down the bow and kink your right wrist a little to help keep the bow hair flat and straight. Practice open strings first, then add the fingers.

Sun 4^th December 2022

Tango

• Look at the opening section under a microscope – practice the first bar on its own quite a bit, preparing your bow hand and LH 4th finger for the harmonics and thinking of a “ta-dah” gesture.
• Practice 7-10 slowly and out of rhythm, really enjoying moving from one chord to the next. Be on the hunt for lovely ringing overtones as you hit each in-tune chord. (same 23-26).
• Work on the rhythm bars 12-13.
• In the phrase from 27, add vibrato on every note! And at the start of 27, to make sure you’re shifting properly, make a feature of the glissando from C# to D on the first note.
• Practice from 35 aiming for more definition on the staccatos and make sure both halves of the bar feel connected. Also lead directly into the next trill!
• In 40, imagine a pianist doing a glissando with a real ping at the bottom and top of the glissando.
• See if you can get the last 4 notes of bar 40 clear 5 times in a row every practice session.

Sun 20^th November 2022

Bach

• In 51, 52 and 53 use a longer, freer bow on the long notes. Have a very slight break before the semiquavers.
• Spend some detailed practice time on the tuning at 112 and 115.
• Work a bit more on your transitions between sections this week. One in particular was 134- 135.
• In semiquaver passages such as from 160 really listen out for the tuning of every note.

Sun 22^nd October 2022

Bartók VI

• Remember to play the quintuplet at the end of 50 and 52 slower than the previous triplets by lingering on the first few notes slightly.
• Listen to about 5 recordings and find your favourite tempo (of all movements).
• Try to make a longer, nastier, louder, more sustained sound on the crotchets at the end of each 4 bar phrase.
• In 17-24, try to be smoother on the bow changes without staccatos.
• At 25, work on the tuning of the 5th – you tend to have your finger a little too far onto the G string.
• In 33-40, make sure your can hear all notes clearly and make the ff an expansive one with more bow.
• Anticipate the low D in 40 – put it slightly before the beat.
• Playing from 41-54, keep your right hand in charge so the tempo isn’t altered by the triplets and quintuplets.
• Practice the 3 As in 59 and 60 until they are solid.
• Nice and long on your penultimate note!

Bartók V

• Practice the bow for the first 2 bars without the grace notes quite a bit, using the lower half of the bow and almost plucking the string with the bow. Do the down bows and up bows sound the same? Then try adding the grace notes without disturbing the bow.
• Work on solidifying the shift and bowing in bar 13.
• Make sure you’re finishing 16 on a down bow!
• Try to get the new bowing for bars 7, 10, 19 and 22 really into your system.

Sun 2^nd October 2022

Vivaldi

• Warm up with F major in 3rds and 6ths, with either long notes or a bowing that you’d like to work on. In 6ths – start with A on the G string and F on the D string. In 3rds – start with F on the D string and open A.
• From A, remember to think about your the last note of each phrase.
• At A1, bring your left elbow forwards to clear the E string with your 4th finger.
• Practice our new fingering at 22-23.
• Practice the semiquavers at B with dotted rhythms both ways to help even out the rhythm.
• Practice counting your rests from 39.
• For the triplets, use less bow and more into the string.
• Don’t crescendo on the semibreves until beat 3 and try to end where you need to be in the bow for the next bar.

Tango

• Think about the melody before you start to get in the right mood for this piece.
• Practice your double stop shifts in 7 and 9-10 in 3D like we did in the lesson.
• Practice your harmonics scale even more!

Sat 24^th September 2022

Bach

• Section A should sound more confident – this is the case for a lot of this piece.
• Practice bar 8 for a confident landing on the B.
• Practice 4-7 for tuning.
• Practice the ssection at B for flowing semiquavers, imagining the bass line beckoning you along.
• Practice 49 and 50 open strings.Make sure you get it up to speed before adding the fingers back in.
• Highlight the upper notes in places like 62 and 66 with a faster up bow.
• On retakes like 72, make sure you finish the first note neatly, rather than finihinng it abruptly.

