Viola Practice

Viola Practice

1. Developing 3D tone

   • *Training ears to develop sensitivity. Really listen in detail (microscope) and latch onto sound, being aware & constantly following sound - don't switch off & just go through the motions - waste of time
     • Focusing on subtleties, while playing within a meter creates more space, allowing me to add another dimension to my expression
     • Always think through each note, and larger phrases. What does this mean to me, and what character & colours am I trying to create? Need to communicate my message convincingly to listener. Then cultivate technique.
     • Really helps to watch bow while playing and mentally visualize/anticipate what's coming up, e.g. placing a note/shift
   • Hear and control how every note begins, develops in middle and ends
     • Beginning Note - Different approaches:
       • From Silence: Gradual cresc/gradient into note from nothing. At frog: Think of smooth aeroplane landing, (not drop down and move) - curvature to stroke. Tilt bow hair, starting with v few hairs and flatten bow as you move through it. Could start with no/v small vib, then warm up as approaching body of note.
       • Immediate: Theoretically, starting bow stroke with exact speed & weight (no more/less) than what I intend for body of note. Really listen to create pure quality at beginning - getting string to speak & resonate immediately, without a 'crunch' or 'whisp'
       • Accented Attack: If attack of note is the note 'face' - change attack to create expressions and moods - lots of expressive potential. Experiment with combos of articulation - varying bow pressure, speed and duration of attack - how quickly I release into body of note/how long I sustain face of note
     • Middle of note
       • 1st, focus on creating consistent, resonant tone with even bow speed. Then shade and colour body of note
       • Play around, e.g. hairpin/blossom in the note, or grow through note into next (longer line), fade away - by varying bow speed, changing contact points (move closer to bridge through cresc), and combine vib
     • Ending Note
       • Listen to ensure clarity in connections, esp with bow changes and shifts - take care of note, don't let end of note suffer.
       • Do I want immediate stop? With off-string, listen to space and sound between notes - hear how notes resonate and melt into silence. Circular bow gesture helps send note out

2. Focusing & Effective Practice

   • Walking into Practice room, need to have a clear intention of my purpose - what do I want to achieve?
   • 3 main areas to develop: Building repertoire, skill set (foundation & technique) and practise performing. Balance of all 3 needed.
     • Invest time building up skill set, to cut learning time for new piece, though don't obsess so much over technique & lose bigger picture, of being able to perform the music
       • Building Skill-set
         • Pick my focus & prioritize: what factor is currently holding me back most, which when improved will help everything else? Picking focus also helps reduce stress, of having so much to fix
         • Pick 1 thing & stick with it for a while - repetition & slow practice. Patience with new skills. Don't try & fix everything at once - leads to overwhelm & paralysis
         • Make exercises out of hard passages - play in different ways to present challenges for my coordination, forcing me to think & engage more deeply, so it'll feel easier when playing back to normal
     • Each area requires certain mindset & quality to my focus, and understand what I'm doing at any moment. Structure practice - If working on technique - only technique. Learning a piece, don't just play through, or be overcome immediately with detail.

3. During audition/performance

   • Take mental step back - last thing I want to be doing is micro-managing technique. Need to emotionally connect with music & have fun
   • Getting balance between bored and frustrated mind-set. Bored - relaxed, not flustered. Frustrated - focused in the present
   • Make sure I'm relaxed, no upper body tension, and breathe
   • Need presence & imagination. Good posture, take my time around pieces to create a space & bring out character of music
   • Excerpts: convey context - listener should sense I know exactly what my instrument's role is. Listen to many recordings , look at score, see how viola fits into whole.