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I’m wondering if anyone can tell me if I have to stay on the group of 4 notes until i can play them in tune every time or can move onto the next set before that ? I feel like I’ll be here playing the same 4 notes until the end of time if I can’t !
Thanks
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@Katie L -
You probably aren't going to want to hear this...
Think if you are going to the trouble of following a lesson plan, then make sure you have thoroughly learned the 1st lesson before moving on to the next. 😊
- Emily
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I am not familiar with that one so cant really comment.
I used Applebaum books to learn the basics, and wohlfahrt for studies, I have a few others as well, but at the moment the wohlfahrt has everything I need, for 3rd position, Applebaum I am using is fifth position. You need to know what any study is designed for rather than just playing through it.
Cant beat a sunny day
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I think there is always a sense that you have to “get through” the music that is in front of you. You see a line of music, & you want to get to the end of the line. A lot of practice is breaking down everything into chunks to work them out, & then putting them back together so that the “flow”.
I would say practice at least a few minutes on the one measure if you are having trouble with it. Practice slow. Play the 4 notes (down bow), then stop. Then the 4 notes on upbow, then stop. If everything is ok, then play it a few times in a row without pausing (downbow 4 notes, upbow 4 notes, downbow 4 notes, upbow, etc.,).
If you’re having trouble with a specific measure (e.g., measure 3, having trouble getting 4th finger to reach that E), & you’ve spent some time on it, its ok to go on to some additional measures to practice.
But come back to it in your next practice session, and spend time on it again. Repetition is important, but sometimes that repetition has to happen over time (i.e., multiple sessions).
This Sevcik is a really good exercise, not just for finger placement, but for bow distribution.
In addition to your finger placement, as you work through each of the 4 quarter note measures, you’re going to get a feel for your bow distribution—how much bow to give each note of the group of 4 so that when you get to the next group of 4, you’re bow is in good position to change direction. You’ll want to have a better feel for this distribution when you get to the 16th notes.
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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Brilliant thank you for the advice!! Yes Sharon that one with the E I’m finding really hard but I can really see how doing this is really going to help I’m just finding it hard! And yes I can tell it’s going to help my bow distribution which is another thing I skim over ! I’m not going to get bogged down in these exercises though! I will do everything you suggested !!
Thanks for the replies I appreciate !
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It's entirely up to you. You want to aim for perfection but there has to be a fine line. It's great practice regardless, to try to get them as much in tune as possible. No-one plays 100% in tune.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I hated "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" for the longest time. Bar 11 is exactly like Bar 3 but for some reason I couldn't get my fingers to cooperate for Bar 11. Bar 2 was bang on every time, but Bar 11? Forget about it because it wasn't going to happen without a fight.
I moved on even though I wasn't as proficient as I wanted to be. 2 weeks later I went back to play it as part of a warm up exercise. There were no problems at all. Not a single misplaced finger or loss of tempo.
I guess that means that if you're reasonably able to do the fingering with good consistency, then think about moving on. Don't forget about the "problem child" just don't obsess on it. Sometimes what you need is time off for your brain to work out the problem and come up with solution you need.
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Thanks Fiddlerman and RDP.. good idea to leave things and go back. I like Fiddlerman’s idea of getting it as much in tune as possible. I really like the Sevcik exercises though and can see they are going to benefit !
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No doubt, Sevcik has some great exercises. 😁
It's been a while but I wouldn't mind going back to basics some day. I used to have much better chops. ☹️
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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No doubt, Sevcik has some great exercises.
I'm only just starting to look at studies… after 6 years, yep, but better late than never – at least, if I manage to discipline myself and persevere. One problem is that there are plenty of them around. Other problem is that I don't read easily sheet music.
--> Is there, anywhere on the wide internet, a list explaining explicitly which studies are for what issue, and their level (I'm looking for beginner-level…) ? I'm not going to spend lots of time with those, so I'd like to select just a few.
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I used wohlfhart! , the first part of 60 studies is first position, the second part is 3rd
here is a guide as to what they are actually for
https://www.violinwiki.org/wik.....rt,_Franz)
after it says etude collection which is coloured blue, click on the 60 studies for the violin oous 45 and you will see all the other studies and what they are for, just click on any of the srudies
Cant beat a sunny day
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For Sevcik Op1 no 1 pay attention to the next measure. Note that the first note of the next measure is the same as the 2nd note in the previous measure. Don't stress about the exact intonation for each measure, just listen to the progression from one measure to the next. Eventually, you'll get a "feel" for what sounds right. Once you get the pattern down, THEN concentrate on the intonation. Use a tuner if necessary and play very slowly. Bring each note to the correct pitch and match that note for the next measure. It's not very exciting, but it is a good exercise 
Bob in Lone Oak, Texas
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Thanks Bob I hadn’t thought about it like that so I’ll give it a go
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Katie M
You might find these interesting
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
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Thank you for the help with this. I’m trying to get some momentum going rather than just playing one bar. Also I’m going to jump to exercise 6 because it has a sharp then an accidental and I’m thinking that will be good for noticing the difference between the sharps the natural
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@stringy sorry, I'm rude, I didn't come back here earlier to say thank you. So thank ye! this Wolfhart list help, I've bookmarked it. Plus, there are youtube recordings of each of them (on violin rather than viola, but no matter) –someone linked to them recently in another thread– which is just what I need along with the sheet music. Of course there's no way that I'll practice all 60 of them, but I can pick and choose :–)
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