Tips for Bach Minuet No. 2

July 7, 2008 at 12:48 AM · Hi

Just play them really slow, and try to control your bow hand, so that you don't touch the string. Just repeat the 1st 2 measure since the next 2 are identical. Keep your first finger on A string for your intonation until its time to release it for open A.

Hope it helps.

July 7, 2008 at 01:22 AM · Greetings,

so you are hitting other strings right?

There are two reasons: 1) your bow arm is moving up and down while you play instea dof staying on a laterla plane and 2) you don`t know where the bow is going because you are thinking about the left hand.

In the firts case try practiicng bowing on two string so that you get the feel of the plane of the bow when using two strings. Then move onto playing opn only the upper or only the lower and be conscious of the difference. In the secodn case practice without the left hand until the bow knows exactly where it has to go. This applies to all levels of player including the most advanced profesisonals,

Cheers,

Buri

July 8, 2008 at 12:42 AM · Have you tried just working on the string crossings without adding any left hand fingerings? I am also an adult student (just finishing book 3), and I found this a challenge also when I first learned it. Playing it really slowly helped also, but I always had to be coaxed to slow down. The string crossings become more challenging as you progress, so take your time and get the feel of this piece because string crossings come up again and again, and again! Good luck. (P.S. Minuet 3 will be easy after Minuet 2!)

Erica :)

July 8, 2008 at 01:13 AM · Where in the bow you play the 8th notes makes a big difference. Try 2-3" strokes just above the middle for them, then pull a lighter, slightly longer stroke for the first quarter, then split that distance for the next two quarters, (which should sound like "puff-puff" not "ugh-ugh" :) to get back to the same starting point. If you aren't working on using a small flex in your wrist to help direction changes, now is a good time to learn this. Sue

July 10, 2008 at 07:47 PM · Thanks, these tips were helpful! What worked for me was slowing down, moving the bow start position and monitoring my wrist flexing. I see improvement slowly but surely.

Dianne

July 14, 2008 at 03:16 PM · I still recall my teacher's tips when learning this piece.

First of all you have to get used to the string crossing thing. Practice with open strings only, means it goes D-A-A-E-A-E-E-D-D. Do this slow.

Another tips to help out the above learning progress (and it's better to learn it earlier than later), your elbow angle is actually your bow angle. Remember your elbow's angle/feel, and once you got over it you can play it faster without being messy.

Then you can add left hand fingering, and you should feel easier now.

Hope that helps and good luck!