+ 10 most unique violin scale practice guides
At different learning stages, players can choose the appropriate scales to practice according to the actual situation. In general, the following points should be mastered: practice daily and for a fixed length of time to ensure sufficient practice; practice in different key rotations; focus on practicing various scales in this key in accordance with the key of the piece being studied as well as practicing scales with different speeds, bowings and rhythms, and using a metronome to help stabilize speed and rhythm.
Hrimaly's Scale Studies for Violin
Hrimaly's most famous and widely circulated set of scales is a set of single scales for the introductory to intermediate level of violin study, containing mainly a variety of fixed-position scales as well as transposing scales, covering various tonal scales from one to three octaves and two sets of arpeggios. The scales are very effective for beginners in terms of intonation, hand shape, fingering, handle changes and other technical aspects.
Gregorian's Scale and Arpeggio Exercises for Violin
Gregorian's Scale and Arpeggio Exercises for Violin, like Helimeli's Scales for Violin, is a set of scales for beginners to intermediate violin students, containing mainly chromatic scales and various arpeggios. The simple diatonic scale training is the biggest highlight of this scale set. Through the scientific and reasonable fingering arrangement, it lays a solid foundation for violin players to better play diatonic scales.
Sevcik's Op.1: School of Violin Technics
Sevcik's systematic approach to violin technique training has been widely promoted as an important textbook in the field of violin technique training. This book is a set of exercises for the more advanced stages of the violin, which will help players at the intermediate level and above to further improve their technique. The set was originally divided into four books (later publications were consolidated into two books): Book 1 is devoted to exercises for the first position; Book 2 is gradually refined to exercises for the second through seventh positions; Book 3 guides the player through the exercises for handle changes; and Book 4 focuses on double-tone exercises. In the fourth book, the double-tone exercises are very characteristic and difficult, and they are very effective in refining the player's double-tone technique.
Op.8: Change of Position and Preparatory Scale Studies for Violin
This book is a set of monophonic scale exercises for changing positions, which are very effective in training technical movements. The exercises include the same finger change, alternate finger change, and change between positions, which are comprehensive and concise. The main purpose of these exercises is to train the smoothness of the handle changes and to make the player's changes unnoticeable. The downward shift from a higher to a lower position often bothers the player, who needs to hold the instrument steady with his jaws and then try to reduce the pressure of the left thumb on the neck, and finally even to practice with the left thumb off the neck, in order to achieve better results.
Schradiec, The School of Violin Technics
Schradieck's School of Violin Technics is a set of three books for intermediate level violin study. The first book is designed to improve the player's dexterity in all positions, to strengthen the agility of the fingers in all positions in seemingly simple repetitions, and to improve the running speed and dexterity of the left hand. The second book is a two-tone exercise, which helps to improve the player's intonation and strengthen the left hand shape and technical movements. The third book focuses on the training and application of various bowing techniques, which effectively improves the player's control in bowing. With more than 100 pages of music, the set is rich in technique exercises and systematic training strategies, making it a highly targeted guide for violin technique training.
Carl Flesch's Scale System
Carl Flesch's Scale System is undoubtedly the most widely used textbook for professional violin training. It contains all twenty-four major and minor single and diatonic scales, each containing a single scale on one string, three octave single scales, arpeggios and chromatic scales, a variety of third, sixth and octave, finger change octaves and tenth diatonic scales, as well as overtone scales and double overtone scales, making it an essential textbook for violin study at the intermediate and advanced levels.
When practicing, players should be clear that the scale system is both an intonation exercise and a fluency exercise. When it is used as an intonation exercise, it should be slowed down in order to correct wrong notes; when it is used as a fluency exercise, it should be practiced quickly, and the scale must be changed every day and practiced with different intensity changes. In the process of practicing diatonic scales in thirds, sixths and tenths, you can first determine the nature of intervals, then understand the relationship between the arrangement of fingers and distance, and become familiar with good fingering, and finally put into practice, that is, "think before you practice". This practice can help the player to establish a certain degree of pre-judgment of technical movements and reduce errors. Carl Flesch's "Scales" has a very technical character with its finger-change octave arpeggios, which can efficiently improve the left hand.
