tchaikovsgay Posted July 1, 2020 Report Share Posted July 1, 2020 Hi. I'll graduate in September. I hope I can squeeze a minimum of 1 hour per day for practicing the violin apart from my job (hopefully I can get one). Currently as a music student, I have the luxury to practice for a maximum of 5 hours per day, doing basics, scales, studies (etudes), concertos and solo piece (so far, just bach), 1 hour each. I also read theory and violin books and watch violin performances and tutorial videos in between breaks. Worst case scenario is my job has nothing to do with violin playing. But, I swear I won't stop playing the violin. Any advice on the proportion and content for this condensed 1 hour routine? P.S. Some life goals I want to accomplish include having played all 16 Schradieck & Sevcik exercises, studies by Fiorillo, Dont, Gavines, Rode, Paganini, Wieniawski and eventually Ernst at the right tempo correctly (unfortunately still on Kreutzer), and having learnt my favorite concertos including Khachaturian, Vieuxtemps 4 and Prokofiev 1. Then, I can challenge myself for LRSM and FRSM. Also, LMus and FMus; I'll try to read on public transport I guess... Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arbos Posted July 1, 2020 Report Share Posted July 1, 2020 It is remarkable what you can achieve when you have a clear goal and little time. Study the technical works carefully and make your own exercises to save time. Use your imagination! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porteroso Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 On 7/1/2020 at 12:18 AM, tchaikovsgay said: Hi. I'll graduate in September. I hope I can squeeze a minimum of 1 hour per day for practicing the violin apart from my job (hopefully I can get one). Currently as a music student, I have the luxury to practice for a maximum of 5 hours per day, doing basics, scales, studies (etudes), concertos and solo piece (so far, just bach), 1 hour each. I also read theory and violin books and watch violin performances and tutorial videos in between breaks. Worst case scenario is my job has nothing to do with violin playing. But, I swear I won't stop playing the violin. Any advice on the proportion and content for this condensed 1 hour routine? P.S. Some life goals I want to accomplish include having played all 16 Schradieck & Sevcik exercises, studies by Fiorillo, Dont, Gavines, Rode, Paganini, Wieniawski and eventually Ernst at the right tempo correctly (unfortunately still on Kreutzer), and having learnt my favorite concertos including Khachaturian, Vieuxtemps 4 and Prokofiev 1. Then, I can challenge myself for LRSM and FRSM. Also, LMus and FMus; I'll try to read on public transport I guess... Thank you Depends on your level of motivation. Your plan is good as long as you are motivated, and don't skip days. Once you lose a bit of motivation, you'll need to search for things that make you happy. No shame in being on Kreutzer, many violinists have never seriously gone through half the etudes you list. I haven't. Kreutzer and Sevcik prepare you for most things, sure add in some finger torture (Schradieck). More important is what you want to hear when you practice a scale, or Kreutzer. Exactly how do you hear yourself? If you truly internalized great sound, 1 hour would let you get a ton of upkeep done each day. You don't need much more than 1 hour to stay a really good violinist, though getting there would be hard with 1 hour per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeissica Posted July 9, 2020 Report Share Posted July 9, 2020 Your goals are reasonable, and should keep you busy for years to come! I think the biggest key to success in practicing is to have a plan, and to continue modifying that plan as you progress. Having only one hour per day is a great reason to focus your plan so that you don't waste any time. For one thing, don't spend time on passages that you've already mastered, at least when you are in the "learning and perfecting" phase of a practice session. Here are some options: Odd days (M, W, F) 10-15 minutes of scales & double stops in the key of your main literature (etude, concerto, etc.) 30 minutes of working difficult passages from your main literature - slow, focused, concentrated work 10 minutes of playing whole passages, even if slowly, to integrate what you've worked on 5 minutes of playing something "easy" or "fun" with only the goal of playing as musically as possible Even days (T, Th, Sat) 10-15 minutes of slow warm up on an etude you already know, but might be rusty on - strive for smooth sound, smooth shifts, and accurate pitch & rhythm 20 minutes of bow exercises on literature you know, starting with no vibrato and all expression from the bow, or using only 2/3 of the bow but striving for good sound & expression. 20 minutes of sight reading along with a recording of string quartet music, orchestral music, etc. (strive to match the musicality & character of the recording) 5 minutes of slow scale work concentrating on pure tone & intonation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Merkel Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 I saved this picture from somewhere, sometime because it looked efficient. I haven't tried it. What I practice is something that I feel weak about, or something that's caused improvement in the past. For the last couple nights I practiced the exercise in thirds from Dounis' Daily Dozen, paying extreme attention to the feel of half and whole steps. Doing that that involves close listening, muscle memory, shifting, finger independence, 4th finger exercise, reading awareness for whole steps and half steps, bow control, double stop vibrato, and whatever else i realize isn't working along the way Pretty comprehensive actually, so efficient that way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 That's handy! Thanks for posting it. I'm going to stick it to my music stand...for those 'panic' moments when I forget what I'm supposed to be doing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avandesande Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 Any thoughts about musical development such as playing with quartet or local orchestra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 During, or after, the pandemic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipKT Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 On 7/1/2020 at 12:18 AM, tchaikovsgay said: Hi. I'll graduate in September. I hope I can squeeze a minimum of 1 hour per day for practicing the violin apart from my job (hopefully I can get one). Currently as a music student, I have the luxury to practice for a maximum of 5 hours per day, doing basics, scales, studies (etudes), concertos and solo piece (so far, just bach), 1 hour each. I also read theory and violin books and watch violin performances and tutorial videos in between breaks. Worst case scenario is my job has nothing to do with violin playing. But, I swear I won't stop playing the violin. Any advice on the proportion and content for this condensed 1 hour routine? P.S. Some life goals I want to accomplish include having played all 16 Schradieck & Sevcik exercises, studies by Fiorillo, Dont, Gavines, Rode, Paganini, Wieniawski and eventually Ernst at the right tempo correctly (unfortunately still on Kreutzer), and having learnt my favorite concertos including Khachaturian, Vieuxtemps 4 and Prokofiev 1. Then, I can challenge myself for LRSM and FRSM. Also, LMus and FMus; I'll try to read on public transport I guess... Thank you I think it is unwise to ask others to tell you what to practice. You have to decide what you need and work on that. So the best advice is to encourage you to listen to yourself honestly and determine where you most need work. The principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony taught me a list. I changed the order and expanded it a bit, but it came from him. The main characteristics of an accomplished musical goal are: Is it correct? Is it good? Is it repeatable? Is it EASY?( most important) Once you have accomplished that( and you must) there is one more, that must follow the basic four: Is it MEMORABLE? Everyone who gets invited to an audition is a competent player. Everyone can handle the first four. But the job goes to the memorable player. You listed a lot of rep, and I don’t care about any of it. Can you make me remember you? If you are already an accomplished player, work on being memorable. Make me put down my pencil and just listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Merkel Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 59 minutes ago, PhilipKT said: But the job goes to the memorable player. likewise, somebody said the job goes to the person that makes you want to hear more of them. hard times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 ...Florence Foster Jenkins... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Merkel Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 she's the difference between "memorable", and "want to hear more" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipKT Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 11 hours ago, Bill Merkel said: she's the difference between "memorable", and "want to hear more" That made me laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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