Bartók VI

• Really flick the end of each slur with your bow.
• Sit on the crotchets for a little lnoger.
• Practice in the new fingering we chose for 12 and 16.
• Take some time to tidy up your Bartok parts, getting rid of any pencil markings you no longer need.
• Try the whole movement with a metronome at a slower tempo so that you have time to think ahead. Only up the metronome speed when you can get through the whole movement without hesitations.
• Remember to spread your quintuplets out – the notes are slower than the surrounding semiquaver triplets.

Bartók IV

• Keep thinking about those broad triplets!
• Sing bar 6 then mimic the way the semiquavers lead straight into the minim.
• Don’t let the bow leave the string as the minims lead into the flourishes in the second half.

Sun 18^th September 2022

Bartók IV

• Spread all triplets and sequaver groups out to really fill the crotchet beat
• Practice shifts between ends and beginnings of sections.

Bartók V

• Poise – slower tempo for now.
• Equally articulated notes, even when you have grace notes.
• Try the new bowing.

Bartók III

• In the first half, take more care over the end of each phrase – the rest is sounding good!
• Work more on the higher final section.

Bach

• On long tied notes, try to slow the bow to avoid an abrupt note ending. Try singing these phrases to work out how to land on each of these long notes too.
• Keep the rhythm even at I.
• Practice from J slower for intonation.

Vivaldi

• Always be listening to yourself as you play this, to make sure the emphasis is where you want it.
• At 14, mimic the way you used the bow when there were no double stops – try not to rush!
• At 36, you can be slightly longer on the first note of each scale.
• Really count the rests from 41.
• I loved the flow of bars 53 and 70-72!
• Watch the tempo at 77.
• Watch the rhythm from 80.
• Make sure the quiet section at fig. C still sounds like separate bows.

Tango

• Really loosen up with the rhythm from 3 – how relaxed can you get your bow arm to feel?

Sat 9^th July 2022

Bach

• Make sure you’re not coming off on the second quaver in the first two bars. Then play into the string for the semiquavers.
• To help get your fingers used to the type of figure you have in bar 3, warm up with a scale of semiquavers in that figuration like we have there.
• Work on getting to the correct part of the bow in the middle of bar 4.
• Work on making sure the trill at 23 doesn’t slow you down.
• At B, aim for a stronger bow in the separate semiquavers.
• In places like 25-28 and 51-54, make the ties more melodic (without bulging!)
• Work meticulously on the tuning at C the way we did in the lesson, in chunks of about 1 bar.
• In the slurs at C, think of the bow slowing down at the end of each slur but not actually making a gap – we’ll create the illusion of a gap instead!
• In places like 8, 17, 59 and 72, place your bow on the string before you play the down bow.
• From 88 and at H, feel real security in your 2nd finger placement.

Sat 25^th June 2022

Vivaldi

• Practice B for even rhtyhm, especially on string crossings.
• Practice 36-38 stopping on a different note each time to work on the tuning.
• In general in this section, you can afford to be a bit higher up in your bow.
• Practice 39 in one slur and 40 in one slur to work on steady rhtyhm and shifting without the disturbance of bow changes.
• Next, build it up with the real bowing but stop on the firrst note of each bow change.
• You cold practice any scale with a mordent on each note just like this passage.
• From 41, make sure you play your 1st note long enough, know where the 2nd beat is and change bow quickly so as not to delay the 3rd beat.
• Work on bow distribution at 44 – start in the middle with a whispy sound, then go for a darker sound with less bow on the tied minims. Practice the triplets open strings.
• Work on 49 and 50 in 6-note blocks, pausing on a different note each time. Push your bow out a little to make sure it’s straight.
• Try in places like 67 to keep your arm relaxed – beware the bow-change flicks!

Sat 18^th June 2022

Bartok IV

• Expansive triplets.
• Make sure your melodic lines are really long – listen especially to the link between semiquaver groups and the next long note. Try not to rush the semiquaver groups.
• Choose 5 different YouTube or Spotify recordings and note down how fast they play it and whether you agree.
• From 19, really sostenuto on all the long notes and be brave on the grace notes.
• Sped some time just working on bars 18-19, 22-23, 26-27 and 30-01 for security of tuning. For the grace notes n 27, practice them as 3 pairs of double stops and try to keep your 2nd finger on as you reach for the 4th finger at the top.

