TMEA VIOLA 25-26

Chapter 1 focuses on technique, with some curated exercises to ensure we are on the same wavelength about shifting and hand frames, and to approach scales in 2 less standard ways which greatly help with intonation and confidence outside of 1st position.

There are four commonly used hand frames, as well as three common types of “extended” hand frames.

Shifting requires knowing how far you are traveling, and what your hand frame is in the old and the new position. Let’s practice shifting on each finger and practice dropping a new finger when we arrive.

One-string scales are a great exercise to practice shifting up and down a string, through multiple positions, all with a pattern our ear can recognize well. Here we have one-string scales in the keys common to our TMEA excerpts.

One-position scales are a useful tool for learning your finger spacing in each of the positions we often play in. In this exercise, we will be using all 4 fingers on all 4 strings to work on playing in tune in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th positions. Here we must be very aware of our hand frames.

One-position scales are a useful tool for learning your finger spacing in each of the positions we often play in. In this exercise, we will be using all 4 fingers on all 4 strings to work on playing in tune in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th positions. Here we must be very aware of our hand frames.

One-position scales are a useful tool for learning your finger spacing in each of the positions we often play in. In this exercise, we will be using all 4 fingers on all 4 strings to work on playing in tune in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th positions. Here we must be very aware of our hand frames.

One-position scales are a useful tool for learning your finger spacing in each of the positions we often play in. In this exercise, we will be using all 4 fingers on all 4 strings to work on playing in tune in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions. Here we must be very aware of our hand frames.

One-position scales are a useful tool for learning your finger spacing in each of the positions we often play in. In this exercise, we will be using all 4 fingers on all 4 strings to work on playing in tune in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions. Here we must be very aware of our hand frames.

In unit 2, we look at some specially curated left hand and bow exercises, to train skills needed for tricky moments in Mazas 26. This should be practiced before beginning to work on Mazas 26, to promote confidence and ease when it’s time for the etude itself.

These exercises focus on good setup and sound for the off-the-string strokes used in Mazas 26.

These exercises focus on good setup and sound for the on the string bow strokes used in Mazas 26.

These exercises practice switching between on-the-string and off-the-string strokes, by playing patterns from Mazas 26 on open strings only.

These exercises focus on how it sounds to play two strings at once with good sound, balance, and relaxation as needed in Mazas 26.

These exercises focus on some of the hand frames and extensions needed in complex parts of Mazas 26.

These exercises help train some shifting patterns that appear in Mazas 26 to train our ears and hands in advance.

This exercise gives us an extended opportunity to listen to each note in the double-stop passages of Mazas 26, helping us teach our left hand where to place the notes, how to move between them, and most importantly - relaxation!

In unit 3, we look at some specially curated left hand and bow exercises, to train skills needed for tricky moments in Campagnoli 6. This should be practiced before beginning to work on Campagnoli 6, to promote confidence and ease when it’s time for the etude itself.

These exercises focus on the bow control needed to play slow, sustained bow strokes and to gradually chang our dynamics, as we need to do in Campagnoli 6 to create a beautifully singing melody.

These exercises focus on the bow control needed to stay in rhythm as we play some 2-string patterns written in Campagnoli 6.

These exercises focus on the bow technique of up-bow-staccato, which appears in both Mazas 26 and Campagnoli 6.

These exercises help us practice shifting to D and A string harmonics from different fingers, and extending to the harmonic from in third position, both of which appear in Campagnoli 6 and Mazas 26.

Vibrato is used for expression, long singing melody, sustained sound, and control of dynamics in Campagnoli 6. This exercise helps us gain control of our vibrato.

These exercises help train our left hand to play relaxed, in tune double-stops in Campagnoli 6. We train one note at a time, then put them together with a balanced bow and practice moving from one set to the next, to create ease and teach our ears where to place our fingers.

This unit isolates one phrase at a time to ensure we focus on bringing small segments of the music to a high level. Additionally, this provides a guide for connecting the exercises to their corresponding parts of the etudes.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the first phrase of Mazas 26, and each time this segment of music returns.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the second phrase of Mazas 26.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the third phrase of Mazas 26.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the fourth phrase of Mazas 26.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the fifth phrase of Mazas 26, and each time this segment returns.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the sixth phrase of Mazas 26, and each time this segment returns.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the seventh phrase of Mazas 26, and each time this segment returns.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the eighth phrase of Mazas 26, and each time this segment returns.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the ninth phrase of Mazas 26.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the tenth phrase of Mazas 26.

This lesson connects our exercises to the music in the eleventh and final phrase of Mazas 26.

This unit advises how to practice now that you have done some deep learning on each phrase of Mazas 26.

This unit isolates one phrase at a time to ensure we focus on bringing small segments of the music to a high level. Additionally, this provides a guide for connecting the exercises to their corresponding parts of the etudes.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the first phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the second phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the third phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the fourth phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the fifth phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the sixth phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the seventh phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This guide connects our exercises to the music in the eighth phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This unit advises how to practice now that you have done some deep learning on each phrase of Campagnoli 6.

This provides a number of tips on how to practice, training our brains to focus and troubleshoot based off of what we hear when we practice, and how it compares to our musical goals.

This provides a number of tips on how to practice the spots where we have trouble keeping in time.

This provides a number of tips on how to practice performing, so that your audition day does not feel so unusual.