Minuet 1
Chorus from "Judas Maccabeus"
Musette
Hunter's Chorus
Long, Long Ago (Book 2)
Waltz
mm. 1-2: String crossing should be clean and in tune. The second finger has a difficult reach back to the G across the string, which should be practiced slowly to ensure that the motion is not random and impractical. Take care that the second finger knows where it’s supposed to go and actually lands there. The shape of the finger should be stable and normal-looking, on the tip.
Take care as well that both fingers are down during the split second in which the bow crosses strings. If the third finger lifts up early, an open A will be heard; if the second finger is late, an open E will be heard.
mm. 3-4: Crossing from the open E to the third finger on the A, make sure that the motion is timed correctly so that no open A is heard.
m. 9: The Bb sometimes pulls the second finger down with it, which is needed for the F# on the D string immediately following. Take care that these notes are both in tune. When a student’s fingers move faster than his/her actual ability to control them, the fingers generally come closer together in the air, making this separation harder. It should be learned slowly, then sped up as the student’s ability increases.
m. 13: The double string crossing should be achieved with stop-preparation. Play the phrase to the low G, then STOP, set the second finger on the E string, make sure the bow is settled on the new string, and then GO. The preparation time should be gradually shrunk in accordance with the student’s ability. Take care not to lift the third finger early. When the phrase is played in tempo, holding the third finger down is the key to playing it cleanly.
m. 26: Make sure that the D# is in tune, and that the B following is not pulled up by the raised third finger.
m. 28: Very famous measure. The distance between the low first finger on D# and the second finger on B is actually quite wide. Try playing the two notes first as an E and a B, then as a D# and B, taking care that the pitch of the B does not change as the first finger reaches back. The hand should slightly change shape to accommodate this shift: the first finger reaches back, and the second finger reaches forward to remain in the same place.
mm. 40-44: String crossings galore. Take care that the bow and the third finger are coordinated to avoid a mess.
m. 61: Make sure that the interval between the first and fourth fingers is in tune.
mm. 73-74: The third finger should be extended for the G# and right next to the fourth finger.
m. 78: The fingers on the E string should all be a whole step apart and on their tips. The whole hand should expand for this, like an accordion, then return to normal afterwards.
mm. 1-2: The third finger should “hop” across the string for these notes. This should be achieved with stop-preparation. Play the first note, then STOP, place the finger on the D string, make sure the bow is settled on the new string, and then GO. Only work on one “hop” at a time until the skill is mastered. The hopping finger should be in the correct position, on the tip, on both strings.
m. 3: Make sure that the interval between the fourth and second fingers is wide enough.
m. 4: The double string crossing should be achieved with stop-preparation. See above.
m. 8: Take care that the string crossing back to the D string is not done with a random, surprised motion. This is more difficult than it seems in terms of physical balance in the arm. The phrase should be done slowly, taking care that the finger is settled on the new string and the bow sound is full and strong on both strings.
m. 9: The timing of this note is a personal choice, but the action of the finger should be precise and articulate. Listen for the “snap” of the string on a good lift.
m. 17: Set the first finger silently on F# before playing this passage. The distances between the second, third, and fourth fingers should all be whole steps, and the second finger should be a half step from the first. This measure requires some serious stretching for the hand.
m. 18: The third finger should “hop” yet again across the strings here. This should be achieved with stop-preparation. See above. Also, as in m. 8, practice the return to the A string at the end of this measure slowly, making sure that the bow sound is full and strong on each string.
m. 19: Crossing from the third finger on the A string back up to this note requires the same skill as the first measure of Martini Gavotte. The second finger should be far enough back to reach the note and on its tip in the correct position. Make sure that the finger knows exactly what pitch it is aiming for—sing the note first. The crossing from G back to D at the end of the measure is physically easier, but still should be practiced carefully.
m. 23: Take care that the two up-bows are both stopped cleanly.
m. 25: The third finger should “hop” across the string here. Get used to this.
m. 26: When reaching for the fourth finger from the third finger on the D string (no open E’s are allowed while I am alive), keep the third finger down. The third finger should remain on the string from the second note of m. 25 through the end of m. 26. Take care that the fourth finger is in tune—check it with the E string.
