Viola Ensemble!!!!

There is nothing better, and I mean nothing, than the dulcet sounds of 14-16 violists playing the light classics.  It just shows viola versatility!!  We are an inner voice, an outer voice, a bass voice, a soaring melody, the rhythm section, a dessert sauce, a lethal weapon.....

Doing arrangements of things for instruments other than for what was originally written is an age-old tradition.  Even Berlioz would substitute instruments, back in the day.  As violists, if we ever want to get a shot at some of the great melodies, we have to take matters into our own hands!!!  All my students are required to do a transcription.  It can be anything from Van Halen to Van Beethoven, as long as it features the viola in some way.  This week, I'm working on the Radetzky March for the viola ensemble.  Requisite clapping will be achieved by audience members, or each violist slapping his/her stand partner upside the head with their bow.

Fingering "rules"

The following are a few rules that define how I am going to create fingerings.  Keep in mind, some rules supercede others, and the number ONE golden rule is:  You must shift according to your best strengths.  That however does not give you free permission to avoid your fourth finger!!

These will be added onto...but to get you started:

Some rules for fingering:

1. avoid shift in the middle of a tie/slur
2. only cross strings in a tie if its appropriate with the phrase
3. its better to stay on same string during a phrase, EXCEPT when it makes you sound bad
4. first position is always a safe position 
5. use ritards, string changes, open strings and slurs to hide your shift
   

Cold Hands

Dear Nerdy Violist
I have really cold hands all the time. Any suggestions for warming them up and keeping them warm.
Gabe

Orchestra Rep Class Repertoire and Schedule Fall 09

Orchestral Repertoire Class/ Audition Boot Camp mission:

The hour-long weekly Orchestra Repertoire Class prepares junior and senior undergrad and graduate students for professional orchestra auditions. Each week, one to two different excerpts are assigned. These are often coordinated with actual professional auditions that you may be taking. Every aspect of the orchestral repertoire is explored from bowings, tempi, fingerings and dynamics, to sight-reading techniques, to being an active and contributing orchestral musician. The psychological aspect of auditioning is given equal emphasis, with exercises given on how to be flexible during an audition, nutrition and sleep preparation, and how to prepare mentally for any stressful contingency. Mock auditions take place as mid-term and final exams, and once a year students participate in the “Audition Boot Camp” which utilizes techniques from the United States Navy SEALS and sports psychologists. Students participate in exercises created by Don Greene, author of books such as “Audition Success” “Fight Your Fear and Win” and “Performing Under Pressure.”

Fall 2009 Rep: (may be subject to change)

9/14 Beethoven 5 (mvmt 2,3); Mendelssohn Scherzo
9/21 Mendelssohn Scherzo; Tchaikovsky 6 (mvmt 1)
9/28 Shostakovich 5 (mvmt 1, viola section solo); Beethoven 3 (scherzo)
10/5 Brahms Haydn Variations V, VII, VIII
10/12 the dreaded Don Juan
10/19 Mozart 35 "Haffner" (complete)
10/26 MIDTERM.....FRIENDLY MOCK AUDITION
11/2 Tannhauser
11/9 Berlioz Roman Carnival; Bruckner 4 (mvmt 2)
11/16 Magic Flute; audition centering exercises
11/23 Mendelssohn Italian Symphony 4 (complete)
11/30 Brahms 2 (complete)
12/7 review and focusing exercises
12/14 FINALS...AKA UNFRIENDLY WORST CASE SCENARIO AUDITION

I'll email the music a week in advance, feel free to get it even earlier on your own. I'll try to have a complete book made before midterms.

Welcome to the new school year!!

Hello everyone! I am SO excited to meet and work with all of you. For those of you that did the Hartt Orchestra placement auditions today, great job! and boy we have work to do don't we!?!

No worries...it'll be good for you...like vegetables.

I found this great link- the blog author is obviosly a violist. Enjoy, and start researching for our viola ensemble concerts!

freestringmusic.blogspot.com

viola links

This blog is from a violist/composer graduating from NYU this year:

http://opensourcemusic.org/


He has some good ideas on excerpts:

http://www.stephenwyrczynski.com


the journal of the american viola society, which publishes a free summer issue online:

http://www.americanviolasociety.org/JAVS/javs.htm

Daily Torture Exercises

Well kids, now that the bloom of auditions and recitals has passed, let's get back to work, starting with the basics:

Daily Torture Exercise 1- An Oldie but a Goodie

Purpose:

Speedwork
This will train your fingers for fast combinations/muscle memory.

Directions:

1) Play each group of 4 four times fast. Short pauses may be taken between groups, but it is crucial that the 4 fingers be played as rapidly as possible. For example:

1-2-3-4 *pause* 1-2-3-4 *pause* 1-2-3-4 *pause* 1-2-3-4 *pause*
1-2-4-3 *pause* 1-2-4-3 *pause* 1-2-4-3 *pause* 1-2-4-3 *pause*

etc, etc, ad nauseum, and I mean NAUS-E-UM.



