#violateacher

Develop your “inner drone” with advanced scale drone practice! This is a powerful practice which can also be applied to etudes and repertoire. Step 1 - Make a recording of the scale or passage. I use the voice memo feature on my iPhone. I also match the first note to the tuner, but keep the tuner turned off for the recording. ~Swipe left~ Step 2 - The moment of truth! Listen to your recording while playing the drone. Remember you were not listening to the drone during the recording so you will be listening to the reliability of your “inner drone”. After doing this practice consistently I begin to notice my tendencies and idiosyncrasies. Note: For me this practice is more effective than listening to the drone while playing. The reason for this is that I adjust without learning what the out of tune tendencies are. When I started practicing this way I was surprised to learn how the first position part of the scales were more out of tune than the upper octave shifting part. Crossing strings laterally and changing finger patterns presents more intonation traps for me than shifting! #viola #violateacher #violapractice #bratsche #bratscher #practiceroom #violintechnique #violinpedagogy #stringplayer #stringsattached #scalepractice #violintips #violapower #violaworld #violanation #practicemakesprogress #killingperfectionisminclassical #korgtuner #voicememo #musicteacher #practicediaries #musiciansofinstagram #100daysofpractice #onlinelessons #muzykaklasyczna #suzukiteacher (at Washington D.C.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGhlsglg7no/?igshid=97p0yx6igkpn

Drop-out notes are notes which tend to sound shorter or quieter than the notes around them. Notes at risk of dropping out are notes before or after changes of bow, position or string. In these examples notes are slurred across the strings. The middle notes of the slurs occur both before and after changes of string and are therefore at high risk for dropping out. Examples: 1) Preludio From Partita no 3 by #jsbach Elongating the second note of the slurs clarifies this note and encourages a slow, heavy bow on the slurs. 2) Viola concerto by Bela Bartok The bow slurs across all 4 strings creating 2 middle or potential drop-out notes. I practice two versions of this - elongating the notes on the G string, then the notes on the as string. #violinteacher #violin #viola #violateacher #bachpartita #preludio #belabartok #bartok #bartokviolaconcerto #violaconcerto #bachpartita #violinpractice #practiceroom #practicediaries #violintechnique #violinpedagogy #bach #beautifulmusic #suzukiteacher #violinclass #violinlessons #violincover #violinistsofinstagram #classicalmusiciansofinstagram #violinbow #twosetviolin (at Washington D.C.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFPEyFVAJ3t/?igshid=yi0qzgmd7ok8

LEGO Tonalization for continuous vibrato! Slur one note to the next and start building 2, 3, 4 notes together like stacking legos before playing the entire tonalization. When adding each note, listen for continuous, uninterrupted vibrato between each note. Slurring the notes encourages a smooth connection. #viola #violapractice #violintechnique #violist #violateacher #violintips #suzuki #suzukiteacher #violalessons #practiceroom #musicpractice #violalovers #violaworld #violapower #violanation #vibrato #vibratopractice #beautifulmusic #suzukiviola #suzukiviolin #musiceducation #stringsattached #stringplayer #mindfulpractice #100daysofpractice #365days #practicemakesprogress #practicepracticepractice (at Washington D.C.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFJ8h_8g0zG/?igshid=18tvqqia0i8o9

Octave practice strategy. Here’s an effective way to practice octaves using the natural flexibility of the hand! Swipe left for each stage: 1) Play top notes only 2) Play top notes while fingering bottom notes 3) Top, bottom, together 4) Simultaneous octaves The first finger is more flexible and has greater ability to adjust than the pinky, so I practice the top notes first. Place the pinky comfortably ensuring the pinky side of the hand is always higher than the 1st finger side of the hand. (Look at the base knuckles - pinky base knuckle is highest). The 1st finger side is so low that the first finger touches the string on its side when placed (not the way you would place a first finger for a single note). Going from top to bottom exploits the first finger’s ability to reach back and adjust effortlessly and avoids the painful pinky stretch often associated with octaves, especially on viola. I practice slurring one note to the next to encourage smooth shifting. #viola #violão #violaclassica #violateacher #bratsche #octaves #practiceroom #violapractice #violintechnique #violapower #violanation #violaworld #violinteacher #violinpedagogy #violintips #violinpractice #violinscales #musiceducation #violalove #violist #violistsofinstagram #practicemusic #onlinelessons #violinmasterclass #practicediaries #strings #stringsattached #orchestra #suzukiteacher (at Washington D.C.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFHhTv5g58H/?igshid=vqn7c9n3nd9c