m. 27: The third finger should “hop” up to the A string from the D string. Practice this with stop-preparation for clarity. Also, make sure that the second finger immediately following is low enough.
m. 28: Make sure that the third finger and the bow are coordinated when crossing strings. Also, no open A is allowed at the end of this measure.
m. 31: Hop.
m. 50: The third finger should NOT “hop” across the string here. This string crossing is on a slur and requires a different skill. In order to get the sound to connect, place the third finger on both strings at the same time. This means that when it is landed, it should not be landed like any other third finger, but with a different motion altogether. Do not land it on the E string and then shift it around—this completely defeats the point. It should go down in a place from which it does not have to move. Turning the finger slightly so that the nail is towards your nose will make it wider, and angling it slightly flatter will give you more pad to play with. Be careful that the finger does not fall down, and that the sound is clearly connected across the strings.
mm. 51-52: The double string crossing should be practiced with stop-preparation, as in m. 4. Also, the intervals between the first, second, and third fingers on the A string should all be whole steps here. Make sure that the first finger is low enough and that the third finger is high enough.
m. 53: As in Gavotte from “Mignon,” hold the fourth finger down on the Eb for the first three notes here. Also, make sure that the first finger is low enough on the F and on its tip, and that the second finger is low enough on the C.
m. 55: Like m. 51, whole steps between all three fingers.
m. 62: Like m. 53, hold the fourth finger down.
mm. 63, 71: These string crossings are not on slurs, so feel free to “hop” here.
m. 75: Oh, boy. This is the hardest single measure in Book 3 and not to be taken lightly. Whichever fingering you choose, make sure that the C and the Bb are both in tune. They both have their upsides and downsides. The top fingering requires a larger stretch by playing C and Bb with the same finger, which is rather daunting because it is a very big stretch. The bottom fingering does not require any large stretches, but it does require you to play the third finger on different notes consecutively, which is rather dangerous; the top fingering allows you to “hide” the shifting fingers during the third finger on G. It depends on what’s harder for you, moving your fingers quickly or moving them to unfamiliar notes (C with first finger).
Practice this monstrosity with stop-preparation, first with no slurs, then with the printed bowing. Take care that all the fingers are in tune and on their tips. Just because the notes are hard does not mean that your hand position can collapse! Keep your bow slow so that your fingers are not inspired to rush, and so that you can get a full sound on every note. Keep the rhythm steady as well; difficult motions with the left hand tend to make our rhythm stutter. You have to learn to do them quickly, which takes lots of practice. This measure is supposed to be hard—that’s why it’s in here.
m. 89: Make sure that the rhythm on the first beat is long-short-short, not short-short-long.
(The first notes are in an incomplete measure; measure 1 starts afterwards)
mm. 1-2: This phrase should be played with whole steps between the first, second, and third fingers. In the key of G minor, the Bb should be very low.
m. 2: The “hop” that the third finger does should be during the Eb. The third finger should be still down while the Eb is being played, and then lift up and land on D before the Eb is done. This should be practice with stop-preparation for clarity.
m. 4: Don’t forget about the accidentals here. This is the melodic minor scale, with some sensible variations to keep it from sounding bizarre. Trust the notes.
mm. 16-18: This Bb major scale should be practiced first going up (first 6 notes), then going down (last 6 notes). Be very careful about intonation here! The interval between the first and fourth fingers (F and Eb) is the most important.
mm. 18-20: The only successful way I’ve found to make sense of this passage is to play the notes without slurs first, and then add the slurs back in.
m. 22: The first finger should be placed on both strings here. (See m. 50 in the Bach Minuet.) It should be landed in such a way that it does not have to move once it’s down. Turn the nail slightly towards you and angle the finger slightly flatter so that you’re playing more on the pad.
m. 33: The fourth finger and the open E should both be played, as indicated in the music. When two E’s are in succession like this, it is a violinistic convention to do it this way. It’s also very good practice for the fourth finger. Try to get the two pitches to sound identical.
m. 35: As in m. 33, check the fourth finger with the open E string.
m. 36: As in m. 4, trust the notes.
m. 39: This bowing is important because it helps create a sense of finality here. It's important to remember it.
Minuet 1
m. 1: