With plenty of scale and arpeggio patterns, Harry Schloming’s Study No. 1 in C major is quite the workout …. a great way to get in shape, and to stay in shape!
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This famous Viennese Waltz by Johann Strauss II was inspired by the river Danube, one of the longest rivers in Europe.
This famous sea shanty from the 1800s tells the story of sailors hunting whales near New Zealand. Here's an exclusive ViolinSchool / Violin Orchestra version!
Old Folks at Home, often known as 'Swanee River', is a gorgeous melody written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Swan off down the river with this exclusive duet version!
My Bonnie lies over the ocean, My Bonnie lies over the sea, My Bonnie lies over the ocean, Oh bring back my Bonnie to me … a delightful traditional Scottish folk song.
Download the sheet music for this exercise from the ViolinSchool library at:
https://www.violinschool.com/library/on-the-straight-and-narrow/
This exercise helps you to avoid going out of tune when moving your finger from one string to the next.
As we move the first finger towards the E string, it becomes slightly more curved, which can create a tendency to play flat as it moves in. The opposite happens when we reach out towards the G string. The finger straightens out and it's easy to accidentally play sharp.
To stop this from happening and to stay in tune, we have to make sure that the finger lands in the same place on each string.
We do this by thinking ahead about where the finger is going to land, taking into account the change in the angle of the finger.
A little bit of swing in the left arm will help you to play comfortably on each string.
Your elbow moves in as you swing round to reach the G string, and out as you swing back around to the E string.
Play along with the piano backing track and listen to whether the pitches you're playing fit with what you're hearing. This will help you to know whether you're playing in tune.
I like the flowers, the daffodils, the mountains, the rolling hills, and the fireside when the nights are cold and I’m singing, “Doo wappa doo wappa doo wappaty wop!
Hark! I hear the foe advancing … where are those Men of Harlech! This is a traditional Welsh song about the seven-year siege of Harlech Castle between 1461 and 1468.
Flex your pinky with this set of 4th finger exercises! Make sure it lands perfectly in tune every time, don’t let the other fingers lead you astray … naughty things!
Time for some pinky power! Get your 4th finger in tip-top shape - strong and sturdy, supple and sprightly - with this super set of workouts!
A galopede is not a type of fast-moving insect, but an especially energetic English country dance!! See how fast you can gallop the galopede, but practise slowly first!
Who will win in this game of two halves … the lower half or the upper half of the bow?! Each half is competing to be the most exact and the most pleasing to the ear!
Are you a major or a minor? A perfect or an augmented? Find out if opposites really do attract in this excellent exercise … a great way to improve your intonation!
Yeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaw! Get your feet tapping with this romping barn dance, great for practising open string double stops! See how fast you can get the ending!
A march fit for a king … a 10th century High King of Ireland, no less … Brian Boru of the Dalcassians! Brian must have been a fan of dotted rhythms and string crossing!
Dvořák wrote his set of Humoresques in the summer of 1894 when he must have been in a pretty good mood! The 7th one is probably the best known and probably the best!
John Eccles wrote this achingly beautiful music for a stage play by John Fletcher, a tragicomedy called The Mad Lover. It’s also a really good string crossing exercise!
It’s always worth getting a second opinions! Hopefully, 2nd position doesn’t disagree with 1st position too much! The aim of these exercises is to achieve consensus!
Make 2nd position a winning position with this series of broken chord exercises in C, F, and Bb major. Every note needs to be in tune to win the trophy! Good luck!
Wait a second, take a moment, and make sure you’ve got the right fingers on the right notes in these soothing 2nd position exercises. Time well spent … every second!
Hmm … not sure Henry VIII would provide good company to pass the time with, but he certainly knew how to write a good tune! Great rhythms, too … enjoy!
Paganini's 24th Caprice is the last of his epic set of caprices. This catchy theme has been the inspiration for a huge number of pieces ... an absolute classic!
Here's the scale of A Major in one octave. Listen, sing, then play along with the track until you know the pattern from memory!
Here's the scale of D Major in one octave. Listen, sing, then play along with the track until you know the pattern from memory!