T h e Heifetz Scale Book
Heifetz is undoubtedly one of the world's greatest violinists, and his technique is extraordinary, often with sublime interpretation. In an era when post-recording changes were not possible, Heifetz's works were presented flawlessly and seamlessly. The Heifetz Scales, compiled and published by Endre Granat, is an outline of the scales used in Heifetz's teaching.
According to Heifetz, "scales are an essential tool for the violinist," a daily practice for the violinist, the most effective way to build virtuosity, and the best practice material to keep the violinist in good shape. Practicing scales requires concentration, identification, analysis and disassembly of specific technical problems, and a scientific practice plan to effectively solve the problems encountered.
Scales need to be practiced with continuous bowing at the beginning, and when both left hand finger movements and right hand bowing movements are mastered separately, the practice will become very rich when strength variations and rhythm variations are added. Scales should also be practiced with different fingerings to meet the special timbre requirements and clear phrasing in certain musical pieces. The soundness of the fingering and bowing settings should always be measured by how well the music is expressed.
Lipizer's Advanced Violin Technique (A d v a n c e d V i o l i n Technique)
Lipizer was an Italian violinist and educator. His Advanced Violin Technique is an extensive collection of violin technique training, most of which is aimed at advanced students. Advanced Violin Technique is a more modern approach and method of technical training, using new and unique solutions to the technical challenges of the violin.
The set is divided into three parts: Part I contains exercises for the first position, which include various tonalities, rhythms, decomposed chords, tremolo preparation exercises, finger extension exercises, overtone double overtone exercises and left hand pizzicato preparation exercises. The second part includes scale exercises from the second to the tenth position. The third section lists scales for various combinations of modes, including three octaves and four octaves.
Galamian's Contemporary Violin Technique
Galamian is a renowned violin professor with extensive teaching experience and has studied with several of the world's leading violin soloists today. Contemporary Violin Technique, co-edited by Galamian and Newman, is a comprehensive violin technique training textbook in two volumes. The first volume is devoted to single scale, arpeggio and bowing, and rhythmic training, while the second volume focuses on techniques such as diatonicism. Contemporary Violin Performance Technique is a highly valuable set of practice material that is new, concise and unique. The left-hand training section is written in pitch only, not rhythm, while the rhythm and bowing exercises are not marked with pitch. This arrangement gives this technique training material a wider range of adaptability, allowing the player more room to practice rhythm and pitch according to actual needs.
Contemporary Violin Performance Techniques is organized from the perspective of mastery, with the emphasis on strengthening the mind's control over the muscles, and a variety of fingering, bowing, rhythm, and tempo variations more suitable for students at the intermediate to advanced level. The four-octave scales and arpeggios, as well as some non-traditional scales and arpeggios, are unique and a great choice for advanced level students' technical training.
The Yost Violin System
The Yost Violin System is an extensive technical training package covering almost all the important violin techniques, including single scales, arpeggios, diatonic scales, handle change exercises, finger movements and positions, bowing exercises, pizzicato, overtones, and bow and fingers. The book is rich in fingering variations, and some scales even have as many as a dozen fingering variations, which is one of its major features.
In addition, the unconventional fingering and extended fingers allow the player to expand his or her technique. In short, the Jost Violin System is a superb set of materials that overturns traditional technical thinking and is excellent for technical training of modern violinists and players.
The emphasis on scales can make technical training twice as effective. Violin virtuoso Perlman once stated in his master class, "Scales should be practiced daily to help us become familiar with the fretboard and to improve intonation and confidence." The only way to improve your proficiency and control of scales is to practice daily, so that when you play, you can turn your hand work over time into the endless applause of the audience.