Bartok V

• Warm up with a bow shapes scale like last time.
• Then play some D octaves (like your first note) to get the bow strok going. Listen to make sure the down bows aren’t longer than the up bows.
• Up the tempo a bit. Check recordings again to choose your favourite tempo.

Bartok VI

• Really try to squeeze the sound out of your crotchets at the end of each 4 bar phrase, especially when on a don bow.
• Zoom through the bow on the accents to give them a good kick.
• From 17, make sure the F at the start of the triplets is clear.
• Do some in-depth work on bar 27.
• From 33, let your bow arm swing like a pendulum in order to let the As ring.
• Practise from 49 aiming not to slow down at all.
• Make sure you have your 1st finger on both strings for the chords on the 2nd beats of bars 56-58.

Sat 11^th June 2022

Tango

• Start with some D major scales from the Carl Flesch book. Play them slowly for now and focus on intonation. Include the final scale exercise – harmonics.
• In the harmonics scale, keep the bow near the bridge and as legato as possible.
• Make sure the triplets in bar 3 lead smoothly into the 2nd beat of the bar.
• For the double stops, go back to practising the lines separately. Go back to playing them like this any time they feel uncomfortable or the tuning has become an issue.
• When putting the double stops back together, keep the bow really light as you do this, so as not to distort the tuning. Also keep your left hand as light as possible to have the most control over your destination.
• Always be thinking of the melodic line, letting this leqda the shifting rather than the shifting disturbing the flow.
• Practise 39-41 with a metronome set to 50 (this is the quaver pulse.

Sat 21^st May 2022

Bach

• Work in sections so you don’t spread your attention too thinly.
• If you feel your rhythm is ever wonky, like bars 4 and 55, practice by using dotted rhythms to make it wonky the other way, before lettting it settle back to being straight.
• The section at C really needs some careful intonation work as you get used to these funky harmonies!

Sat 14^th May 2022

Vivaldi

• Make more of the dynamics at the start. Less bow over the fingerboard for the p version.
• Release the bow on the crotchets within the phrases and more care over the end of crotchets, 3, 6, 11, 13.
• To start confidently at 14, practice from 13 and try just getting the A a few times. Then add the F, but still make sure you’re placing the 1st finger before the 3rd.
• Be a bit gentler with the bow at 23 and 27 for the crotchets.
• Don’t forget the rest in 39, and in 41-43.
• From 45, practice with open strings until the phrase is on auto-pilot, with super short bows moving mainly from the wrost. Then add your fingers.
• Confidence at 51.
• Careful not to slow into your bottom note at 53.
• Not faster at 57 and 78. Use a metronome to help sort this!
• Loved 70!!
• At 73 and 76, keeep working on a lighter bottom note.
• 80 is much better but still has more space to be sound more natural. See if you can add in some echoes too.

Sat 7^th May 2022

Vibrato exercise:

• Start by loosiening up the top joints with the tfinger popping exercise.
• Set a metronome to 70 and practice your vibrato in a scale, making sure to rock backwards from your in-tune starting note. Start with quavers, then triplet quavers, then semiquavers etc. until you reach ull speed.

Tango

• Imagine how you want the first two bars to sound before playing them – the semiquaver needs to connect to the harmonics.
• Feel as though you’re painting with a paintbrush in bar 3, making sure you’ve got to the right part of the bow at the end of bar 2. The three triplets should have gradually longer bows to lead us into the middle of the bar.
• Practice 7-10 top line only, the bottom line only. Make each as musical as you can. Then play just the top line whilst having the fingers on for both, and vice versa. You can apply this practice techique to any of the double stop sections in the piece.
• Look up Kreisler playing this on YouTube.
• Be really careful from 11 with normal quavers vs. triplet quavers.
• Throughout, be on the lookout for tenuto slurs, smooth slurs, and separate quavers with and without staccatos.
• Practice some simple scales with up bow staccato to get more comfortable with this.
• Ask yourself constantly about the melodic line as you navigate all the technical hurdles!

