Violin Teaching: the First 4 Lessons

Violin: The First 6 Lessons By: Christopher Smith

Basic Principles of string playing:  Directed Energy 1. Always relax, but direct energy to support your position and sound 2. Use the weight of your right arm 3. No tension anywhere - if one hand tenses, so will the other 4. Release your neck. Brain tension travels first through the neck  Bow control 1. Use the weight of your right arm 2. Lead with your wrist, everything else follows and flows 3. Consistent contact point for optimal sound 4. Arm positions for string crossings 5. 4th finger is the key to good control  Left hand positions 1. Keep all fingers ready 2. Open hand position without tension 3. Elbow positions for string crossings – in tandem with right arm 4. Sensitive fingers for intonation – left hand shapes for certain keys 5. 4th finger is the key to good position

Lesson 1  Parts of instrument and bow 1. Highlight the individual tuning pegs 2. The instrument is quite fragile 3. Bow is very breakable due to accidental pokes into floor 4. Screw bow until hair is tense with safe clearance between stick and hair when playing – do not over-tighten: keep concave shape  Arm movement – lead with wrist 1. Right hand on wall – fingers pointing left 2. Brush the wall to the right, lead with wrist 3. Lead with wrist back to the left, brush wall with back of the hand  Bow hold (right hand) 1. Use rhythm sticks or long pencils 2. Lift right arm and drop it down lifelessly. Right arms must be very heavy all the time 3. Waterfall – fingers draped over stick around middle knuckle. Feel the weight on the stick 4. Tilt hand to left and rest tip of pinky (4th finger is the key to a good bow hold) on stick. Feel the weight focusing on your pointer finger 5. Curl thumb under stick to touch with tip aligned with middle finger 6. Establish this shape with bow in hand. Thumb should contact where the frog joins the stick 7. Leading with wrist, move hand up and down the bow with this hand shape  Tubular Bow Stroke 1. Hold a paper towel or construction paper tube of about a foot in length in the left hand – place the tip of the bow into the tube 2. With proper bow hold, ‘break’ your wrist up and draw bow up the shoulder to the frog. 3. Break the wrist down and draw down, lead to the floor with the wrist. Fingers, arm, elbow and shoulder all are relaxed and follow the wrist. 4. Keep bow movements in a straight line. Practice different bow speeds and stroke lengths.  Rest positions - Make a sound! 1. Introduce safe position – hold violin like a guitar under right arm with right hand on upper right body quadrant, left hand on lower neck. 2. Rest position – grasp the neck with left hand and place violin upright, facing forward on left leg 3. Students must make a sound of some kind on their first day 4. Guitar position and extend right thumb to pluck open strings 5. Experiment with rhythms and combinations of pitches.  Pack up. Store everything carefully, secure bow with tip at the left end of the case, secure neck of violin inside case if applicable. Make sure case is fully closed before lifting it

