Warm-ups for Beginner/Intermediates

[fiddlededee]

Howdy! I am a newer member to FV and I am loving all of the lessons and music! I noticed there are some great technique videos for ornamentals and bowing, however, I am wondering if there are some great warm-ups that each instructor would recommend for beginner/intermediate level? Is there a specific book recommendation? Would there be sheet music with a video for warm-ups? Possibly, have its own category under Technique?

I think that my biggest issue is speed, I find that my intonation can get sloppy because I am worried about the bowing… and then my bowing becomes off because I am thinking about my pitch…well, then it’s just a mess. I know speed and accuracy will come with practice, but I wonder if there is a technique that I am missing?

One last request, Casey mentioned in a board about stretching before and after playing. May we also get a video on proper stretches?

Thank you kindly,

Fiddlededee 😉

• This topic was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by fiddlededee.

[Casey Willis]

Good thought, Dedee. There are certainly a number of things I can think of off of the top of my head to talk about.

We’re in the process of moving into a new studio right now, and I have a new instructor scheduled to record in the end of September. I think it would be a good idea to test out the audio and video gear in the new studio to work out the kinks before the new instructor gets here. If I have time, I might record a short video on this topic and provide some exercises. It would be short and give me a chance to check the gear.

Thx for the idea…hopefully I’ll have the time!

C

[fiddlededee]

Hello, Casey!

I am hoping you have the time, as well! Thank you for taking my suggestions into consideration.

Enjoy the new studio! Can’t wait to see more videos and instruction :)!

[kevinalexander]

Hello Dee, I have a pretty good warm up book. It’s just a wee booklet put out by Mel Bay’s people and written by Carol Ann Wheeler. It’s called ‘Warm-ups for the Violinist’. It’s not just scales and arpeggios but also lots of other calisthenics and such. It has a CD in the back. You might find it on-line.

[fiddlededee]

Greetings Kevin Alexander!

Thank you for the suggestion! I found the book on Amazon, it seems to be out of print, luckily I was able to find a copy for under $6 in new condition! I am so excited to use this book.

Super appreciative, many thanks!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by fiddlededee.

[Roland White]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for that post as its really a good suggestion. Carol Ann Wheeler is one of our Oregon Fiddling treasures and I had the lucky opportunity to attend a week long workshop and a few private lessons with her many years ago.

She is awesome. Her background as a Classical Violinist is very valuable as a lot of her teaching is to build skills while having fun. I highly recommend this to any one as excellent foundation exercises that you can take into your more advanced playing. In fact the more advancements I make the more I practice my basic long bowing and intonation with all my practice sessions. have fun and fiddle on. Roland

[Casey Willis]

I can second Kevin’s recommendation…

Hanneke uses Carol Ann’s warm up exercises.

That’s how every studio recording day starts when Hanneke is cutting new material…she warms up the same way each day before recording. Clearly, she finds these exercises to be helpful.

Good tip.

C

[Patti Kusturok]

Hi Fiddlededee,

If you’re a note reader, one book that I always recommend to students is Gordon Stobbe’s Red Book of Scales and Arpeggios. It’s a book written with a fiddler in mind, in keys that we mostly play in, and what’s REALLY cool is that many of the exercises are very “fiddly,” meaning that the movements are typical of what you might find in fiddle tunes.

You pick a key, and then jump around the book doing all of the exercises in that key.

Fiddlebooks – Gordon Stobbe is what you’d want to search. 🙂

And now I’m going to check out Carol Ann’s book….it sounds really cool too!

Patti

[Andrea_S]

Patti – if you find a source for Carol Ann’s book in Canada can you please post it? I’m not having any luck. And I totally agree regarding Gordon’s Red Book, and all his other books – wonderful.

Andrea

[fiddlededee]

Hey Patti!

Thank you for the recommendation! I found Stobbe’s book on his website! I also saw a lot of discussion boards online buzzing about this particular book and how the exercises are exceptional. I am definitely getting this book; it takes about 3 weeks for it to arrive in the US, so it will probably arrive it in late October. I am going to do your recommendation about staying in the same key and finding the applicable exercises. Honestly, I just realized how this exercise suggestion can completely revolutionize my fiddle playing. My previous teacher would have me constantly change keys and many times I felt that my playing lacked quality and consistency. Also, I think that I made a lot of mistakes because I was thinking about the key too much, rather than getting a feel for the note progression and intonation. This new practice of staying in the same key is a game changer for me!

Many Thanks :)!

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