Stuck in a scale rut? Join me for a whole month’s worth of 31 different ways to approach scales. New posts go up every day in January 2023. Start from Day 1 here.
All of the scales so far this month have been directly or indirectly at the service of better music-making. However, most of them have approached that from the side of technique … which serves the music. Today, however, is explicitly and completely focused on the musical side of things. Get ready to fully unleash your musical-creative side on your scales!
Today is all about thinking of specific colors, and trying to achieve them while playing scales. When I did this myself today, I started out thinking that specific words would be my cues: flautando, dolce, brilliant, tender, etc. That worked well for flautando, since it already has a well-defined technique associated with it. But for other words that I tried, the translation of the word into a specific sound really needed musical context. So I switched tracks, and started using the sounds from specific passages I’m familiar with: the clarity of the first solo entrance in Mozart’s 5th concerto, the tenderness of a Beethoven quartet slow movement, the brilliance of the beginning of Don Juan. This approach worked much better for me. It kept things very specific, and also made the musical foundations for today’s approach unmistakable. For you, test and see whether words or passages work better … or maybe a mix.
Why do this one?
This scale completes the bridge between the technical and the musical. Focusing on specific colors that have musical meaning is a way to connect the scales to something artistic. But at the same time, creating that sound on a scale (rather than a passage) makes it less likely to be swept up in the emotion of it, and easier to be aware of the technique involved.
This can also be a way to build up trust in the expressive power of the technique that brings the sound to life. Even the most magical moments are the product of specific techniques. If we build up confidence in them, we’ll be more likely to stay calm when nerves kick in.
The Details
If you haven’t already done them, I highly recommend first spending some time with Day 24: (Bow) Speed!, Day 25: Weight, and Day 26: Sounding Point.
Start by choosing a few words that evoke specific sounds, or a few specific musical passages whose sounds you want to create. You’ll be making each of those sounds, one at a time, on your scales.
Some words to get you started: sotto voce, flautando, dolce, calm, tender, lyrical, con fuoco, brilliant, heroic, light-hearted.
Or choose sounds from passages of music that are familiar to you. Some examples that could work well here (if you’re familiar with them): the solo entrance from Saint-Saens Concerto No 3, the opening of any Mozart concerto, the opening of the slow movement of Bruch concerto, the “Cavatina” slow movement from Beethoven’s Op 130 string quartet, the beginning of Strauss’s Don Juan.
Think of what kind of bow technique (which combination of bow speed, weight, and sounding point) will bring that sound to life. Then consider what tempo, articulations, and/or rhythms will support that. (A tender sound probably is best done in a slow tempo with little-to-no articulation, for example.)
Finally, choose whether to include vibrato in this. I opted to stay non-vib (knowing that tomorrow I’ll be focusing just on vibrato). It allowed me to focus on the color that my bow was creating, but it did prevent me from achieving the full effect of some sounds. If you do include vibrato, then be sure to think about what kind will contribute to bringing your color to life.
Try to keep the same color all the way through one full scale or arpeggio. Then repeat with a different color. I found it helpful to do a few experiments to find the right sound before starting each new color, so I knew exactly what technique to use. That made it much easier to maintain the color all the way through.
If you’ve tried today’s scales, I’d love to know what your experience was like! Just post a comment below.
Do this in any key, with your usual fingerings.
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.