We worked pretty hard today. Those fingers were plucking with the thumbs on the finger board (pizzacato we call it in Italian, or pizz for short). One student thought it meant pizza!
We practiced tuning the strings with the tuners. I helped some and they did some. If they are in drastic need of help tuning sometimes music stores will tune the strings for you. On Mondays I have a high school orchestra rehearsal at Community Presbyterian Church. I am at Seltice after school on Tuesdays till 5pm, at the Post Falls Middle School on Wednesday afternoons, and Prairie View till 5pm on Thursdays.
We started on page 6 and did pizzacato on open D and A strings looking at notes on the staff and rest marks to make our plucking turn into music.
Then we worked on identifying the notes on the D string when we put our fingers on the tapes. For violin and viola it is three fingers down for G, two for F#, one for E, and no fingers for D. For cello it is four fingers down for G, three for F#, one for E, and no fingers for D. It was hard for some students so I had them write in the finger numbers next to the notes to reinforce that knowledge. I encouraged them that they would get faster at reading the notes with time and practice. We sounded pretty good as a group. A few kids forgot their books in class, so other students will deliver them to their classrooms so that they can do their homework!
Yes!
Homework is playing pizz. (plucking) page 6,7,8,9 all the songs 13-22. That should keep you busy practicing all week! They can practice this with the CD if they want. We had time to learn how to hold the bow. I observed everyone bowing and helped them use their index finger and wrist to move like a paintbrush straight and with even tension on the D string. They can practice this after they have tightened their bow slightly (righty tighty the adjusting screw) and rosined it a little. When they are done they need to loosen the bow (lefty loosy).
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Adult Orchestra Has Plenty of Homework and Sounds Wonderful Together
I am glad you asked for me to post for the adult class. I try to fit so much into this class the first few lessons, that it leaves very little room for details. You all have been sounding so good in rehearsal! I hope you are as pleased as I am about our progress together.
REMEMBER to check tuning first. Don't be to afraid to move pegs if you are a whole or 1/2 step off in pitch. Make sure it is flat if you are not sure and then you won't break a string if you move it up slowly. Also tighten bow only enough to grasp string well. You may rosin each time you practice lightly. Some music stores will help you with tuning or you can meet me at my other classes, my phone is 660-9185. Getting a tuner is helpful while you are learning.
I like you to warm up when you practice on a bowed 1 octave D scale with long bows up the scale starting of D and repeating the high D and going back down the scale. Then you can practice for review of notes songs 33 and 34 with full use of your bow and good tone.
Song 36 is Dreidel using shorter bows and keeping F# and E fingers down while you play open A (when marked with line below music) is just an exercise to keep your left elbow out front and fingers playing on the tips on strings rather than flat.
Play Songs 41 and 42, Jingle Bells (observing rests) and Old Macdonald, both songs with shorter bows using wrist and index finger to quickly catch strings. A lot like playing short-short bows (eighth notes).
Play Mozart Melody song 43 and try to memorize it with long bows. There are rests in it. After you have it memorized you can alternate long bows with two short bows at either the tip of the bow or the frog. So it goes D down long bow, short-short at tip, A up long bow, short-short at frog. B down long bow, short-short at tip, etc. alternating long and two short bows throughout song.
Last song to practice is 86 Ode to Joy. It has long bow quarter notes all on D string, using 4th finger on D (instead of open A string). Cello will play open A. Then in measures 4,8,9,12,16 the bow moves slower for half notes that are two beats long instead of one (quarter notes with holes in them). We are sort of playing this one by ear, but it will help you in the future when we play half notes and eighth notes (short-short bows). As you play it more and more you will find you have memorized it!
Have fun with it! I expect practicing might take you longer this week to get it sounding really good. Anne Nesse
REMEMBER to check tuning first. Don't be to afraid to move pegs if you are a whole or 1/2 step off in pitch. Make sure it is flat if you are not sure and then you won't break a string if you move it up slowly. Also tighten bow only enough to grasp string well. You may rosin each time you practice lightly. Some music stores will help you with tuning or you can meet me at my other classes, my phone is 660-9185. Getting a tuner is helpful while you are learning.
I like you to warm up when you practice on a bowed 1 octave D scale with long bows up the scale starting of D and repeating the high D and going back down the scale. Then you can practice for review of notes songs 33 and 34 with full use of your bow and good tone.
Song 36 is Dreidel using shorter bows and keeping F# and E fingers down while you play open A (when marked with line below music) is just an exercise to keep your left elbow out front and fingers playing on the tips on strings rather than flat.
Play Songs 41 and 42, Jingle Bells (observing rests) and Old Macdonald, both songs with shorter bows using wrist and index finger to quickly catch strings. A lot like playing short-short bows (eighth notes).
Play Mozart Melody song 43 and try to memorize it with long bows. There are rests in it. After you have it memorized you can alternate long bows with two short bows at either the tip of the bow or the frog. So it goes D down long bow, short-short at tip, A up long bow, short-short at frog. B down long bow, short-short at tip, etc. alternating long and two short bows throughout song.
Last song to practice is 86 Ode to Joy. It has long bow quarter notes all on D string, using 4th finger on D (instead of open A string). Cello will play open A. Then in measures 4,8,9,12,16 the bow moves slower for half notes that are two beats long instead of one (quarter notes with holes in them). We are sort of playing this one by ear, but it will help you in the future when we play half notes and eighth notes (short-short bows). As you play it more and more you will find you have memorized it!
Have fun with it! I expect practicing might take you longer this week to get it sounding really good. Anne Nesse
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