Practice Tips for Minuet No. 2 in Suzuki Violin Book 1

     You have made it through Minuet No. 1, now it's time for Minuet No. 2 by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece has a lot of interesting details, be on the lookout for them. Here are some tips that a student of mine put together with me to help learn Minuet No. 2:

• Key and Fingering: The piece is in the key G major, which means it is written from the G major scale. One way to get warmed up is to play this scale a few times. Remember, there is a low 2nd finger on the E and A string. You only play F sharp, which is 2nd finger on the tape (a high 2nd finger), touching the third finger, on the D string. Keep an eye out for accidental sharps;  there is a D sharp, high 3rd finger on the A string, in measures 23 and 24. Use the 4th finger where it is written to make the melody sound more sweet.
• Bowing: play smooth and connected (legato) with the bow. With a proper, relaxed bowhand it is easier to make the bow flow legato.  The notes that have dashes on top or on the bottom (tenuto) are meant to be played with big bow and separation between them. There are lots of slurs and hook bows in the piece, which calls for a distinction in the bowing. The slurs are to be played smooth and the hook bows more choppy.
• Dynamics: measures 17 to 20 are played soft (piano) and one way to get a soft beautiful tone is to use less bow on these notes. There is a crescendo in measures 16 and 40, which means you will want to increase the amount of bow being used. On the accented notes make them more separated and use more bow to bring them out.
• Repeats: watch out for the repeats at the end of each section.
• Take your time so that you get comfortable with the details and can enjoy the piece. 
• Play along with the video to get an idea on how it goes then try it your own way; get creative!

What details do you see in Minuet No. 2? What has helped you play the piece well? Subscribe for more updates and see you next time.

Student Post: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Thirty-Five Years of Beautiful Music

Historical Period: Classical
Nationality: Austrian
Born: January 27, 1756 in Salzburg
Died: December 5, 1791 in Vienna
Contemporaries: Carl Friedrich Abel, Johann Christian Bach, Ludwig v. Beethoven, Luigi Bocherini, Chritosph Gluck, Franz Josef Haydn, Johann Hummel, Atonio Salieri, Anton and Carl Stamitz.
Major Works: 23 piano concertos, five violin concertos, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, and some church music, including 20 organ works
 

What's Happening in the World?

     It is the 1700's; the First Copyright Act has been passed in Britain (1709); in North America there is fighting with the Tuscarora Indians; Jean Jacques Rousseau, the French philosopher, dies (1712); the same year that the Shawnee Indians established themselves in Ohio. In this time period, which is called the Enlightenment, America revolted against Great Britain becoming its own country (1776);  Adam Smith had written about his ideas of capitalism; Jean-Jacques Rousseau had written Emile on the innate goodness of man and how people just need a good education; it was not well-received); John Wesley and George Whitefield were preaching to multitudes in America about the need to be born again. This brought the First Great Awakening in America where many people turned to God. And in the world of music composer Christoph Gluck was reaching the end of his life, Haydn was working hard at writing symphonies, William Billings was composing music for the church and as we have seen much more was going on. Then in the midst of all this, Mozart was born.

The Early Years

      On January 27, 1756, Leopold Mozart and his wife, Anna Maria, were very happy: God had given them a new baby! It was a boy, and he was baptized in the Catholic Church as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Wolfgang Amadeus.

Leopold Mozart was the assistant music director and violinist in the archbishop's chapel in Salzburg. Not only that, but Leopold was a composer too and even wrote a treatise about violin playing. All the music in the air must have influenced young Wolfgang, since at age three he was picking out chords on the keyboard. At age four, he was memorizing short pieces, and at five he improvised little minuets. Soon after, he wrote out his first compositions (with his father's help). Now, keep in mind that Leopold would give little Wolfgang music lessons just about everyday, and they were way more than 30 minutes!

Wolfgang's father was very proud of him, so he decided to take his son and daughter, Nannerl, on a long trip to Munich, Germany, in 1762. This began several years of traveling around Europe, where young Mozart amazed his audiences with his performances, improvisations, and his sight-reading on the clavier, organ, and violin. After Germany, they visited Vienna where young Mozart was quite taken with Princess Marie Antoinette, and he asked her to marry him, but she couldn't because he was only six and a princess can't marry a musician. Next, they went to Paris, and they even got to perform for the king of France, King Louis XV, in Versailles. Afterwards, the Mozart family went to England to play for King George III. It was in England that the Mozart family met Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian Bach. Lastly, they went to Holland, but they had to wait to play in the capital city of Amsterdam, because Mozart and Nannerl were sick. Eventually, they came back to Vienna, where Mozart composed his first operas and two symphonies. After Vienna, Mozart returned to Salzburg, but this time it was to be appointed Konzertmeister to the archbishop of the Catholic Church and began writing church music.

What interesting things do you know about Mozart?

