Stringsavvy.com

Bonus Lesson 4 - Stop Unwanted Bouncing of the Bow

Thom — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:35:33 +0000

Kelvin had asked about a particular problem he had with unwanted bouncing of the bow. With his permission I am reposting the video with some tips.

Overall you have great tone! You are doing fantastic work!

As far as the bouncing bow I can’t tell specifically from the angle of the video, however, my best guess is too much downward pressure and possibly too much angling of the bow. You may or may not have noticed a sudden pitch bend at about :52. This is caused by too much weight causing the string to “collapse” and vibrate at a different pitch.

Some things you do to avoid accidental bouncing of the bow:
1. Lighten up pressure. Think of pushing and pulling the strings left to right rather than downward force on the strings.

2. Be careful not to attack a string change to aggressively. A sudden downward pressure in a string change can cause a bounce

3. Keeping your bow hand strong (but not stiff). My teacher pointed out I had a habit of using my fingers and wrist too much for bow changes which sometimes resulted in a bounce during bow changes.

4. Using a crescent shaped bow for cleaner tone and bow changes.

Happy Halloween! New Addition!

Thom — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:24:51 +0000

Happy Halloween everyone! In the spirit of things I threw together a quick arrangement of Sally’s Song from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I have also included a quick recording I made so you can hear what it sounds like. The first time through I played more to what is on the page, while the 2nd time through I took more of a liberty with interpretation. Happy Halloween and Enjoy!

Sally’s Song - Arrangement (PDF) Also available on the Sheet Music page!

Sally’s Song - Recording

Fox Valley Philharmonic Gala Successful!

Thom — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:43:46 +0000

The orchestra I perform with, The Fox Valley Philharmonic, had its opening Gala at the Paramount Arts Theater after a year of performances! The performance was made up entirely of American compositions- everything from John Williams to John Sousa. Through the auctions of the painted violins, ticket sales, and donations, we raised money to help fund the Fox Valley Academy of Music Performance as well as our program for underprivileged backgrounds, Access To Music.

Read the review of our exciting night here!

For more information about our programs, as well as how you can contribute, please visit the Fox Valley Academy of Music Performance.

Visit the Lesson page for Free Violin Lessons.

Fishtank Ensemble is Loads of Fun to Listen To! (Band/Album Review)

Thom — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:00:25 +0000

Where can you find an accordion, violin, guitar, bass, Japanese shamisen, beautiful vocals, and a bowed saw all in the same place? Why the Fishtank Ensemble of course! This group blends Eastern European, Gypsy, Japanese, Jazz, and overall folk sounds to transport your ears and imagination to the villages of the east.

Their debut album, Super Raoul (“cool” in gypsy slang), opens up with Bordeas, featuring the Ursula Knudson on voice as well as an introductory solo by each of the major instruments. They translate into a slower piece, Itty Bitty Snitty Little Frenchman, a duet between the accordion and saw that slowly includes the other members of the group.

Pegasus Vaulters features the lesser known Stroh Violin, a type of horned instrument used before the days of amplification to combat the volume of wind instruments. The Stroh Violin has a slightly nasal timbre that lends itself nicely to the style of music.

Hora Di Bucharest/Hora Di Fabrice is two dances (hora) that blend from one to another. The first is long yet catchy melody that is fun to bounce along with while the second picks up quite a bit of tempo! Le Kiddnappeur is a fantastic duel between the violin, guitar and shamisen that rivals the famous Dueling Banjos!

If you have listened to the album Palace of Mirrors by Estradasphere, you may recognize Suite Romaine. This piece (to the best of my knowledge) was created by the Fishtank Ensemble and later covered by Estradasphere along with obligatory metal accents.

Fishtank Ensemble’s second album, Samurai Over Serbia, continues with another fantastic collection of traditional and or original tunes. The title track, Samurai Serbia, features incredible upright bass and vocal solos! You’ll also find a gypsy version of the familiar song, Mozart’s Turkish March, on this album! (video below with a Stroh Violin).

Audio Samples Below:

Pick up Super Raoul Compact Disc | MP3 Download

Pick up Samurai Over Serbia Compact Disc | MP3 Download

Musical Humor! Great Musical/Pun/Spelling Images! (New Pictures! 7/5/08)

Thom — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:01:59 +0000

I came across a series of music joke images over time- I was unable to find the originals so I remade the ones I could remember. If you enjoy puns or play on words/music, you’ll get a kick out of these! I’ll post more as I find them!

“You are a BABE”spelled with notes on the staff

Buy this as a T-shirt in Light or Dark

“I’m a fermata, hold me.”

Buy this as a T-shirt in Light or Dark

“Get High” with a note high up in the ledger lines!

Buy this as a T-shirt in Light or Dark

“Premature Articulation” Musical pun.
Who says us music nerds don’t have a sense of humor?
I’ve been having a hard time find these -Do you have one not listed here? Post it in a comment below!!

