education - Mark Pedus' Violin and Viola practice manual

Chapter 3: Scales – finally completed!

Scales are the secret to fast progress. Their relative simplicity allow you to focus on everything that matters:

INTONATION

SOUND QUALITY

RELAXATION

POSTURE

But scales have a bad reputation for being boring and confusing. Every scale is unique and unless you have a basic knowledge of music theory, they seem completely random. Finger patterns change almost every string, seemingly for no good reason what so ever!

In this chapter I have tried to make things accessible for all. The sheet music, which you can download if you like to practice away from the videos, is available with note names and without. Each individual scale comes with a visual representation of all finger patterns in first position.

HOW BEST TO PRACTICE THE SCALES?

That very much depends on what you want to achieve. Ideally you practice scales for the purposes mentioned above, but many people will just practice them because they have to. I did the same until in music college I realised just how helpful they really are.

Best practice is to understand what scales are. If you understand the structure, you can play scales without having to know the individual notes.

However, if you want to learn to read and become independent, I suggest you start each scale with :

NAME A NOTE – PLAY A NOTE

I find that students that really try this for a few weeks have far less problems learning new pieces. Make sure you make the distinctions between for example a G and a G#. They might look the same on paper, but your fingers do have to be somewhere else. The more consistent you are, the easier anyone will learn just how easy scales really are!

Once you know the notes, that is where the real learning can begin. For string instruments, scales are all about cleaning up foundation technique. INTONATION is an obvious one, but experimenting with different DYNAMICS, RHYTHMS & BOWING PATTERNS are very usefull as well. Then RELAXATION becomes the real priority. How to keep your current sound quality, intonation, etc. with less and less tension.

Solving hidden tension is a large part of every day practice and scales are perfect. You can manipulate them any way you like to address anything you want.

These scales by Charles de Beriot, are just a fun starter to the endless possibilities you have. They are simple, but progressive, and the duo parts for the teacher make them all the easier to learn with.

The videos provided will walk you through all 18 scales. First slowly and gradually the tempo will get faster. With each tempo there is also a recording of the accompaniment you can work with. If you pay attention it will help develop your intonation and musician ship without much effort at all. You just need a little patience!

Good luck and please, any feedback and or financial help is very much appreciated!

Violin Chapter 3: Scales

Viola Chapter 3: Scales

Please help

C Major Scale Duets by Charles de Beriot edited for the viola

I finally got there. I just added the first scales to my practice manual! I gave the honour to the viola, because, why not. Starting to learn the viola about 6 years ago taught me more about teaching than you can possibly imagine. I realised that the viola relates to an adult the way a violin is measured to a child, and that the solutions I discovered to deal with the extra weight and size could really help my students solve their issues better. By placing myself, in a way, in their shoes, I understood their struggles a lot better and it allowed me to find efficient solutions.

If you compare what I teach with how you see great virtuosi hold and handle their instrument, you might wonder why I insist so much on posture, relaxation, thumb position, etc. However, once you have a few decades of experience under your belt, an instrument that is proportionally tiny and often with mythical qualities, you will also be able to break some rules.

Until then, be patient and enjoy your scales for now. Things will get easier and more diverse very soon!

[Elite_video_player id=”37″]

Please help

Second chapter: Finger Patterns for Violin and Viola

As I mentioned yesterday, I have plenty of videos waiting to be connected to my website. I didn’t quite realise how far I had fallen behind on actually uploading my videos to this site. To begin with I have filled in some gaps I found in the first chapter, and I have now also completed the Second chapter – Finger Patterns – for both the violin and the viola.

Here are the new playlists:

Violin: Fourth Finger Pattern – Part 2: The high first finger

Viola: Third finger pattern

Viola: Fourth finger pattern – Part 1: The low first finger

Viola: Fourth Finger Pattern – Part 2: The high first finger

I hope you enjoy practicing along with these videos and please, any feedback is very much appreciated.

Over the next few days I will start work on the sheetmusic for the first two chapters. Once they are ready I will make them available for download so you can also practice away from the videos.

Stay relaxed, be patient when you practice and if you can, please support this website so it can keep on growing!

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Perfectionism

Or just a word to hide behind as an excuse to postpone the launch of my first videos.

The original idea was to finish editing the recordings I made this summer, then build on that so I can get where I want to get. A project that can help anyone to learn to play the violin and/or the viola.

So now I am re-recording everything. Was it bad? Not really and I am not sure what I recorded last week is much better. It is tiring to make ‘open string’ recordings – in slow motion! And video and sound editing eats my days away before my eyes!

Anyway, this week, come what may, I will link in my first lessons for both instruments. Ready or not (that is referring to me, not to you) here I come…

Blogging, the big unknown

For years I have been building towards 2 goals. Make my shop a success and use whatever funds I can to build an online school for violin and viola.

School is not exactly the right word as no videos can replace a halfway competent teacher, but my aim was to explain anyone interested in how to practice. How to avoid wasting time while you practice so you grow faster, have less bad habits that will hold you back in the long run and over all make it more fun when you get to play pieces because you are simply better.

This week I am finally starting on this project that has taken years to prepare. I saved up bit by bit until I finally had all the necessary gear to build a recording studio in my basement. Then I had to go through the headache of trying to figure out some basic sound and video editing skills, which gave me another level of admiration for anyone in that industry!

I worked my way through dozens of different violin methods until I finally found 2 I fell in love with. Charles de Beriot which is deservedly world famous and the almost unknown Nicolas Laoureux, two methods very contrasting teaching styles. De Beriot is as expected ambitious beyond belief and would work well I guess if you can afford an hours lesson a day or so. Laoureux on the other hand is slow and methodical and maybe a bit too careful. But mixed together I really enjoy using both.

The best part about them is the duets, dozens of duets for teacher and student, each with a clear goal for the student. C. D Beriot even managed to compose an accompaniment to scales to make them more entertaining!

This blog will be mainly a video blog, guiding the student and their parents step by step through each exercise, explaining what to achieve and how to achieve it. I’ll also incorporate repertoire from ABRSM, Trinity and Suzuki method.

You can work your way through the entire method or pick and choose whatever videos you find interesting.

I look forward to this project and hope to help and inspire anyone that is interested, and look forward to any suggestions or constructive criticism you feel like sharing. I can’t wait to hear from you all!

Mark