Sun 24^th Apr 2022

Start looking at your scales and make your scale pots!

Find 5 YouTube videos of famous violinists playing the Bartok. Make a list of them with notes on their speeds and things you liked and didn’t like about the performances.

Bartok IV

• Aim for broader triplets.
• Add a rich quality from your vibrato, right from the start of your first note, whilst not slowing the tempo. Think of a whole hand vibrato, rather than each finger separately.
• Think of how the minim at the end of line 1 leads into the next bar.
• From 19, try to really let go with both hands – bowing and vibrato. As little tension as possible.
• Think about how much bow you’re using to achieve the dynamics.

Bartok V

• Start with a “bow shapes” 1 octave D major scale to get your right hand fingers warmed up.
• Practice any triads (bars 5, 11 and 17) slowly and slurred for intonation and getting used to the hand shapes.
• Make sure the 1st beat of the bar sounds like the first beat of the bar!
• No gap between 13 and 14 (sustain the open strings).
• Keep the articulation crisp throughout, especially from 17.

Bartok VI

• Start at crotchet=60 with this. Try to observe the articulations and character even at this tempo.
• As with the previous movemnt, more sustained on longer notes (end of 4 and 8 etc.).
• From 33, match your down and up bow staccatos.

Sat 26^th Mar 2022

Bach

• We worked from bar 84 today.
• Work from bar 88 listening for good intonation on the first note of each beat. Work on 127 in the same way.
• Working from 112, try to memorise your hand shapes on each string and particularly where the semitones are so you don’t have to think about each individual note. Remember to keep the bow flowing.
• From 117, work really slowly and analyse the gaps between notes.
• Be on the lookout for C naturals from 141!
• Anywhere you have a few quavers in a row, like 145-6 and 155-156.

Sun 20^th Mar 2022

Tango

• Play the opening harmonics in 1st position. Make sure there’s no separation between the semiquaver and the harmonics.
• Triplets should sound indulgent, with a free right arm and no gap before the next beat.
• In the section from 7, always ask yourself if the melody lines are flowing as well as they would if you didn’t have the double stops. This requires a more on-the-string stroke.
• Watch out for the dotted rhythms from bar 7.
• When working on shifts in this, before repeating the shift over and over, make sure you’ve worked out extactly how far you’re shifting.
• To practice the up bow staccatos in the middle, start with a B minor 2 octave scale.
• Then practice 35-39 with a metronome set to quaver=60. When you’re comfortable with that, you can start to notch it up.
• Next, practice a stopped harmonic scale, 1 octave D major. Keep the bow strong and near the bridge, your 4th finger light and the gap between 1 and 4 consistent.
• Practice bar 40 adding a note at a time. Start with the Nicola Benedetti exercise of sliding your finger all the way up the end of the fingerboard.
• Just a tiny bit less A string from 44, with some vibrato on the E string melody line.
• Can the ends of 48 and 50 sound like up bows, so nice and short?

Sun 13^th Mar 2022

Bach

• In general, quavers as short and light.
• From 44, make sure the quavers are nice and long.
• Keep the quavers in 54.
• Get used to the tones and semitones from 112.
• Be on the lookout for F and C naturals!
• Careful of the notes in bars 62, 66, 149, 153.

Sat 5^th Mar 2022

Vivaldi

• Listen for the length of the crotchets at the end of 3, 6, 9 etc.
• Spend some more time really solidifying the section from bar 14.
• At 58 make sure your down bows aren’t heavier than the ups.
• In 73 and 76 listen for clarity of the bottom notes, with more of a horizontal bow stroke.
• Keep working on the rhythm at 80 – clap it or sing it first to make sure you don’t delay the crotchets.

Bartók IV

• Never delay the 2nd beat of the bar. This means really even triplet notes and no delay on the last semiquaver of any groups of 4.
• Try not to cut your minims short at the ends of phrases.
• Work on the espressivo element with consistent vibrato.
• Keep the dotted rhythms nice and tight.

