Suzuki Vol 1 Allegretto - HELP!!!!

February 25, 2006 at 04:49 PM · Hi Bruno,

Don't beat yourself up too much. We all have learned things incorrectly from time to time. I learned an entire movement of a concerto in G major instead of G minor once when I was little. I was pretty embarrassed at that lesson!

For getting the staccato, I would suggest breaking things up by 3 note groups. (2 8th notes followed by quarter note) Work on being able to do each group seperately. Do several repetitions of each group until all groups are comfortable out of context. Then try playing through the piece (maybe just start with a line or two) with a short stop between each group. I've used this with my students on this piece when they've had trouble with the articulation and it has worked for them.

Good luck!

-Laura

February 25, 2006 at 08:02 PM · All of my students adult or child have the same difficulty with this piece.

Eventually they also work on it as Laura suggestted.

This piece has two difficulties that need to be separated out.

1. the articulation problem with staccotto and accents

2. the string changing problem on some of the groups of 3.

1st do the groups of 3 on open strings (both d and a)one set at a time with little breaks. I liked Laura's sugestion of one beat between.

YOu can probably do this much more easily.

2nd I have my students play on the open d string doing every other ti ti ta` . Listen to the consonants and then the accent you are making wiht fingers and bow up to tempo in short bites.

Then try every other six note groups. Listen and compare what you are doing with the violinist on the recording.

You may need to adjust the amount of bow to a smaller amount. Some people get carried away and use too much bow. Youre goal is to get consonant sounds that echo a little at the ends of each stroke.

Then work on the string change problem away from the recording.

daD` down up down

daD` up down up

adA` down up down

adA` up down up

Some times I pause between the 1/16 pairs and the 1/8 to feel what my bow is doing in my fingers. You have to rock back to the lower string. That makes the 2nd one more problematic. Check your position on the d string. Did the bow get back to the string before you moved the up bow?

Do in small groups of 3 and later 6 until you master the changes with out loosing the articulation and crispness. alternate slow motion and up to tempo.

Try doing these with different bow holds. ie using pointer and ringfinger on the bow. Pointer and Tallfinger on the bow. Feel the teeter totter feeling in your bow hand as the bow rocks quickly back and forth. Try with thumb on the frog or upside down bow. Watch for any unneccesary motion in your bow arm and hand.

When you can do them on open strings with more controle go to the step Laura suggested and do groups of 3 the fingers.

Did you notice that you recycle some of the same 3 note patterns in the middle of the 3rd line using the down bow pattern instead of the up bow pattern. They get switched around. So you need both type of bowing for them any way.

Play the same fingerings and alternate the bow patterns. 1st time start down bow pattern 2nd time up bow pattern as above. Only this time with fingers instead of open strings. First with a beat between each group of 3 and then with out the beat.

This way you can focus on one pattern at a time just thinking about bowing.

down 2A3` pause up 2A3`

down 31A` pause (rock back to d) up 31A`

If you can do these patterns crisply and clearly with all of these patterns in issolation then you will be able to build up the line and maintain the articulation longer.

The string changes have a way of jumbling things up if they are not issolated in this way. This would be a much easier piece if it didn't have those quick string changes.

I have my beginning students use the open string instead of the 4th fingers because they need to master the quick string changes on the D string. We go back and recycle it for 4th finger later when we use it to review.

Good luck

February 28, 2006 at 03:00 PM · I can't say I ever played that one, but I'll look at it later and see if I can do it...my teacher had me skip book 1!

February 28, 2006 at 03:15 PM · Bruno,

You didn't necessarily learn the piece "the wrong way." You just didn't learn the whole thing at once, which is often a good strategy. Now you're comfortable with the notes, which means you're free to focus on the bow articulation. It's often a mistake to try to learn all aspects of a song at once -- it can be truly overwhelming.

I'm sure your teacher gives you small exercises that break out bits of technique -- like some of the suggestions above. That allows you to learn the technique in a vacuum, without having to worry so much about fingering, intonation and melody.

Once you've got the different aspects of a song learned, you'll find it easier to put them all together.

Good luck!

March 9, 2006 at 02:43 AM · I remember I had the exact same problem on that song. Staccato seemed to be the end of me. I remember starting completely fresh; I went ahead one song and 'fiddled' with that until I got Allegretto out of my mind. I then went back to it and plowed through it.

I think that when you get frustrated with that kind of thing (for me, it's vibrato now), you tend to lose track of the little triumphs you make every time.

I recommend breaking apart the entire song. Take it three or four measures at a time. Staccato everything, then staccato nothing. You might be able to pick up on where the staccato was naturally meant to be in the song.

March 14, 2006 at 04:59 PM · Hello,

I use the techique with my students of the idea of pouring a glass of water.

Pronation: To turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm faces down or back.

When you pick up a pitcher of water to pour a cup you do this. Take the bow and place it on the A or D string. Place the bow at the middle point or a bit lower. You are going to use the BITE and RELEASE technique. First, pronate the right hand...you will notice that index finger place a big part in pushing to wood of the bow to the hair. Now pull the bow (down-bow)and release promptly. Do the same going up. Pronate the hand making the wood bend to the hair, then push (up-bow) and release. Do this slowly then work it up in speed. Stay near the middle of the bow.

Good Luck,

Brian