How to improve my violin playing? (Post Grade 8)

[GaraMedouar]

Hi - I started a thread on in another area but was suggested to come over here.

I am an adult learner violin player. I started at age 40, I’m now 50 and passed my grade 8 with merit about a year and a half ago.

I want to improve though. I am a good woodwind player (semipro)- played for 45years! , and would like to reach the same standard on violin. Is that possible at my age? On my wind instrument I can waltz in and sightread anything. With violin I have to practise for hours and hours to get tricky passages.

I am a full time working single mum so have limited time and money - in the last year I’ve had about 3 lessons, that’s it!

I play 1st violin in a few amateur orchestras, (I prefer 1st for the melody line and to keep up practise on higher positions) so I practise the music for these pieces.

Any suggestions on a good practise regime that will actually improve me and not just maintain my level pottering along, which is ok, but not brilliant.

So - I can possibly do up to 1 hour practise a day - maybe a regime of a scale and arpeggio to start, a Kreutzer study, Shradieck, some slow practise (I need to improve tone and vibrato), I’ve just started looking at the Bruch. Someone on the other thread suggested the Bach sonatas and partitas. I do think that I need to have a lesson - maybe once a month , I could probably manage that. The other thing I’m thinking of doing is working towards my ARSM. I work better with a goal.

Overall, your best bet is to work through the repertoire, playing studies as you need to for particular techniques. Definitely play some unaccompanied Bach - starting with some of the more straightforward movements (which appear regularly on the grade 7 and 8 lists), and also the Bach concertos. Since you are an experienced musician, the Mozart concertos are probably not out of reach.

I would put aside the romantic concertos for now. You you will need tonal control and double stopping technique well beyond grade 8 to really enjoy them. It is notable that the Bruch etc do not feature on the ARSM/ARCL lists.

I would strongly recommend chamber music, as a way of improving your playing and getting valuable coaching. Pro Corda run adult courses, which may be better value for you than occasional lessons.

Good luck! Please do come back and update us with how you are getting on!

Firstly, bloody well done! Learning as an adult with all the other demands on your time and parenthood to boot is very impressive indeed.

I second Taggie's recommendation of chamber music. Really challenging and stretching as you have to hold a line and can hear your own sound in isolation, as well as lovely and sociable thing to do. In my area there are some nice chamber music days where either you get put together with a group to play or everyone learns a piece of chamber music together as a string orchestra. Or may be easier/more convenient to grab some musicians from orchestra and meet up one evening.

For practice Simon Fischer's book "Practice" was recommended to me and I've found it brilliant for working on specific aspects of technique. Having the odd lesson is very helpful for knowing which aspect to work on.

Whether or not you decide to do ARSM the lists have some lovely repertoire.

Enjoy

Sorry, meant "Basics", "Practice" is a different SF book.

Thanks Taggieohara and thirdfiddle . Great ideas. I have the Simon Fischer book already and do occasionally use it for certain techniques. Double stopping is something I have always found incredibly difficult. As opposed to my son who finds them easy peasy. I have stiffer , older fingers!

I will google Pro Corda courses. Chamber music sounds good, I do play in a string orchestra once a month which is good fun.
I think I have a Mozart Concerto somewhere, maybe I’ll fish that out and do that first instead of the Bruch. I’ve done the first page of the first movement of Bruch, I love it but it is challenging.

Next step is a lesson before Xmas I think to get me on track.

Thanks again for the ideas.

Great! I am a big Fischer fan too. His instructional videos on musicguru are amazing. www.musicgurus.com/course/the-secrets-of-tone-production-part-1

I have bought all of them, and regularly work through the exercises with DS2 (whom I taught until very recently). Very nice supplement to the books.