Preparatory exercises
While you are getting to grips with straight bowing in Chapter 1, I recommend you start with these exercises. Repeat them at least 10 mins each day until you reach at least Exercise 5 in Chapter 1. Then you can start with putting both hands together here in Chapter 2.
Work both Chapters (1&2) parallel until you are confident with both before you move on to Chapter 3 and your first pieces. I promise your patience will be rewarded in the long run. A solid foundation will save you huge amounts of time in the future!Â
Introducing the First Finger Pattern
Traditionally the finger pattern Tone – Semi tone – Tone (2nd and 3rd finger against eachother) is considered the easiest and therefore the first that is introduced. A lot of cute beginner pieces are arranged with this pattern in mind so after this series of exercises, plenty of beginner repertoire will become available already.
I provide here a very slow build up of the finger pattern, using an adaptation from an exercise by Charles de Beriot, Violin Method Book 1. Each exercise is available in three speeds, and I would suggest you repeat the slowest exercise until the intonation matches the recordings, both thumbs and shoulders are relaxed and the bow is nice and straight as practiced in Chapter 1.
It is common for the shoulders to tense up while the student first starts to concentrate on the use of the left hand. This leads to problems with bowing straight, definitely towards either end of the bow. Stretching forward (at the tip) or the bending of the wrist (at the heel) when the shoulders are tensed is a problem, so gradually, once the left hand knows the exercise, move the focus to relaxation, straight bowing and sound quality.
The First Finger Pattern: Round finger training
This exercise is massively important, which is why I didnt add it to the playlist of this finger pattern. Round relaxed fingers will protect the left wrist. The flatter the finger, the harder you have to squeeze to make a nice sound, so Charles de Beriot wrote an excellent exercise to train placing round fingers. I took a small portion of this exercise and developed it further. The rest of the exercise will become relevant later and will be introduced there.
Introducing the Second Finger Pattern
The structure of this exercise is identical to the previous one. The videos for the placement of the first finger are also the same. However, after the first finger things start to change with a low second finger. That then changes everything for the rest of the finger pattern.
If you practiced the whole of the first finger pattern, feel free to skip the first three videos, but dont ignore the rest. Even though the third and fourth finger land on the same notes, the training of the whole pattern requires patience. Soon you will need to be able to land 2, 3 or even all 4 fingers at the same time and without patience now, you are likely to struggle more then.
Good Luck!
Introducing the Third Finger Pattern
As before we will work our way step by step through all fingers. With the semitone between the third and the fourth finger, the first six exercises are identical to the first finger pattern. Even if you have studied the whole of the first pattern, at least play through these exercises to double check on intonation and sound quality. It is never a waste of time to review and strengthen your foundation technique.
From the high third finger onwards however there is plenty of new exercises to work on. Focus on staying relaxed throughout the whole of each exercise and make sure you enjoy the sound you create. Playing in tune is great, but pay close attention to applying everything you learned in the first chapter so you have a beautiful and relaxed sound!
I have included the round finger exercise into this playlist. The importance of this exercise can not be overstated!Â
Introducing the Fourth Finger Pattern
This last finger pattern has no semitones anywhere between the fingers. It is important to keep your left thumb as relaxed as possible to allow all your fingers to stretch apart. The more tension you carry in the left hand, the more you will struggle to reach forward with your little finger.
I have decided to record this pattern first using a semi tone between the open string and the first finger. This allows me to introduce the low first finger and several flats throughout these exercises.
As always, first concentrate on relaxation and intonation. Once you are in controle of those you can then shift your focus to straight bowing and sound control.
Second version of the Fourth Finger Pattern
Building on the framework of the first three finger patterns, I have also recorded the fourth finger pattern starting with the first finger a whole tone away from the end of the string.Â
The reasons why this is my second choice are:
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The previous version of this finger pattern allowed you to get a first introduction with flats
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The low first finger is awkward for many students and it deserves some extra attention
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The round finger training exercise sounds a lot nicer with the previous version