Lesson 2  Review Parts of instrument and open string guitar plucking  Playing Position 1. Introduce the idea of shoulder rests, some students may need one – use sponges with elastics for a cheap solution 2. Head position will not need to change when violin is introduced. No tension in neck 3. Lift violin onto shoulder with left hand on upper body and right hand on lower body. 4. Cradle neck against violin body with a ‘V’ shape in left hand. 5. Drop side of the jaw onto chin rest – find a comfortable location. 6. Head should not be angled down. Shoulder rests may be needed to fill the space under violin 7. Remove right hand. Point scroll up, down, side-to-side. No change in head position. 8. Relax the neck. Violin is held up by shoulder and neck, stabilized by chin – not gripped.  Left Hand Position – (Use tapes across fingerboard to introduce and familiarize the hand shape) 1. Demonstrate the wrist flex – Flex hand back and forth at wrist, fingers open and close with the hand. Fingers are most open/flexible when wrist not flexed back. 2. Demonstrate squishing the egg, an improper position – keep wrist open and away from neck 3. In guitar position, securely place left thumb at the top of neck and dangle fingers below. 4. Curl all 4 fingers around to rest over top of ‘A’ string. Hover close to the string. 5. Beginning finger position has a wide space between 1st and 2nd fingers and between 3rd and 4th fingers. 2nd & 3rd fingers are ‘kissing’ – close proximity. 6. Place all fingers gently, without any squeezing, keep finger direction at about 45 degrees to the string direction. Place fingers all at once, then independently. 7. Pluck some notes with combinations of fingers. Don’t ignore the 4th finger. 8. Assume playing position with neck in the left hand ‘V’ – wave at yourself 9. Hold body with right hand. Slide left hand ‘V’ cradle backwards along the neck – wave again. 10. Hold body with right hand as you place neck on left thumb – wave again 11. Curl all 4 fingers around to rest over top of ‘A’ string. Hover close to the string. 4th finger is the key to good hand position. 12. Place all fingers gently, without any squeezing, keep finger direction at about 45 degrees to the string direction. Place fingers all at once, then independently. 13. Pluck some notes with combinations of fingers. Make good use of the 4th finger.  Bow Sound 1. (Grip bow in right hand during violin guitar position and rest position.) 2. Review arm weight, bow holds and tubular bow strokes with the wrist leading 3. Resin on the bow makes it sticky and allows the bow to quickly and repeatedly pull the string to make it vibrate 4. Tighten the bow. Apply a generous amount of resin to bow in even distribution. 5. Put violin in playing position with left hand against body 6. Place tip of bow on ‘E’ string, break the wrist up and draw a stroke to the frog, then break the wrist down and aim it to the floor. 7. Fingers, arm, elbow and shoulder all are relaxed and follow the wrist. 8. Keep the weight in the bow for a strong even sound 9. Practice string crossings to all strings by leading with right elbow to find arm level of new string. Upper strings are easier. 10. More elbow movement is required closer to the tip.  Pack up. Loosen the bow, remove the sponge and store everything carefully. Make sure case is fully closed before lifting it.

Lesson 3 Review: Tubular bow strokes, playing position posture, left hand playing position, bow strokes in playing position.  Rhythm time 1. Demonstrate and play rhythm on ‘A’ string: 4 sixteenth notes and 2 eighth notes – write on board if you wish 2. Practice string crossings with right arm levels lead by elbow – play rhythm, 2 beat rest, change string, play rhythm, rest, change. 3. Eventually play rhythm on different strings without any rest. By now, play with left hand in playing position, fingers hovering over string. 4th finger is the key. 4. Bows down on lap. Pluck the note progression: A, E, F#, E. F# is 1st finger on ‘E’ string – use finger numbers if you wish, but move quickly onto the note names for better aural comprehension 5. Don’t squeeze first finger, just place it on the string and lift it back to the close hover. 6. Bows up, play with rhythm pattern on each note. 7. Assist students individually as they practice combining all the elements: Good sound (arm weight), proper bow hold, wrist-lead bow stroke, steady contact point and straight bow, good posture and head position, left hand secure but not squeezing, don’t squish the egg.

Lesson 4  Review previous lesson  Left arm levels 1. The fingers can be placed on other strings not by stretching fingers or hand but by swinging left elbow. 2. Bows down. Neck on the thumb and fingers over the string. Swing elbow so that fingers line up with each string. Practice placing fingers. Stay relaxed. 3. Teach progression: D, C#, B, A which is fingers 3, 2, 1, and open string. All 3 fingers are placed on the string for the first note. Pluck first then bow with the rhythm. Keep 4th finger over the string. 4. Add the open E to the beginning of the progression. Make sure all fingers are over the A string ready to descend all at once in the correct hand shape (2nd and 3rd fingers are kissing) 5. Play and practice progression of A, E, F#, E, D, C#, B, A. Assist students individually.

Lessons 5 & 6  Review all concepts and refine students skills as needed  Combine notes into song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and perform with piano accompaniment. (Suzuki Violin Method). Subsequent lessons will involve the other 4 rhythmic variations of this song. Introduce 1 or 2 new rhythms every day.  Introduce concepts of note recognition on the staff and following the conductor http://www.centrum.is/hansi/modern.jpg http://www.centrum.is/hansi/violin%20blowup.jpg http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Violin-Bow.html

http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/instruments/violin/fingeringchart.html