Bartók V

• Try playing this with no grace notes first, making sure to keep in the lower half of the bow. Careful not to lift your right elbow too much as you do this, and keep your right hand relaxed.

Bartók VI

• As with the other two pieces, try to identify one or two things the examiner will be looking out for. Which elements of violin technique are showcased in each piece?
• Try the printed bowing now.
• The whole thing could be lower in the bow.
• In the first 3 lines, aim for more flick at the end of each slur.
• In bars 4 and 12, think of those toy cars that you pull back (a weighty down bow) and let go (the springy up bow in the next bar).
• From line 4, add the staccatos and sfs.
• Shorter at 25.
• From line 7, add the staccatos.
• Practice just the top line for sound quality and intonation. Experiment with different parts of the bow and different lengths of bow to see what gives you the clearest sound.
• Practice from 41 very under speed (a speed where you don’t need to hesitate) but still with character.
• In 42, use as little bow as possible on the the semiquavers so you stay in the right part of the bow.
• Practice the first 3 chords of 43 several times for a clean shift.
• The quintuplet notes should be slightly slower than the triplets in this section, so careful not to play 5 sextuplets and a rest. Practice this by playing just the quintuplet and the next chord a few times, with no hesitation.
• Practice the last line really slowly to get used to the Fs at the top of your chords.
• Practice octave shifts on the E string to help with the penultimate bar.

Sat 26^th Feb 2022

Vivaldi

• Aim for a slight crescendo through the first two beats of bars like bar 1 so the third beat doesn’t sound too heavy.
• In bars like 3, don’t rush beat 2.
• Practice bar 1 and bar 14 in tandem and try to make your bowing in 14 as neat and precise as it is in bar 1.
• Practice 32 to get used to the new bowing and fingering. Once you’ve got used to it, remember that this needs to sound drunk.
• Practice 36 with a metronome.
• Practice 41 for strict rhytm and changing bow according to the beats, not what’s going on in in your left hand.
• Watch a few different videos of people playing this and see what bowing they’re doing in 44. Keep the crotchets long enough at the end of these phrases.
• If any fast separate triplets (like 49) are feeling lumpy, move further up the bow.
• In the trills at 50, more length on the upper notes and expand your bow as you go up the crescendo. Watch out for the tuning of the E natural.
• Practice the scale at 53 backwards – adding half a beat at a time.
• Careful not to slow down too much in 54-6.
• At 80, use more of a swinging motion so that your bow doesn’t stop as you start the crotchet.
• Try to use more flexible fingers at 87-8.

Sat 27^th Jan 2022

Two things to help with aches and pains:

Tango

• Do the “recorder stretch” before you start to open up the base joints of your fingers.
• Practice shifts like the one in bar 7 by stopping to work out how far each finger is travelling, then play the shift up and down, one string at a time – you know what I mean!
• Try to start building your dynamics in as soon as possible so they become integral to the music.
• Aim for a really relaxed bow at all times, especially on the double stops.
• Practice a D major 1 octave scale in harmonics to prepare for bar 40. Keep your bow near the bridge and don’t use too much bow. If it’s not working, go back to finding the 1st finger in tune. Be VERY aware of tones and semitones in this.

Have a listen to Bach’s Concerto in A minor as a possible 4th piece.

Sat 22^nd Jan 2022

Autumn

• Warm up with F major 2 octaves in 5th position, thinking lots about your left elbow amd hand shape.
• In the piece, listen out for the length of your last notes of phrases.
• Keep an eye on your 3rd fingers – are they staying curved?
• On fast separate bows, if it feels uncomfortable, try it a little further up the bow.
• At bar 76, start in the middle and try to get to the tip on every G. Make sure you don’t delay at the end of each beam of semiquavers.
• From 80, keep a relaxed right shoulder.
• At 87, listen to the quality of your last note and keep an eye on the bowing.
• Try bar 67 with longer notes in the upper half of the bow.
• Practice from 70 for accelerating into the 3rd beat and changing bow exactly on the top notes.
• At 50, work on starting the trills with an upper apoggiatura.

Composer alphabet:

Bach

Shostakovich