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COPIED

6 mins

Scaling the heights

Teaching & Playing

ANDREA GAJIC

Professor of violin, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (junior and senior divisions); tutor, Benedetti Foundation

BRIAN SWEENEY

• BORN Glasgow, Scotland, UK

• STUDIED WITH Sylvia Rosenberg, Khalida Akhtyamova, Maya Glezarova, Felix Andrievsky

• TEACHES Junior and senior conservatoire students aged 16–27

Good scale and arpeggio practice is a vehicle for developing and refining every aspect of violin playing – building the control necessary to enable freedom of musical expression. A progressive approach is essential and huge improvement can be seen in students who work consistently and effectively. Rhythmic acceleration (with the Galamian turn) provides the ideal practice model because the tempo builds gradually. This is a useful approach that can be applied to studies and the wider repertoire.

It is often evident, when first hearing a student play scales and arpeggios, that they haven’t considered what they are trying to achieve; however, the benefits of scales and arpeggios are multidimensional. The absolute focus required in scale and arpeggio practice builds the mental stamina which is essential in the performance of repertoire. There should be no trace of autopilot.

EXERCISES

Practise scales beginning at a speed of q=60 using long detaché bows in minims, then slurred in twos (crotchets q), slurred in fours (quavers e), slurred in sixes (triplets) and so on until the whole scale is played (ascending and descending) in two bows (down and up)

Gradually increase the tempo to develop dexterity

RIGHT HAND

• To develop your sound, first learn to feel the weight of the bow. Do this by starting your scale at the heel of the bow without the index finger. Bow towards the middle, feeling the weight of the bow travel through the hand. Stop the bow in the middle then gently place the index finger on and continue towards the point. Do the opposite on the up bow, lifting the index finger as you reach the middle and feel the role that your little finger plays in balancing the weight of the bow as you move towards the heel.

• To develop smooth bow changes, follow the sound through to the end of the note, listening for a silky connection to the next

• Check that your bowing is evenly distributed and that you are using full bows

• As you increase the speed of your scales, aim for free motion in your right arm. Imagine the arm as a pendulum swinging from the shoulder and ‘carrying’ the notes that you are playing with your left hand.

LEFT HAND

• Practising scales only with the left hand with the metronome is useful. Make sure that your fingers come down exactly in time.

• To improve intonation (using an A major scale as an example) play only the naturally ringing tones (A, D and E) while fingering the notes in between. Then play the ringing tones, this time adding the mediant (C sharp) and the leading note (G sharp). Then play all the notes.

• Often there can be a tendency to shift too soon and in doing so we neglect the note before the shift in our hurry to get to the next note. My motto for shifts is ‘later and lighter’.

• To improve shifting, isolate and expose each shift, for example, with a shift from first to third position on the first finger:

Step 1 (necessary only if there is tension in the left hand) Lift your first finger between the two positions (B to D on the A string, for example) while you bow, playing the open string (A) between the two notes of the shift. It will obviously be necessary to release your left hand to play the open A.

Step 2 Repeat the shift, this time running your first finger along the top of the string as you bow. Notice the sound of your shift.

Step 3 Add in the second finger (C sharp) prior to the shift to third position, ultimately playing B–C sharp–D. Imagine you are passing the baton in a relay race between the second finger in first position and first finger (D) in third position.

REPERTOIRE

Repertoire is of course largely made up of scale and arpeggio patterns. Here are some examples of the kinds of preparatory exercises that I encourage my students to practise:

EXAMPLE 1A In bars 153–154 of the Bruch Violin Concerto no.1 in G minor, first movement, practise slowly, then twice as fast

EXAMPLE 1B Then play the following, feeling the physical distance between first position and the destination position by being consciously aware of the arm and hand movement

EXAMPLE 1C Finally, play the complete run

EXAMPLE 2A For the opening arpeggio of Paganini’s Caprice no.5 practise the below phrase, releasing the finger in the shifts and gliding to the harmonic A

EXAMPLE 2B Then the following, again releasing the finger in the shifts

EXAMPLE 2C Finally, play the opening arpeggio figure

IN YOUR PRACTICE

• Take time to slow down and think – imagine the sound that you want to produce and tap into how effortless it feels

• Be present in your practice; listen and follow the sound

• Working without vibrato is effective for improving purity of sound and intonation

• Practising scales and arpeggios from memory allows you to focus on listening, and on the physicality of playing

• Be mindful of keeping the hands soft and tension-free

• Be creative in your approach – try playing the bottom note of a scale or arpeggio, then the top, then descend

• Always take time to explore your instrument, searching for new tonal colours, textures and qualities

Keep the left hand alive and feel free to experiment with different vibratos

TIPS FOR TEACHERS

• It is extremely important not to rush the early stages

• Set achievable goals, tailored to the needs of each student. Setting an amount of time to practise scales and arpeggios without clear goals is likely to be counter-productive.

• The A major scale and arpeggio sequence is a good key to use as a foundation and blueprint for scale practice

• Early on it is a good idea to practise scales and arpeggios with a metronome to develop rhythmic discipline

• As the student progresses, more challenges may be added such as different bowings, rhythms and so on. Encourage your students also to try starting on different degrees of the scale.

• Direct the focus of your student each lesson as required (it may be necessary to return to an aspect previously covered)

• Be creative; make up new exercises and creative analogies if the need arises. Encourage the student to be curious and to engage with problem solving.

• Don’t be afraid to go back to basics to reset a particular aspect of your student’s playing

• Every student is unique; when asking for a particular focus, bear in mind that some students can multi-task, while for others it may be more productive to listen for one aspect of their playing at a time, such as smooth bowing – with no lumps, bumps or scratches.

• If a student struggles with focus, set a small, super-specific target. This will build confidence and keep the student engaged.

• Once a good foundation has been established, building up speed is very important. We have to practise ‘sprinting’ in readiness for fast passages in repertoire. Unfamiliarity with playing quickly may lead to panic and tension.

• As teachers we are role models and along with our students we must continue to develop personally and share any discoveries with our students

INTERVIEW BY NAOMI YANDELL

FURTHER MATERIALS