Scales and Arpeggio study material reccomendation

April 21, 2007 at 02:14 AM · Hi Albert,

The Flesch scale system will cover it all I think. It's got just about anything you can do with a scale, plus it has all of the keys written out. It's an incredibly valuable resource for scales and you can go through and learn all of the different exercises as slowly or as quickly as you want.

April 21, 2007 at 02:30 AM · Thanks a bunch Josh.... I'll grab it off Amazon or somewhere.... If anyone has a used copy I'd be happy to purchase it. I found it used for 20 bucks at Amazon--and will look over at ebay... I feel pretty good about the two octave material I have, but I have a couple concerns about how it was put together, so I better get the real deal.

April 21, 2007 at 03:35 AM · Flesch is quite good, I would also suggest Hrimaly Scale Studies (which I use). Heifetz really loved this book of scale studies he used this scale system and taught it to his students. Also along with your normal scales, make sure to do third, sixth, octave, fingered octave, and tenth scales in every key.

April 21, 2007 at 05:08 AM · wWat ever you use don't forget that the key is to be comfortable where you are shifting from...and to be comfortable where you are going.

There is certainly technique for shifting but it is usually stressed to much I think. If you know where you are and where you are going the between stuff is not that hard.

April 21, 2007 at 01:23 PM · This is the sequence I teach:

Hrimaly: Scale Studies

Barbara Barber: Scales for Advanced Violinists

Flesch: Life Long Torment for All

Galamian also has a really organized scale system, in two volumes.

Mr. Al, the Barber is easier to wrap your brain around then the Flesch. Have fun. Or not.

April 21, 2007 at 02:00 PM · Hi,

The Flesch system is excellent. I always feel the need to point out though, that as Flesch recommended himself, it is a means of preserving technique that he designed for his students to be used after all of Opus 1 (all four parts) and 8 by Sevcik had been learnt. That deserves consideration, and it is true that doing the Sevcik first helps.

Cheers!

April 21, 2007 at 05:42 PM · I use Hrimaly scale studies.. They are great! I think I might have an extra copy.... yep I do... if interested email me...

April 21, 2007 at 09:21 PM · Anyone that wants the Hrimaly Scale Studies can e-mail me. I have it on PDF. You'll save a couple bucks that way!

April 21, 2007 at 11:35 PM · i've used both galamian and flesch. i love the flesch! and keep in mind you don't have to do everything in every key right away.

if you're interested in doing scales and arpeggios first (whichi is a good idea), you can just do those exercises in whatever key you're working on in the flesch book. and then move on to more advanced stuff like double stops and whatever.

galamian has good things for the bow arm too, though. mix and match, and maybe find your own method (without being too lax, that is).

April 22, 2007 at 12:03 AM · Greetings,

I wouold do Hrimaly before Flesch. I also strongly recommend the Barber scale book. Its a condensed versiopn of the Galamian system full of great ideas.

Cheers,

Buri

April 22, 2007 at 02:48 AM · Thanks for all the GREAT advice--Hrimaly, Barber, Sevcik, then Flesch--I just picked up Hrimaly before Josh jumped in there, so some days some things do go right.

I'm loving the shifting aspects of arpeggios. I've struggled so much in some ways, and am 'truly' thankful that the shifting part I find fluid, easy, instinctive, and just natural--I think because of guitar probably.

But more importantly, they loosen me up and make me relax and flow with the instrument--again, particularly the ones that shift--even the ones gliding into 5th. I tend to get fixed in a position and sort of zone out until either the instrument makes me respond, or makes me adjust.

Finally, (you'd think I like arpeggios or something) they are helping me with vibrato in really 'cool' ways in making me vibrate here in this position on this string, then there in that position on that string, then there in that upper position. I know this isn't the main purpose of them, but I'm finding them really really powerful in balancing the instrument and etc.

