The Secrets of Tone Production Part 3: Fundamental Tone Exercises Continued
CourseViolinClassicalIntermediate
Part ofViolin

The Secrets of Tone Production Part 3: Fundamental Tone Exercises Continued

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Duration59m
Modules8
LevelIntermediate
LanguageEnglish

Lesson Plan (0h 59m)

About this course

Renowned violinist and string pedagogue Simon Fischer reveals the five fundamental tone exercises for string players, in a course based on his acclaimed DVD 'The Secrets of Tone Production'.

The insights, exercises and principles Simon breaks down in his courses have been taught by the greatest string teachers over the last 250 years, and practised by the greatest players. Names like Lucien Capet, Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Pablo Casals. Leopold Mozart taught at least one of these exercises, and it's therefore likely that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart benefitted from these insights too.

If applied correctly these exercises can radically improve tone production on any bowed string instrument, including baroque instruments. But they are so simple that any string musician can benefit from them.

The smallest amount of work on these simple exercises brings immediate results. Practise them yourself or teach them to your students to see how quickly tone is transformed.

This course unpacks the second and third fundamental tone exercises, which focus on how mastering pressure can help produce the best possible tone.

Music featured in the intro: Brahms Violin Sonatas, performed by Simon and Raymond Fischer.

Part 3 of a 4-part course - click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Who it's for

  • Intermediate string players wanting a richer, fuller tone
  • Returning players rebuilding bow control and sound quality
  • Teachers seeking proven exercises to share with students

What you'll learn

  • Control bow pressure to draw a deeper tone
  • Sustain sound cleanly through bow changes
  • Divide the bow evenly across long sustained notes

What you'll need

  • A violin, viola or cello with a working bow
  • A quiet space where you can hear small changes
  • A few minutes most days to practise patiently

Meet the Guru

Simon Fischer

Simon Fischer

Simon Fischer enjoys a distinguished and wide-ranging career as a performer, educator and recording artist.

He has performed worldwide as a recitalist, and committed three Brahms Sonatas to record, a recording that received high praise in Gramophone Magazine.

Simon is recognised as having a place amongst the world's elite teachers. He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music, and has held positions at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Wells Cathedral School and the Purcell School, and for 15 years was a visiting professor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music. Having studied in London with Yfrah Neaman, and in New York with Dorothy DeLay, Fischer's approach unites the best elements of the French, Russian and American violin traditions.

Fischer's published work greatly influences the teaching of the violin. Having written for The Strad magazine since 1991, his monthly articles have attracted a worldwide following. Published by Edition Peters, his technique books Basics and Practice (translated into Korean, Italian and German), Scales and The Violin Lesson, and the DVD The Secrets of Tone Production (now available to stream via MusicGurus), have become standards on many continents. His book and DVD Warming Up was described by The Strad magazine as "23 pages of pure technical gold".

In 2014 Simon Fischer was awarded the European String Teachers Association prize "In celebration of a lifetime contribution to String Teaching".

In his four-part Secrets of Tone Production course, Simon guides you through getting to know your instrument and then working through his fundamental tone exercises step by step, so you can produce a richer, more controlled and more beautiful sound on the violin.

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