November 2012

Violinist’s Guide To Working Out

November 29, 2012 09:02

Yeah!! Nehh!! I didn’t mean actually going-to-the-gym working out. I meant the equivalent of working out for violinists. (Just in case you thought I was going to send you to the gym).

If you are tired of doing scales, feel a bit bored by etudes and want to jump straight to the concerto or sonata, keep reading and be changed forever.

We violinists are like professional athletes. Warming up, eating healthy, stretching after a practice session should be taken as a daily exercise. It will all contribute to your performance and endurance.

But what do I mean by “working out for violinists”?

We actually “work out” when we play scales. The reason to playing such a boring Carl Flesh etude is to strengthen a certain area of your technique (bowings, sound, fast fingers, etc.). It’s not in vain! There is a purpose behind everything especially when it comes to scales and etudes.

Athletes and violinists agreed in one thing; they must hardened their muscles.For different reasons and by doing different exercises but the principle is the same. An example of this can be found in your copy of the Basics by Simon Fisher, p.125—your pinky will never be the same after a month of doing pinky work outs. Speaking of which, that book has been a great influence on me since I started reading and working on it.

Working out for violinists means taking seriously those etudes/exercises/boring stuff that help us play the interesting stuff at a higher level. This next mind map is often confused to be made by Dorothy Delay but it’s really Simon Fisher’s. It details everything actually, but I circled what I believe it’s the “work-out” section for us violinists.

Check it out!

Picture taken from Simon Fischer's website: http://www.simonfischeruk.com/page20.htm

Playing Sevcik for 6 hours is as fun as doing sit-ups for 6 hours. It will bore you to death if it won’t kill you before. But knowing how to practice these exercises (time-wise), being patient and trying to cover all of them in a year or two, will make a huge impact in your development as a violinist.

Working out for a violinist means: (Daily) Sevcik, Schradieck, Kayser, Kreutzer, Wohlfahrt, Flesch, Fisher (Basics), Galamian, etc. Here is a complete list.

Understanding what etudes, scales and boring stuff will add-up by the end of the month, could change these practical exercises into a more interesting ritual.

A two hour work-out in the morning before your day starts will dramatically enhance your violinistic future!

How long do you think we should do these work out sessions?

What have considerably changed your technique?

Please share a comment!

You can find me at www.tipsforclassicalmusicians.com

CESAR AVILES

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