Make music – Tuneful from day one – Violin

First booklet (in english language) for violin for young beginners between 4/5 and 10 years. Grade of difficulty: easy.

This book can be used both as a stand-alone volume for the first steps in 4th position and as a supplement alongside other instructional guides. It pays equal attention to the following areas: left and right hand technique, sense of rhythm stability and musicality.

The book consists of 44 units with three parts each: Part 1 always aims at training the fingers of the left hand. It progressively improves the basic coordination between left and right. Part 2 focuses on bowing technique and sound production with the bow. It provides an opportunity for teachers to integrate their own ways. Part 3 is dedicated to working with music. Right from the start, the students learn to play music with free (open) strings, flageolets, pizzicato, left-hand pizzicato, collegno and more.

Dotted between the pieces/songs are approx. 40 Donkey-Tasks [Seal-Tasks], that deepen the content and encourage creative engagement with the many aspects. Most of the pieces/songs have lyrics. Theo help with orientation in the notation and grasping rhythms and phrases. The notes have been colour-coded to match the colour of the respective string. In the beginning, this kind of notation allows for immediate playing and easy communication.

Authors: Erdmute Maria Hohage, Angelika S. Schepke.
Volume: 84 pages.
Publisher: Emu-Musik ISBN 978-3-9824267-4-7.

Structure:

• Unit 1-4: one string only
• Unit 5-11: using two strings
• Unit 12-14: using three strings
• Unit 15-21: using four strings
• Unit 22-25: upbeat (up-bow)
• Unit 26-29: two continuous down-bows
• Unit 31-32: portato and legato on one string
• Unit 33-34: portato and legato on two strings
• Unit 35-38: portato and legato on there strings
• Unit 39-41: portato and legato on four strings
• Unit 42-44: two free (open) strings simultaneously