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Jules Massenet (1842-1912) Thais – Meditation for Violin and Piano
Edited by Fiona Vilnite

Originally played between scene 1 and 2 of Act 2 from Massanet’s opera Thais,  this piece is full of nineteenth century Parisian style together with emotional constrasts found in the music of the late romatic era. It has become a classic in the violin repertoire and is played by many contemporary violinists.

This work is great for upper-intermediate violinists seeking to develop several advanced techniques – such as vibrato, bow distribution, bow sound points, shifting between postions – and for the exprimentation of dymanic contrasts and expression.

Practice Tips:

Playing in the romatic style requires careful attention to vibrato, bow distribution and shifting between postions. The following questions may help to experiment with these aspects during practice sessions:

• How much vibrato do I need on the 1st note?
  Do I need to start with full speed vibrato, or do I need to take the note at the beginning with no or little vibrato and gradually build it up?
• How much bow speed do I need in piano areas?
  Do I use less bow? What is the maximum amount of bow speed I can use in piano passages?
  Where in relation to the bridge do I need to be?
• How does bow speed and wieght of the arm affect the sound and emotional character?
• How do I achieve the sforzandos? What significance does vibrato have in these areas?
• How do I want to shift between positions? Are there places that need more or less glissandi?
• How do glissandi change emotions……?

Whilst there are many aspects that require personal expreimentation, there are some aspects that are pretty much universal and need to be remembered! Remember to:

• Shift with the thumb to higher positions – many great violinists shift with the thumb first!
• Limit downward glissandi. Too many of these can sound distasteful and out of control 🙂
• Practice with a metronome – even though many areas are played with rubato with the piano accompaniment
• Practice with the YouTube video

Practice Video now available on Youtube – includes piano accompaniment! Play along and learn this great piece today!

The violin sheet music can be downloaded HERE

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Equipment used in video:
Violin – Harley Benton HBV 870WH Electric Violin
https://www.thomann.de/intl/lv/harley_benton_hbv_870wh_4_4_electric_violin.htm?partner_id=65110
Sound Card – Roland Rubix 22
https://www.thomann.de/intl/lv/roland_rubix22.htm?partner_id=65110
DAW – Cakewalk

 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) : Sonatina in G major, Anh. 5 No. 1,  1st movement.
Arranged for Violin and Piano by Fiona Vilnite.

This new arrangement of Beethoven’s classic Sonatina is great for intermediate violinists learning to play in 3rd position and for practising shifiting between 1st and 3rd positions in a musical context.

The original sonatina, which was composed for piano solo, was first published after Beethoven’s death. It’s youthful, almost naiive style, which is perhaps reminiscent of Franz Joseph Haydn, would seem to suggest that this is in fact one of Beethoven’s  earlier compositions, though this is not proven. Indeed, its authenticity has even been questioned (as discussed in this work’s Wikipedia article).

Whatever its origins, this popular sonatina does provide an opportunity to play in a style that starts to cross from classical to romantic: its quasi double ending, for instance, does perhaps provide a faint prequel of the more epic style we have come to expect from Beethoven’s later works. Additionally, the scale passages to be played in one slur (or in one bow when played on the violin) do seem to remind us of some of the passage-work in Beethoven’s violin sonatas.

As such, this arrangement for violin and piano could be considered as an introduction to playing in the Beethoven/early romantic style, but without the technical difficulties that appear in Beethoven’s violin sonatas.

PRACTICE TIPS / QUESTIONS

• When practising, remember to work on bow distribution. This is key in many of Beethoven’s violin works.
• Ask questions, such as:
  • How much bow do I need to use for the 1st note?
  • Where in the bow should I start the 1st note, so that the grace note in the next bow is clear?
  • How much bow do I need to use when the notes are slurred in 2s (e.g. bar 9), so that it sounds stylish and not too heavy?
• Bars 11 and 12: work out where in the bow to start the phrase and how much bow to use, so that you have enough bow left in the descending scale in bar (this is common concern in Beethoven’s violin sonatas)
• Where do phrases begin and end?
• How can I show this in performance?

Now available as a practice video on YouTube – play along and repeat as many times as needed!

The violin sheet music can be downloaded HERE.

Thanks for watching!
Please subscribe to the STRUMMI channel on YouTube for more explorations into the violin repertoire!

Thank you! Happy Practising!

Oskar Rideing (1840-1916) – Zigeuner Marsch (Gypsy March) for Violin and Piano

Practice video now available on YouTube

This intermediate violin piece is full of character and provides an opportunity to shift between 1st and 3rd positions on the violin.

Practice video sheet music/score with 4 versions:

1) Violin and Piano Performance ♩ = 80
2) Piano Accompaniment ♩ = 80
3) Slow Violin and Piano Performance ♩ = 60
4) Slow Piano Accompaniment ♩ = 60

Practice Tips:

• Challenge yourself to find and identify different characters in the music
• Observe the differences in technique required to achieve the charaters – however minute they might be
• When changing between positions – remember to travel with your left hand thumb and to release any pressure or tension between the thumb and the violin when playing – and especially when shifting to new positions!

Happy Practising!

The Violin Sheet Music can be downloaded HERE

Please subscribe to the Strummi YouTube channel for more practice videos and explorations into the violin repertoire!

Hans Engelmann (1872-1914) – Melody of Love for violin and piano

 Now available as a slow practice video on YouTubethis intermediate piece for violin is great for learning to change positions in a romantic, expressive style and for developing vibrato techniques on the violin. This is also a great piece for exploring methods of changing dynamics.

Scott Joplin – The Entertainer – New Arrangement for Violin and Piano by Fiona Vilnite.

Originally composed for piano, this fun piece is now arranged for intermediate-level violin players. It explores the use of 1st, 3rd and 4th positions. It is also great for practising simple syncopations and accuracy of rhythm.

Now available as a practice video on YouTube. The video includes 8 versions – performance and accompaniment – at 4 different speeds:

1) Violin and Piano Performance ♩ = 70 (0:01)
2) Piano Accompaniment ♩ = 70 (2:30)
3) Violin and Piano ♩ = 60 (5:00)
4) Piano Accompaniment ♩ = 60 (7:52)
5) Violin and Piano ♩ = 40 (10:44)
6) Piano Accompaniment ♩ = 40 (15:00)
7) Violin and Piano ♩ = 30 (19:17)
8) Piano Accompaniment ♩ = 30 (24:57)

Play along and repeat as much as needed 🙂

The violin sheet music can be downloaded here

Happy Practising!

Please subscribe to the Strummi channel on YouTube for more violin repertoire and practice videos!