2) Play the whole exercise all the way through 4X, one time on each string

3) You can change up the half and whole steps/change keys

the groups:




comments? complaints?

General Chamber Music Rehearsal Guidelines for not Killing Each Other

The group will spend one hour on each of the following issues.

concert tempo

use a metronome and play at half dynamic. If it gets too loud, divide into groups with similar rhythm (see below on how to divide into groups)

general ensemble

pay attention to bowings, ends of notes cutting off together, dynamics being the same, bow strokes/speeds being the same

intonation

tune chords. Break up into groups to do this (see below). There should be one person not playing at all times so they can tell if it is out of tune or not. Take turns doing this.

phrasing

make sure you all have the same “story” in mind. Everyone should recognize the peaks of the phrase in the same place. Bow speed and dynamics come into play here as well. (i.e. if something is repeated 3 times in a row, do you play it the same all 3 times?)




A 5 minute break may be taken at the end of each hour.

Work may be done in various ways:

1. The whole group

2. Groups of similar lines working together ( for example, while the 2 violins are working on the intonation of something they have together, the viola and cello are looking at the score and “policing” the violins, telling them where the problems lie)

3. When you have disagreements, the easiest and fastest way to resolve them is by trying each person’s idea with the utmost conviction as a group, then deciding if the idea works or not. Trading may take place.

4. Remember: it is more constructive to say INCLUSIVE sentences starting with “I’m feeling” instead of sentences starting with “you are.” For example, “You’re rushing there” is more likely to make your colleague feel defensive and personally attacked, but “I’m feeling like we are rushing” or “we are unsteady there, can we work on this with the metronome?” makes you willing to be part of the solution, as you should well be.

A clip from Viola Master Class

Here is my student Adolfo Solis playing the Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia with his friend Brandon Buckmaster. This took place at the NYU Intensive Quartet Seminar Viola Master Class, after which the class went out to the traditional post viola-class dinner of really good and unusual Chinese food in Chinatown, followed by a sweet tooth run to Little Italy for pastries and gelato. Ya gotta love viola master class! It's all about the chinese food and cannoli!

Summer Assignments

Hello Victims,

Here are your summer assignments. Rest assured that the people that are traveling with me at the various festivals have to complete these as well. I will tell each of you individually in a separate email what your levels are ("I" or "A").

Feel free to comment with any questions, remark on your progress, commisurate with each other, etc.

Level I-


Scales: (pick 2 a week) Mogill Scale system. All 2 octave major scales in all keys, 3 octave major scales in C and D major

Etudes: (pick 1 different Sevcik a week, and 1 different etude a month of the other two composers) Sevcik Shifting Studies, Wolfhardt, Kreutzer no. 1

Bach: (pick 3 movements; memorize at least 2 movements by the end of summer) Suite 1, Suite 3 for Unaccompanied Cello

Pick a movement from the following:

Eccles Sonata for viola
Handel-Casadesus Concerto in B minor for viola
Glazunov Elegie

Theory homework:

Each week, transcribe 16 bars of any solo that is in COMPOUND RHYTHM (i.e. 6/8 or 12/8) to SIMPLE rhythm (2/4 or 4/4, respectively) (The Glazunov Elegie would be a good example)

Each week, do another exercise in the Robert Starer Rhythmic Notation book. Conduct and say “ta”




Level A-

Warm-up: Daily torture exercises (see another post on this blog)

Scales: (pick one major and one minor a week) Flesch Scale System, 3 octaves, all keys.

Arpeggios: (one a week) Flesch Scale System 3 octave arpeggios in all keys, all bowings

Etudes: 1-3/week from Sevcik Shifting Studies. Pick one from the following: Campagnoli, Rode, Hermann, Fuchs, Kreutzer (except #1)

Bach: (pick one suite) Solo Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, 1-5 Memorize three movements by the end of summer

Repertoire: Choose one from each list. Work on at least one movement per piece.

List 1: Schubert Arpeggione, Brahms Sonatas Op 120, Bruch Romanze, Mendelssohn Sonata, Bloch Suite Hebraique, Glinka Sonata

List 2: Stamitz Concerto, JC Bach Concerto, Zelter Concerto, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, Bloch Suite for Viola and Orchestra. (Please work on memorization of these as well)

Theory Homework:

1.One exercise from every chapter of Robert Starer Book. Conduct and “ta”

2. Transcribe a favorite work for another instrument into the viola. Limit it to 5 minutes of music

OR

Re-write a movement of Solo Bach for two violas, taking care to separate the lines in a logical and pleasing manner