Dr. Suzuki questioned why all vocalists vocalize every day to improve their voices, but instrumentalists do not do so every day with their instruments. He believes that on any instrument, one needs to practice to make a more beautiful tone. First he talks about playing a beautiful resonant tone with the bow while plucking the string with a finger. When a pizzicato is played, the resonance goes on for a long time. Students should listen to that resonance and play the same kind of clear beautiful sound. He talks about how to make a difference in the tone by using a different bow speed, how to practice to find the resonance point, how to change the weight of the arm on the bow to produce a different kind of tone, and how to change tone color. This book includes all of Dr. Suzuki's basic ideas about tone.

This is the full eBook version of Violin Basics (Pupil's Book) in fixed-layout format. Violin Basics is a landmark method by two of the leading figures in music education. Comprising pupil's tutor book, teacher's accompaniment book, and online audio, Violin Basics provides everything you need to get playing. This Pupil's Book starts at absolute beginner level and progresses to Grade 1 level. The step-by-step technical progression is supported by fun exercises and warm-ups, a wide range of imaginative repertoire, music theory, and general musicianship activities. Audio of all the accompaniments are available online.

In A Notebook for Viola Players, Ivo-Jan van der Werff offers a guide to playing the viola with the greatest freedom, dexterity, and ease. It includes right and left hand exercises to build a sound technique, sections on how to practice them, how to hold the viola and bow, how to think about good posture, how to create a good sound, how to play with the least amount of tension, how to deal with anxiety, and thoughts on wellness and practice techniques. Alongside these are photographs and a companion website of video demonstrations of the exercises played by the author, as if in a lesson. Interspersed throughout the book are lively and illuminating anecdotes of van der Werff's own experiences as a student and as a professional musician, as well as a number of blank pages and staff paper for the student to literally 'make notes' and write down their own ideas, offering a space for creative expression using the skills they learn in reading and playing along with the text. Bringing together decades of teaching and performance experience from one of the most respected figures in viola pedagogy, A Notebook for Viola Players is a master class in viola ideal for any player hoping to perfect the fundamental areas of their practice.

The volume includes a general introduction, instruction for the individual exercises, a general index and an index of musical examples.

(String Solo). Trott's Melodious Double-Stops Book 1 for Violin (50327290) has been a landmark string exercise book for decades, selling thousands of copies a year. Now the same exercises have been insightfully transcribed for viola.

This is an exciting introduction to basic double stop playing on the violin. Using only first position and focusing on double stop sixths, the book is laid out in ten short sections. Exercises and short fiddle tunes are used to teach specific violin double stop techniques, such as reading two notes together, crossing strings to double stops, and finger spacing within the key of D major. As the book is studied, the student can learn how to hear the notes blend in double stops and work on a smooth tone from the bow. Double stops are also a great way to build finger strength, preparing the violinist for shifting and vibrato. This book works well alongside Playing in Keys for Violin, Book One, and can be followed by Double Stop Beginnings for the Violin, Book Two.

This book is a comprehensive guide for teaching basic violin and viola skills. It is also a detailed manual for the film series "The Teaching of Action in String Playing," produced by the University of Illinois String Research Project. The central issue of this four-year government grant was the hypothesis that movement training, designed to free the student from excessive tensions, can be introduced within an organized plan of string instruction, and that such a plan, in the long run, will result in faster learning and better performance in all facets of instruction. The research dealt primarily with the violin and viola. However, the principles and musical materials are also applicable (with minor adjustments) to the cello and double bass