Ask Augustin 36 - Chromatic Scales
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- In this episode I talk about chromatic scales. They can be tricky to play evenly and cleanly, because they require quite a lot of shifting, but they are encountered in so many pieces that it's a great time investment to work on them. You can reuse similar fingerings no matter what key you are in (since it's a chromatic scale), unlike other scales, where the fingerings will change depending on the key.
I personally like fingerings for chromatic scales that have more shifts that are all very small (just half-step shifts), rather than fewer shifts that are big, which make it harder to play the scale smoothly. But both types of fingerings have their uses and are worth practicing, and practicing either one can be useful for your left-hand technique overall. If chromatic scales are an issue, it is useful to practice them at different speeds and starting on different notes. The main things to pay attention to are: that the shifts are clean, the half-steps are all evenly spaced, that the scale has musical direction, and that the right hand remains independent and is not affected by everything going on with the left hand.
"I have more problems, but they're really small problems" - that's the best summary of the rationale for using the half-step-shift approach to chromatics :).
I love your "preferred fingerings" for playing chromatic scales as well. It seems to me that "IT" produces the most fluid sound, but at the same time, it's the most natural way to implement. Of course, I'll need to work on my articulations in order to not sound mushy. Thank you for giving us another great lesson today, Augustin! from your admiring student, Tony :-)
Hi Augustin, I'm a clarinet player. I find your videos really helpful and I truly admire you! I started to listening to violin repertoire because of you. We've always studied (and been taught) everything about our instrument and I found myself being a completely ignorant when it comes to the rest of the orchestra. Thank you for teaching us with passion and humility. Stay safe!
What he should have said, "I like to do the fingering that literally every teacher will tell you not to do." Love it.
Your lessons are awesome, thank you!!!❤❤❤
I do prefer to shift to second and finger 12/1234, for me it sounds cleaner. The other way sounds a bit glissando, but i dont know how you manage to make it sound really good. Not everyone is Agustin Hadelich i guess lol!
Me too! Totally agree. You must use whatever works for you. Not all of us mere mortals are violin geniuses like Mr Hadelich or Mr Heifetz.
I literally saw a 30 second video of you playing a song on twosetviolin’s channel a few days ago and now I’m obsessed with watching you play 😂
StarScream666 could you by any chance tell me which TwoSet episode that was?
@@wendyshell8679 it was the "hardest violin pieces" he was playing ysae sonata no.6
Muchas gracias! Siempre aprendiendo con usted! 👏👏👏👏👏 Escucho el concierto para violín de Bruch con frecuencia...está lleno de inspiración...💜🎶💜🎻
Bravo!!! (One suggestion: You should occasionally make mistakes or you will provoke the gods to jealousy!!!)
Here's the full quote by George Bernard Shaw: [to Jascha Heifetz]: _“If you provoke a jealous God by playing with such superhuman perfection, you will die young. I earnestly advise you to play something badly every night before going to bed, instead of saying your prayers. No mortal should presume to play so faultlessly."_
J W or give the honor & glory to God, and you won’t have to worry about any of that!
Had to slow it down to x0.25 speed to make out the fingerings. I've always wondered why on earth would you ever want to slow down a video. Thanks for the insight!
Thank you so much for this series!!
I like very much thay chromatic scale in Bruch's violin concerto!
Very helpful tips here! Thank you!! 🙏🏻🎻
Hey Augustine! I'm an eight year student violinist with a problem. My fingers keep pressing down way harder on the string than I need to. Its limiting my dexterity exponentially especially in faster movements. How do I fix this?
You should really watch Nathan Cole’s “Violin left-hand finger pressure: finding your MVP” on CZcams. It addresses this and helps solve it very well!
I really hope Augustin will see your message and reply and also he will maybe make a video about positioning the left hand on the violin... I noticed that he is not touching the neck of the violin while playing (Menuhin has a masterclass explaining this on a transparent plastic violin used for showing only) but after 20 years of playing, I can definitely tell you that I and a lot of others we are touching it in the lower positions. You actually don't need a lot of force to press the string down, especially in the lower positions. Just try this without the bow to see exactly how easy it actually is to press it. The secret is relaxing your hand and not squeeze the neck of the violin, especially in the difficult parts. Be aware that the left and right hand want to work in tandem so if you press the bow you get more tension in your left hand also, so train them to work separately. PRACTICE SLOW AND IN PIANO, maintain calm and search a natural feeling while trying to be as comfortable as possible. The last phrase is the most important part and even though it is not a big secret is often the most ignored. If you can play it slow you can play it fast, Twoset were totally right about this. I hope that helps and good luck!
Try to "play" without the bow, using only the pressure needed to produce the sound. Im not Agustin, but this is a good advice! then when you play with the bow try to have the exact same pressure as when you practice without your bow, play short passages and then stop and judge yourself and repeat until all extra force is left out. This will increase your perception on the force of the left hand. Cheers.
@@mathewkinnear3581 Thank you!
@@atreyu12341234 Thank you! After reading this comment I went and did everything you suggested and my gosh did it work! I slowly realized that more of my hand was touching the neck than it was supposed to, thus causing me to grip harder. It only been about 20 mins of careful observation of my lower palm but I am slowly releasing the grip. Practicing slow and in piano also helped a lot, as you suggested. My violin teacher is out visiting family at the moment so you really saved the day. Much appreciated.
Great videos, thanks for doing them, they are very helpful! Would it be possible to give some tips for vibrating double stops in a future video? (thirds, sixths, octaves and tenths)
I notice that you are playing all your chromatic scale in one long bow. I find it helps to use separate bows then 2 in a bow then 2 slurred two separate then slur 4 in a bow to maximize the control of the bow at all costs.
Everyone should go watch him play Paganini caprice no. 5. Perfect example
Hi Augustin, thanks a lot, this is a very nice lesson. Now I've realized that learning the chromatic scale(s) also helps you to navigate more freely on the fingerboard 🙂 By the way, your demonstration was a little bit too fast for me, what's the exact fingering you're using? Do you shift the pinky as well?
i was hoping he'd talk about downward chromatic, like in the Paganini 17th caprice.
so good, thanks
Hi, Augustin;
Would you mind talking a bit about right arm technique? (Bow hold, sounding point, the arm motion, the pinky, etc...)
Thankyou!!!
Could you pls share the transcribed notes of the last scale you played on this video. Thanks
Hi, Augustin! I wonder if you have a scales practicing routine and, if so, how it is structured. Best regards!
Ciao Augustin, sei bravissimo. Sono un “vecchio” violinista dilettante e mi piace seguirti.. posso chiederti di fare qualche lezione in italiano, penso che tu lo parli, visto che sei nato in Italia, in inglese mi rimane un po’ difficoltoso. Grazie
Ciao bravissimo!
Me diste ternura :(❤
Talk about tenths please :')
He did! Pag 24!
He just did a video recently about thirds and tenths. See: czcams.com/video/rc7poulcN3I/video.html
Less talk more play.
it's literally a lesson