Thanks to commenters below: here are some new ones as of 7/5/08!

“Shut your F A C E ” spelled out on the staff with letters.
Buy this as a T-shirt in Light or Dark

A fermata over a rest, indicating to “Shut up” until told otherwise

Viola C Clef (Alto Clef). “C Clef, C Clef Run”

Visit the Lesson page for Free Violin Lessons.

Free Video Violin Lesson 10

Thom — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:58:19 +0000

Review Questions

How how many beats is a half note?
How do you play through a first and second ending?
Are you comfortable with the left hand 4th finger pizzicato?

Hello and welcome to Stringsavvy.com Violin Lesson #10! In lesson #9 we learned about playing half notes, following through 1^st and 2^nd endings, as well as a basic intro to left hand pizzicato. Today’s lesson is going to cover the use of the fourth (4^th) finger!

In the last lesson we played through ‘Texas Two String,’ which required us to pluck open strings with our 4^th finger. Hopefully this also helped teach us a proper shape for our 4^th finger while also building strength! The fingers should always have a rounded shape for the purpose of accuracy and agility.

Start first by practicing setting the 4^th finger down correctly. If it collapses then you may need to check out your angle of attack. Your fingers should maintain their hook shape and turn from the base knuckle of your hand like how a door swings from a hinge.

Finding Pitch

Once we have practiced placing the finger down with form, lets try and match it to our open string! Play your open A string, and then place your fourth finger down on the D string, comparing the two pitches. Do they sound like the same note? Or does one sound higher than the other?

If your 4^th finger A sounds higher than the open A string, that means you need to move your finger closer to the nut. If it sounds lower than the open A string, then you need to move your fourth finger higher up closer to the bridge.

Always make small adjustments! Play both notes together at the same time to check- if it sounds like ONE note then you are perfectly in tune! This process very likely is easier if you are using a “Don’t Fret” or have a 4^th finger tape placed for you by a local teacher.

Now that you have found your note, release your finger and reset it back on the string several times, each time checking to make sure you have landed in the exact same spot by checking against your open A for accuracy.

Alternating Finger Exercise

This exercise is designed to help you shape your fingers and watch your angles so as to not mute other strings when playing. For instance, you can have a finger down on the D string and still play the A string without any interruption in sound. It is to be practiced keeping fingers down until told to release them. At first this may be a little difficult, as your brain will want to compensate and make you lift your fingers. Keep at it and you’ll be alternating strings in no time!

Download Alternating Fingers Exercise

Review

Remember to keep your fingers curled
Fingers move from the knuckle like a door on a hinge.
Compare 4^th finger against the next open string up
Keep at it! Your pinky is weak so it may be hard at first, but the payoff is worth it!

Assignment

Practice

#83-86
#64 (with 4^th finger)
Alternating Fingers
4^th Finger Placement (Compare with next string up)

Review

Rhythm Rap #66,68,72,77
Texas Two String #82

Back to Lesson Index
Back to Lesson 9
Foward to Lesson 11

David Garrett Sets World Record For “Flight of the Bumblebee” on Violin

Thom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:00:22 +0000

Probably best (infamously) known for being the violinist to fall down the stairs and break his $1 million Guadagnini Violin (often mistakingly reported as a Stradivarius), David Garrett plays some familiar tunes and then goes on to break the world record for playing the popular piece, “The Flight of the Bumblebee.” The piece normally takes approximately 80 seconds to perform at tempo, David performs it in just 66 seconds! As a warm-up he also performs bits of Madonna’s Four Minute, Mika’s Grace Kelly, and Estelle’s American Boy. (The second video below also has a bit of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal)

David Garrett began playing at age 4 and attributes much of his ability from many years of “slow practice.”

How to use the Korg MA-30 Metronome

Thom — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:44:45 +0000

Many musicians are afraid of the dreaded metronome- but learning how to operate one will make things incredibly easy! Just watch the video below!

One of my students once joked, “I hate metronomes, they tick me off!”

Although I thoroughly enjoyed his clever pun, I still have him using his metronome. Here is how to work the Korg unit!

Features:

On/Off

Operating the the Korg MA-30 Metronome is simple, just press the red On/Off button to fire it up!

Tempo

Beat/Tap

The Beat function allows you to set anything from 0 (no beat accent) to 7 beats per measure. When using any number from 1-7 it will play a high-pitched click for beat one and a lower pitched for all other beats. In addition to beats per measure, they also included several articulations including eighth notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes. These definitely come in handy as you move into more difficult music!

You can change the tempo by pressing the up or down buttons, or holding them to skip to the nearest interval of 20. The Korg MA30 Metronome has range in tempo of 40-200.

You can also press the Beat/Tap button a second time to pull up the tap tempo function. Using this you can tap your finger on the “Tap In” button to determine your tempo by feel rather than deciding on a number. The metronome will adjust to you!

