Advanced Violinist Lessons
The advanced violinist is typically one who:
- may want to become a professional musician in the future
- is preparing for a competition
- is preparing for an audition to a music school / conservatory
- is currently in a music school / conservatory or intends to join one in the future
- has appeared or will appear as a soloist
- is seriously considering any of the above
Advanced Violinist Lesson Topics
Topics covered in lessons include:
- sound projection as a soloist
- solo bach
- a look at various contrapuntal (multiple voice) techniques in an instrument that largely plays one note at a time
- bringing out multiple voices even in passages of running 1/16th notes
- how much interpretive freedom do I really have in something so seemingly austere and unwaveringly exact (hint: quite a bit)
- how to interpret the score (what is musical interpretation?)
- reconciling dry theory and harmony lessons in music school with living music that you will perform
- soloistic approach to spiccato and ricochet — audible above orchestra
- intonation and how to tune double stops
- the harmonic series, partials, and playing in tune with other instruments
- harmonic analysis and taking your interpretation to the next level
- developing a unique voice
- composing your own cadenza
- relationship between vibrato and tone production
- portamento vs shifts
- relationship between vibrato and hand position
- "meta-rhythm"
- compositional structure (how to have more coherent interpretations)
- inhabiting various characters and musical "acting"
- individuality vs convention
- what is the main task of the classical performer?
- creative uses of the metronome to improve phrasing
- polyphonic melody
- relationship between tone and register
- advanced sight reading technique
- HOW to learn harmony from actual musical examples
- movement and phrasing
- historically-informed performance vs newer readings
- competition
- posture and how to deal with body aches and pain
- HOW and what to practice
- mentality (performing mentality, practice mentality etc.)
- approaches to learning
- abstract conceptualizing and practical application
- devising practice exercises for yourself
- thinking from first principles
You might like to contact Shao-wen for clarification or if you have other questions at the link below.