Exercise seven: Speed exercise + Changing soundpoint
Lesson time: (3min 30sec)
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course The Secrets of Tone Production Part 4: Final Fundamental Tone Exercises
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Speed Exercise Combined with Drifting Across the Sound Points
This lesson combines the speed exercise with drifting across the sound points. It may seem complicated at first, but it isn't.
Key Points to Remember
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Choose the Right Number: Select the appropriate number of fast slows to pair with how many times you go towards and away from the bridge.
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Bridge Technique:
- Go in and out of the bridge only once to easily manage all divisions of the speed exercise.
- Try going in and out of the bridge twice.
Suggested Practice Routine
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Start Simple:
- Begin with four fast slows in each half of the bow.
- Progress to 8 and then 16.
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Bow Division:
- Focus on bow division. Don't use all the bow and then squeeze the last note in; instead, save bow.
- In this case, don't overthink bow division, just remember to "save bow."
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Sound Quality:
- Listen carefully, make it floaty and smooth.
- Think about how the bow needs more weight near the bridge.
Fast-Slow Technique Practice
- Focus on the rhythm: "fast, slow, fast, slow, fast, slow, fast, slow."
- Don't worry; just try this: "fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast."
- Be cautious not to run out of bow; adjust your speed accordingly.
Final Thoughts
- Try it once without the fast-slow, just go in like this.
- Remember: don't bow too far forward; keep back here.
- Now, reiterate the fast sequence: "fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast."
Keep practicing! You're doing great!
About the instructor
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. read more