Sound

Note/Calibrate

This button allows the metronome to act as a pitch pipe so you can tune your instrument. When you enter this mode first the selection will be on “Calib” which lets you set the frequency at which “A” vibrates. The most commonly used is 440, so it is best to leave it set there. Pressing the Note/Calib button again will let you use the up/down buttons to change the note being played.

Mute

The mute button does exactly what it promises- it mutes the volume! You can also use the volume knob located on the side.

Ear Phone Jack-

If you prefer to have the metronome piped into your ear, you can plug a set of earphones into the jack located on the side!

The Korg MA-30 Metronome is by far my favorite metronome to date. For its price it delivers the most options, with the least annoying click. It also will last you up to/over 250 hours on two AAA batteries (not included).

While pendulum metronomes may look nice, they aren’t as easy to set- and only move in large intervals between tempos (beats per minute). Also- you can’t set them on your music stand without them falling off tempo. They also can’t do articulations or mark beat one. A digital metronome such as the Korg is an incredible tool that any studying instrumentalist should always have in their case!

Free Video Violin Lesson 9

Thom — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:54:39 +0000

Review Questions

What is subdivision?
What does it mean to play on “The and (&) of one?”
Are you comfortable counting the “Addition Method?” I.E. wuh-uhn two-oo for quarter notes

Lesson 9

Hello and welcome to Stringsavvy.com Violin Lesson #9! In lesson #8 we learned about playing eight notes. Today’s lesson is going to cover 1^st & 2^nd endings, as well as half notes and half rests.

We have learned that a quarter note is one beat, and that an eighth note is one half of a beat. The half note is two full beats.

Following the addition system for counting:

Eighth Notes

Quarter Notes
Also count:
Wuh-uhn Two-oo Three-ee Four-orr

Half Notes
Also count:
Wuh-uh-uh-uhn Three-ee-ee-ee

A half rest is equal to two quarter rests.
An easy way to remember a half rest is that it looks like a hat! Half/Hat.

Now that we can successfully count half notes, let us play them! Since the half note is longer than a quarter note, we may have to move our bow slower to accommodate for the duration of two full beats. The purpose of using the addition system to count is so that we learn to feel the length of notes.

Lets play #77 together. Remember to save your bow so you can play the FULL TWO beats of the half note! Don’t forget to lift your bow before the repeat.

When we add notes in 78, be sure to let your fingers hover over the strings and just pop off rather than lifting high of the strings.

First and Second Endings:

A first and second ending most likely was first done in order to avoid writing (and printing) large amounts of music that had similar beginnings but different endings. Today we still use them for their convenience and ease of reading. What would have to be written out as two full pages with only one different note for the ending could simply be put on one page with a 1^st and 2^nd ending.

When we read a repeat we go right back to the beginning of a song without skipping or adding beats of rest - it is a constant flow. Now when we add a 2^nd ending, we still play that repeat through, but the 2^nd time through that particular passage we SKIP any music labeled by the “1^st” bracket and move right onto the 2^nd bracket.

Simplified: “Play the 1^st ending the 1^st time through. Then, repeat the same section of music, skip the 1^st ending, and play the 2^nd ending.” - Essential Elements

Play #76- Essential Elements Quiz - For Pete’s Sake on your own, then compare with the video performance. Were you able to understand and play the 1^st and second endings correctly? Remember to SKIP the 1^st ending the second time through the song!

Left Hand Pizzicato:

#82 Texas Two String
4+ means to use your 4^th (pinky) finger to pluck the string. This will help build finger strength for playing as well as help shape your hand.

Well there you have it! You learned how to count half notes and play multiple endings. If you have any questions or comments, don’t be shy! Comment below and I’ll be sure to respond!

Review

Half Notes are worth two beats, generally played on 1 and 3
- ( 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +)
- Can also be counted “Wuh-uh-uh-uhn Three-ee-ee-ee”
Quarter Notes are played only during numbers ( 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +)
- Can also be counted as Wuh-uhn Two-oo Three-ee Four-or
Eighth Notes are played on both ONE and AND ( 1 + 2 + )
Watch your fingers, are you pushing down hard on the strings and lifting them way up? (BAD!) Or are you pushing down just enough for notes to sound, and only letting them pop off slightly above the string (GOOD!)

Vocabulary

Left Hand Pizzicato - In this case marked by a (4+) for 4^th finger pizzicato. Plucking done with a finger on the left hand.

Assignment

Practice counting and clapping, playing half notes.
Review
1. #64 - D Major Scale
2. #66-73
Practice
1. #76-82
2. Be careful on 2nd endings and count your half notes!

Back to Lesson Index
Back to Lesson 8
Foward to Lesson 10

School (College) Semester is Over!

Thom — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:54:48 +0000

The semester is over- I can finally focus on myself and my projects again! Thanks for sticking through the dry period- for all my special students and viewers- I plan to record several lessons over the next couple weeks.

You guys make this site what it is and I am so grateful that you watch, ask questions, and are learning something! You rock, keep up the good work!