Very Short Studies
A collection of violin studies arranged in order of difficulty
© 1999 Dancla String School
These studies, created together with my pupils, were written with the
following in mind :
- The exercise should be easy to learn by heart, and easy ( though
pleasurable ) to play.
- Each exercise should be mastered quickly and played often in order to
improve bowing style and fluency.
- I worked closely with each pupil to attain the most simple and comfortable
solution possible.
- All exercises were successfully mastered by the pupil concerned ; thus
guaranteeing their playability.
- I have attributed the study to the pupil concerned, because in each case
he / she contributed a great deal to the eventual outcome of the piece ;
indeed each piece was only considered finished once the student was able to
play it ! In addition, the pupil invented the title and a relevant joke !
1. Tonus - The
beautiful tone of the violin. Place then draw the bow to produce a firm but
unforced, even tone. Use the whole bow, and lift it slowly at the end of the
note. Imagine the sound continues even after the bow leaves the string. Feel the
weight of your arm on the string. This is a good warming-up exercise which I
recommend to all violin players
2. Climbing Trees -
(listen to it) Play this really slowly
with almost the whole bow. Lift the bow during the rest in order to place it on
the G at the heel again - ( like playing an invisible up bow ).
3. 123, Abc !
(listen here) Use a fast and flowing bow, so that you make a lighter sound. Use as much as you
can, and say "rest" or "stop" out aloud as you retake the
bow. Every bar starts with a down bow.
4. Marching along
- (listen) Use the middle third of the bow. Don't lift the bow at all during the rest.
5. The horse race
by Ellie age 5. (listen) Start this piece slowly, and when you know it well you can also
play it faster and with less bow. Where do horses go to get better ? The
horsepital !
6. The racing car
by Alex - age 6. (Listen) Use small bows in the middle. Never lift the bow. The faster
you play this piece, the less bow you must use. Take care to use the right
bowing.
7. Oh Jack and Jill -
ran down the hill by Kian - age
6. (listen) Make sure you can play number 4 first. The bowing is similar, except for the
harder string change.
8. The train
by Jack, age 9. (listen) Use most of your bow, playing right up to the moment you say
rest out aloud. Lift your 1st finger right off the string when playing the open
D.
9. Soldiers march, up the hill
by Jessica age 9. Do not lift the bow from the string during the rests. Repeat
the phrase several times.
10. The computer game
by Alice, age 6. (listen) This piece must sound like strawberry banana. You must use
longer bows on the bananas ( quavers ) and shorter ones for the first 4 notes.
Make sure your bow makes a concentrated sound, stuck to the string. Trumpet like
clarity in the rhythm.
11. The trumpet.
(listen) Make sure your down bows are played directly and on the beat. Be bold and
generous with the bowing here. The crotchet must be played as a short note, but
with plenty of bow.
12. Half, half, whole
- by Roland. Use exactly half the bow for the black notes ( crotchets ) , and
the whole bow for the white notes ( minims ). The black notes are short in
duration ( staccato ) because they have dots under them, so make sure there is a
gap after them.
13. Second finger
exercise. (Listen
to it) You can play this piece on any string. Try it on the A string in
particular. Use almost the whole bow for each note, and play with an even sound
and tempo.
14. The little scale.
Play this with the whole bow. Count "1, 2" for every note. Exactly as
you say "2", you should be in the middle of the bow. Make sure the 2nd
and 3rd fingers of the left hand are touching, as close together as possible.
Play this scale backwards too, and on any string.
15. The Airplane.
(Listen to it) The bowing for this piece is
called broad détaché. To bow well, play each note twice and very slowly.
Détaché is a combination of many components, but make sure you use plenty of
forearm, and that there are no gaps between the notes.
The End of the first half - another series of 16 studies has
already been written and is awaiting conversion to web format from cakewalk
score-writer ! The difficulty is arranged in a progressive order.
