Challenge yourself! Join me for 31 days of 31 different ways to approach scales. New posts go up every day in January 2023. Start from Day 1 here.
Today’s variation on scales comes right out of Carl Flesch’s scale system (a staple in many violin studios for the past century). In these scales, play a one-octave scale in your chosen key on each string. No crossing over to other strings – shifts up and down to reach all the notes.
In the previous examples, I notated them with neutral (or at least minimal) rhythms, fingerings, and bowings so that you can fill in with your usual. But for today, I’ve included the fingerings, rhythms, and bowings that Flesch indicated. They’re the same for every key. I definitely use them ... but they’re your scales so do what you think is most beneficial for you!
I also put it in A Major (instead of the usual C Major). That’s so I could include the fingering for scales that start on an open string. And a side benefit is that A Major happens to remain in relatively friendly positions. (Try it in C or F, for a contrast, and you’ll see what I mean.)
I used to do these scales regularly. I remember it gave a tremendous boost to my confidence high up the fingerboard. And the arpeggio fingering gave me a tool for finding notes out of the blue in high positions that I still use.
Revisiting these today, I realize it’s been quite a while since I last practiced them. Just like the first four days of this project, today’s scales challenged me in new ways (or ways that I haven’t faced in a while). But there’s one question that keeps nagging me: are these new challenges throwing my intonation out of whack, or is the new-ness just making me more aware? Something to ponder...
If you’ve tried this version out, I’d love to know what your experience was like! Just leave a comment below.
Do these scales in any and all keys. I recommend using Carl Flesch’s fingerings, as indicated. (The fingerings are the same no matter the key or string: one fingering for the times when it starts on an open string, and another for all the rest.) For bowings, he varied from longer slurs to medium slurs (shown here) to all separate; so do whatever makes sense for you. And slow-but-good is always better than fast-but-rough.
tomorrow:
I’m a violinist and private teacher in the Chicago area, and in a previous musical life I was in a professional string quartet. Teaching violin and chamber music are dear to my heart. Send me a note or leave a comment on a post — I’d love to hear from you.
If you’ve tried today’s scales, I’d love to know what your experience was like! Just post a comment below.