I use to jam forever on just arpeggios on piano, but for different reasons I guess. I know many wouldn't agree, but I find these kinds of exercises can be an end of their own in some cases. I know that they let me change voice and dynamics on piano just very fluidly, moving from things like bass type treatments to high treble seamlessly and with expressiveness.

Sorry to ramble, but I loaded and unloaded twelve tons of coal today by hand and am having a very short practice night as a result. Anyway, I'm looking forward to (I already know this is going to happen) photocopying my Hrimaly pages and finding another wall to tape them to... My walls are starting to look like my great grandmother's log cabin which hand newspapers pretty much as wallpaper and for insulation.

I guess I'll order Barber before Flesch for now. I have the Sevcik. Thanks again.

April 23, 2007 at 12:58 AM · Christian, I agree about the Sevcik. The back of the Hrimaly and the first chunk of Sevcik Op. 1, Part 3 pretty much overlap. After I take a student through the entire Hrimaly, I start them on Flesch, but also pick through the Sevcik Op. 1 Part 3, starting with with #9, as additional technical work.

When a student has finished the Whistler "Developing Double Stops", I start them on Sevcik Op. 1 part 4.

When the student gets through both Whistler position books, I start them on Sevcik Op. 8.

Also, Mr. Al, how much space does 12 tons of coal take up? Isn't that a lot? Aren't you tired?

April 23, 2007 at 02:45 AM · A lot of space Anne--a lot... I did eight tons the day before, and yes, I am very tired--I'm in the middle of my most busy garden season at the same time---so, I went to look at riding mowers today. I ran into a windfall of just wonderful coal--and free!, that was in a get it now or lose it situation. That equates to all things considered and without going into details, about seven years of supplemented heat at a greatly reduced cost--other than my shocked system. Gotta pay for those strings somehow.

I will blog this season shortly. And tonight, it's play for pleasure only, other than scales and arpeggios. This shaking out of routine though (I normally do a couple hours technical stuff every night before my playing block), I find nice--it allowed me to offically start on Hrimaly tonight by scanning the material.

Thankfully, I understood it fairly well. Actually, I was sort of excited by the much more indepth exposure than what I've been doing so far. Also I found it impractical to put on my practice walls, and look forward to taking down the 25 pages I've been using from another source containing only charts.

I've taken everyone's reccomendations and compiled them into a sheet that will stay on my wall for a couple years it appears. I have one of Buri's notes that's been up there for some time now (the click exercise), because I've yet to master it ;(... Nonetheless, I find the Hrimaly extremely useful, and 'now'...

Anne, how long 'average' does it normally take to get through Hrimaly? Qualfied by the fact that I don't just get through things but do them over and over for what feels like forever, how long will/should/might it take just to master Hrimaly do you think... I know before hand it depends, but under average circumstances?

My approach normally, is to approach a block of material, and stay there until I just can't stand it any longer, then reintroduce it in other ways. I change my elements around a little in some small way a few times a week for example--starting here, then there; or, putting them here in my sequence of other things or there--other variations as well. I still 'very' occasionally go back and do little things in Suzuki 1 for another example, as they sort of trickle out of my immediate focus.

So, do you have any suggestions on how one would schedule their pushing through these things, how much time to spend on each segment of the process, and that type of thing. I'm a little too much like Chang I suspect in that I want to play every single thing and practice every single thing, I've ever worked on--which of course I can't. I have been know to grit my teeth when forcing myself to move on ;)....

Thanks very very much everyone for your help. And Buri, that would be prunes to you! ;).

April 23, 2007 at 04:09 PM · Mr. Al, how quickly you work through Hrimaly (or any thing) is up to you. Some of my students learn 1-4 pages a week, others learn 1-4 scales. I think it is more important to absorb the material really well, rather then worrying about Keeping Up With The Hilary Hahns.

But look at it this way: In the competitive department, you will have the warmest house next winter!

April 24, 2007 at 01:01 AM · I was just lookin for 'perspective'.. Thanks.