Modern Guide to Violin Mastery

Elizabeth Levine

Description

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.

Sujets

• String instrument

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 15 février 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781785895036
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A Modern Guide to Violin Mastery
Unlock Your Potential
Elizabeth Levine
Copyright © 2016 Elizabeth Levine
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
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eISBN 978 1785895 036
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Matador® is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
This book is dedicated to my beautiful son Orion who brings so much joy into my life.
About the Author

Elizabeth Levine is an established violin pedagogue, classical composer and performer in Gibraltar.
She graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in violin performance. She holds an LRAM Teaching Diploma.
Over the past decade her violin pupils have won competitions including the Gibraltar Young Musician of the Year 2015. Some have gone on to study at the Purcell School in the UK.
Her principle of violin teaching and practising combines both the Russian school of violin playing and her own methodology, which she has attained through experimenting and thorough analysis over the years.
She was the winner of the BBC Guardian Young Composers Competition in 2000. The last five years saw her release a number of successful classical/commercial music albums with top music publishing companies in the UK and Germany. Her compositions have been used worldwide.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 – How to Read This Book
Chapter 2 – Beginner (Grades 1–3)
I. The Concept of Good Technique
Approaching the Violin With a Relaxed Mind and Body
Three Useful Exercises to Attain the Most Natural Violin Hand Posture
II. Bowing Technique
The Most Efficient and Widely Used Bow Hold of the Greats Explained
Exercises to Free Up the Right Hand Fingers and Add Flexibility
Achieving a Naturally Straight Bow by Utilising its Full Length and Opening Up the Elbow
The Basic Principles of the Bow Stroke Explained
III. Left Hand Technique
Natural Left Hand Posture Explained and Simplified
Introduction to the Third Position
Introduction to Shifting
IV. Efficient Practice Strategies
Learning Technique and Practising Technique
V. Sight-reading
Why Do People Struggle With Sight-reading?
Steps for Successful Sight-reading
Successfully Recognising the Notes and Naturally Playing Them
First Step to Sight-reading – Gathering Data From the Sheet Music
Chapter 3 – Intermediate (Grades 4–5)
I. The Concept of Good Technique
How the Two Hands Function Together
II. Bowing Technique
Introduction
Achieving Smooth Bow Changes
Introduction to String Crossing
Three Main Bow Articulations and How To Play Them Perfectly
Introduction to Playing Chords
III. Left Hand Technique
Gaining C onfidence Outside First Position: Exploring the Second, Third and Fourth Positions
Navigating Between Positions
Vibrato: How To Develop it Quickly and Effortlessly
IV. Efficient Practice Strategies
Introduction
Three Common Bad Practice Habits and How To Identify Them
Main Practice Strategies: Achieve Best Results in the Least Amount of Time
Practising Intonation: Listening Critically
The Benefits of Practising With Piano Accompaniment
The Benefits of Listening to Recordings and Watching Videos
V. Sight-reading
New Elements for Intermediate Level Sight-reading
Understanding the Sight-reading Hierarchy Pyramid
Four Useful Tactics for Successful Sight-reading
How to Leap Ahead by Skipping a Grade
Chapter 4 – Advanced (Grades 6–8)
I. The Concept of Good Technique
Introduction
Attaining Ultimate Balance in Both Hands
II. Advanced Bowing Technique
Mastering Bow Continuity
Legato String Crossing
Advanced Bowing Articulations and How To Practise Them
Playing Chords – Advanced Level
III. Left Hand Technique
Introduction
The Three Main Types of Shifts
Confidence in Higher Positions (Advanced Method)
Moving To and From Higher Positions
The Importance of Good Fingering
Advanced Left Hand Technique Expanded
Exploring the Violin Sound
IV. Efficient Practice Strategies
Introduction
Achieving the Best Results in the Least Amount of Time and Establishing Good Practice Habits for Life
Fast Passages: Achieving Perfect Coordination in Both Hands
Practising Good Tuning in Double Stopping
V. Sight-reading
Introduction
Useful Tools for Advanced Sight-reading
Orchestral Excerpts
VI. What Makes a Good Performance?
The Technical Aspect of a Successful Performance
The Musical Aspect and Personal Interpretation
The Benefits of Memorising Music
VII. Listening to the Interpretation of the Great Masters
Why Listen?
Watching a Great Performance
Conclusion
-->Introduction
There is no such thing as a bad student. Everyone has a hidden talent and even the most tentative pupils can progress beyond their expectations in a short period of time if guided correctly. The secret to the violin is smart practice.
The Self-fulfilling Prophecy
Inefficient and uninformed practice leads to little or no progress, thus resulting in the pupil feeling un-stimulated, defeated and giving up on the instrument far too soon. This is frequently the case, and the natural dormant potential or hidden talent is extinguished before it gets a chance to shine through.
Who Would Benefit From This Book?
This book is a straightforward, comprehensive guide to mastering the violin quickly and efficiently. This method of learning and practising correctly is tailored specifically for children and adults in this busy modern age who want to be good at the violin but simply do not have time to fit in many hours of daily practice.
Kids (and adults) who are serious about becoming good at the violin can progress very quickly with only thirty to sixty minutes of daily practice as long as they practise smart. They accelerate their learning and progress dramatically. As the legendary violinist Leopold Auer once said, ‘Practise with your fingers and you need all day. Practise with your mind and you will do as much in one and a half hours . ’
The violin is there to be enjoyed to the full – not struggled against! 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 no matter what musical path you are on or how young or old you are.
Section IV in this book outlines the most efficient practice techniques to achieve the best results in the least amount of time. To get the most out of your practice time, one must remember that efficient practice requires discipline and patience. With those two things, you will progress very quickly. The more patience you have, the quicker you will progress. It is as simple as that.
When you practise at home, you are in charge. It is like being in a lab and studying your playing under a microscope. Every note matters! Trying out specific practice techniques is like a scientific experiment. You try one strategy and then another, then expand it and see what happens! Practice is exploring simple learning strategies and trying out new and effective methods that lead to noticeable progress. I cannot stress enough how much better you will feel once you start applying these strategies, and I hope you get the most out of this book.
-->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