Since the beginning of this Inquiry project I have been worried about a lot of things with respect to playing the violin. Mainly any past anxiety I may have resurfacing and impeding my progress in relearning my scales and new pieces. However, I can say with confidence that that is not the case and I am really enjoying returning to the violin.
The three octave scales and arpeggios I am playing are G and A major which are admittedly what I struggle with the most. I play the scales using a Galamian turn which means I play the first, third, second note, and then start the scale again at the first note; for example in G major I would play G, B, A, G, A, and then continue with the scale (see image).
Knowing that I struggle with scales the most it is often challenging to practice them and dedicate time to them. When practicing scales repetition is the key so when practicing I repeat the scales three times at least starting at a slower tempo and gradually over time moving up to a faster tempo.
I am also playing a study in C major in which I focus on note accuracy and maintaining tempo. I have found this piece to be the easier of the two as there is minimal shifting compared to the concerto. Something I have found to be of benefit when practicing my study is to use different rhythms for the notes (see image below). This may sound counter intuitive, however all the notes are played in the same rhythm of sixteenth notes throughout which allows me to modify the rhythm pattern. Although, the tempo of the piece does suffer a little bit using this technique helps me learn the notes better.
Because all the notes in the study appear in this rhythm I can play the study using the different rhythms shown, where the red line indicates a held note.
Embedded Images are my own violin and work
Featured Photo by Providence Doucet on Unsplash
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