Guest writer: Rachel Holbrook

Etude, Suzuki Violin Book 1 No. 12 - Tips and Focus Points

You are now 3/4ths of the way through Book 1, keep going! Etude is Dr. Suzuki's fifth piece in the book. Here are some tips and focus points that will help you master this piece:

• There is one sharp in the key signature, so you will use a low 2nd finger on the A and E string.
• The piece breaks up in 3 parts, so look for where each section starts and keep in mind that part 1 repeats.
• Part 1, 2 and 3 have groups of notes that repeat and G scale runs.  
• Practice the song with legato, staccato and even bouncing the bow.
• Work on making the piece flow, the notes are all the same rhythm, except for the last note, so keep them all even.
• Play along with the video to understand how the songs is supposed to go.
• After you have piece learned, you will be ready to try the Variation, which is doubling each note like in Perpetual Motion.

What tips do you have for Etude? Feel free to ask questions, suggestions and concerns in the comment box. And if you want more help, try a free online lesson!

Performance Reflections: Duet for Violin and Guitar by Burgmuller

          I recently performed a duet with a friend, Derek Harris, at our Spring Student Recital. This is a Nocturne by Johann Friedrich Burgmuller that he originally wrote for cello and guitar. As you can see I am playing the violin and he is playing the guitar.

         One thing I noticed as I was playing the piece with my friend Derek is how helpful it is to warm-up and to play through the piece before performing it in front of the audience. By just taking a few minutes to get my hands and fingers warmed-up I was able to enjoy the piece a lot more. It wasn't always so, there were many times that I just got to a concert or recital on time (or even late!) and I was not able to enjoy myself very much because I was not playing my best.

         Instead of getting your recital on time, make sure to get there early enough to warm-up by doing scales and other exercises that you know and then play through your piece at a medium tempo. Remember, take your time because you will be nervous and want to rush. Set yourself up to do your best, it is much more enjoyable!

          What are some things or routines that you go through to get warmed-up to perform?

Bluegrass Music Camp Coming Up!

    Classical music is fun and so are Suzuki lessons, so you should definitely give Bluegrass music a chance. Join us if you have a guitar, mandolin, fiddle/violin, banjo, bass, or cello to learn the basics of Bluegrass and American/Irish folk music. Delve into this incredible summer experience working with experienced teachers and performers.

We will conclude the week with a performance. Students should have at least 6 months study on their instruments. For those of you who play in the Suzuki books, you should be in the second half of book 1 or higher.

It's going to be lots of fun, it will give you a chance to learn to play with a band, and what a way to get motivated to play your instrument this summer!

Where: Oldham County Arts Center 
Date: July 21-25
What Time: 1-4pm
How Much: $125 ($50 Deposit)
Ages: Ages 8-18  
Contact: 502.241.6018

 

The Summer Practice Challenge!

     Every summer, my students are encouraged to go for The Summer Practice Challenge. Why? I started it a few summers ago because I thought it would be a fun way for students to get a prize and it would encourage them to avoid being lazy with their instrument. Being lazy in the summer time is very tempting with no school, hot weather and other fun activities that they are doing. But The Summer Practice Challenge has been a success, more and more parents are telling me how it's motivating their children.

How does it work? The student needs to be able to play everything I give them on their practice chart 20 days in a row. If they do not skip a day and get 20 days they get their prize, or they may go for 40 days to get a bigger prize, or if they get 40 days, they can go for 60 days for the biggest prize!

The Good news: 1. the prize is something the student likes, 2. the student may start the challenge any time they want before the 1st day of school, and 3. they may re-start the challenge as many times as they want. As you can see the point is to motivate the student to keep trying.

The Benefits:
1. Motivates students to practice (they want to push for the prize).
2. Challenges the student's and the parent’s integrity to be honest (will they cheat?).
3. Teaches the student consistency and discipline to practice even when you do not feel like it.
4. It teaches students to set goals and have fun at the same time. 
5. The student will learn to take responsibility to complete his or her goal.
6. Parents will not have to push their child very hard to practice.

        In the end it is the attitude of the teacher and the parent that will influence the student on how to approach The Summer Practice Challenge.  Parents, out of good intentions, have pushed their child so hard that the student shuts down and they do not want to do the challenge.  I encourage teachers and parents, to make this optional to their students as it will "put the ball in their court." You might be surprised what happens when you give them the responsibility. Let the challenge begin!

Musette: Suzuki Violin Book 2 - Tips and Focus Points

     So you are now getting comfortable playing with the whole bow Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus and now we are ready for the next step: Musette by J.S. Bach. Here are some tips and focus points:

• Check the key signature: 2 sharps (F# and C#), which means 2nd and 3rd finger touch on A and D string; 1st and 2nd finger touch on the E string.
• Play at the tip of the bow as many notes as possible.
• Bring out the sudden changes in dynamics. Make a distinct difference between p, mf, f by the amount of bow you use.
• Take a small breath when you see the commas in the music.
• The last note in the piece you can play as a harmonic on the D string.
• One way to practice the 4-note slurs is to make them into hook bow, so that it is easier to distribute he amount of bow per note.
• Play scales and pieces from book 1 at the tip to make it easier playing at the tip.

Feel free to ask questions, suggestions and concerns. And if you want more help, try a free online lesson!