Never miss a violin shift again
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- I reveal my "two-putt" method of shifting, which I picked up on the golf course. Armed with this method of practicing shifts, you'll experience total confidence both in practice and performance. Here I take a look at Saint-Saens violin concerto No. 3, Paganini La Campanella and the Schubert C Major cello quintet.
Here's a link to the sheet music for the Saint-Saens so that you can try it for yourself:
imslp.org/wiki/...)
And visit www.natesviolin... for more tips, tricks and posts!
TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Nathan Cole of natesviolin.com and we are on the range. We're going to practice our marksmanship today with some big shifts in Saint-Saëns' third concerto.
So how do I know that I'm going to make these shifts, and how are you going to know that you're going to make your shifts? Do you have to practice them a million times, kind of building them up slowly using guide fingers? Breaking down the positions, measuring
the distances?
Those are not all bad ideas but the big problem there is that I didn't hear anything about listening: listening to the actual notes on the way up.
That's the real secret and that's how you're going to be confident to always hit your shifts... I'm going to put a little asterisk by that. I'm not going to say that I'll never miss a shift again (even though that's the title of this video). But your confidence is going to be so high that you're not going to worry about playing the right note at the end of the shift, which is after all what this is about.
Let's switch up the sport... to golf. Because in golf, I think there's a real similarity: making long putts. It's a lot like shifting, big shifts for us.
And when I took golf lessons the instructor had a great exercise for working on long putts. He'd draw a big circle, maybe two or three feet in diameter, around the hole and he would have everybody aim for the big circle and say, "This is about a two putt."
So as soon as everyone started doing that the putting strokes became so much more natural. You could tell everybody was having more fun, confidence was sky-high because it was easy to get it within that big circle. And you know what, a lot of people actually started making the putts just because they were more relaxed. They were focused on the right things and for us that's going to be listening.
So here's how you can never miss a shift: [slow shift]
Does that seem like cheating, the fact that I'm shifting so slowly? It's not cheating! I'm listening to the notes on the way up and I'm stopping when I get there. That's really all there is to it. I don't have to play the whole shift slowly: I'm going to work up there maybe eighty or ninety percent of the way, get close.
And then the second part of my two putt, I'm slowing down into the note, listening so that the exact moment (now this part is precise), the exact moment I get to the note, that's when I have my best sound, vibrato, the complete finger pressure that I would normally have.
And I do that for all the shifts and I practice them that way too.
So now I've taken playing the right note in tune out of the equation. Then the whole game becomes changing the timing, so all the repetitions, all the training is really for your ears, not so much for the arm and the hand. That's going to get its repetitions in the course of this anyway.
But you're training your ear. The greats like Heifetz had lightning, lightning quick ears. They could make these adjustments at the very last millisecond. We're refining the timing, so now it's starting to sound like a performance shift.
Now what about shifts that are not new finger shifts? Let's take a different kind of shift, a simple one like from B to F-sharp, first to third position, first to third finger. Here we have a guide note, right? So it's the same technique: I'm listening for that D and the instant I reach it I drop the third finger.
That's the case, say, for a very common pattern: shifting up an octave from first to fourth finger, for example from F-sharp to F-sharp. We've got the guide note of a C-sharp... and now by speeding it up... It's La Campanella!
So I can't miss it low, right? Because I'm listening all the way up. I just keep going until I get there. And if I miss it high, that means I wasn't listening very carefully on the way up.
Finally, what about those shifts that you can't really listen for on the way up? There's a notorious one in the Schubert cello quintet, where you have to shift up to an octave C. So what am I going to do there? I can't listen on the way up... but I practice it that way. There's my guide note of a G, and my hand is going to make that same motion, same easy motion in performance. Just the bow is going to be in the air. And I know that that C is going to be in the same place as it was when i was listening on the way up.
When I have a problem with my playing, I pick up my phone and watch your video lessons. I cannot find a channel explaining about practicing methods so thoroughly like yours. You teach me more than my real professor. Plz keep updating. Thanks a lot.
Thank you Lucy!
Dont forget to be realistic - you'll have to put in a bit of work whichever method you follow for learning violin I have spent months researching into different systems and found an awesome website at Ajana music lessons (google it if you're interested)
Me too haha
Bonus points for the golf reference.
this is why glissando technique is so important to violin playing. unfortunately, it is frowned upon in modern violin performance and dismissed almost entirely.
Absolutely! Ricci's book on glissando is great.
@@natesviolin What’s the title of the book please?
Please keep these technique videos coming! You have a real knack for bringing ideas to life and giving a practical understanding of how they should be used. Very helpful for those of us without access to a teacher of your calibre.
Thanks, keep looking for more!
Nathan the way you explain shifting in this video gave me a whole new perspective on not just shifting but what slow practicing should actually achieve. Keep up the great work! Thankyou
Excellent advice. I'm back here after recommending this video to other people. Watching this video about a year ago was exactly the insight I needed to start taking on 20th century solo repertoire.
Honestly I’ve never been so glad for a while. I just found your videos and now I’m just binge watching and enjoying all the new methods and techniques. You’re amazing!! Thank you very much, you are helping me a lot. I’m definitely implementing what I’ve learned from you to my practices
The backgrounds really kick this video up to 11. Love it.
Hi Nathan, funny you talked about practicing long putting, I was on the green practicing 50 foot putts, exactly as you talked about. Just found your channel, I'm picking up my violin again after about 40 years, so thanks for your help, I just want to play for my own satisfaction!
Awesome, thanks for sharing that!
You are very good violin teacher. Thank you from India
I have been playing for quite a long time, but I always learn from these lessons ,,,,Brilliant, Many thanks.
Nathan, I can't thank you enough for all these lessons. It's really helping me who started to learn the techniques properly again after 7 years.
I grew up on a golf course, and consequently hate the sport with a passion, but your teaching prowess has me suppressing the gag reflex those chemical greens inspire, thank you.
A very good teacher....
saint saens omgggg the beginning is just gorgeous
Thanks for your precius suggestion Nate!🙏
wow! the first legitimately REALLY good violinist that ive seen on casual UA-cam Good ideas/analogies!:D
Thanks Anex for checking out the videos!
your method of teaching is lgical scientific and muscal i am so thankful to you for helping us all aspiring to play classical violin
I love the way you compare violin practicing to golf practicing. I play a lot of golf also and I've always said that playing the violin well is like playing golf well; you have repetitive motion that has to be precise in order to succeed. Pity, I don't practice golf that often :)
Absolutely, violin is a bit easier to practice... not as much space required!
Fabulous! The putting analogy is great :) Thank you.
Great advice. Thank you.
I started learning recently and we just started doing super simple shifts, and I'm absolutely going to be trying this!
Thank you. That is really clever!.
Excellent
cello player watching your videos and it works really great!
your methods of teaching are very good
What a performance! So beautiful!
Hi Nathan. Very useful video for a self-taught "folky" trying to expand his technique. I'm not doing too badly shifting UP but how about a video on how to shift DOWN, which I find much more challenging. Not much on UA-cam on that topic. Thanks a lot for the vids.
I'm with you there. Perhaps we could start a petition !
This is great!
Best shifting advice ever! Thanks so much 😀
Thank you very much, Maestro Cole!
thank you maestro! greetings from Mexico
What a great idea ... you rock Nathan
Thank you Nate! Very helpful.
Good lesson sir. Im an adult beginner here
Most easiest explaination .. Great .. thanks !!
Hadn't pegged you for a Zappa fan Nathan!
thanks Nathan
I love your channel Nathan! It's a goldmine for someone like me, learning on my own without a teacher. Thank you 🙏 @ 7:56....Bless you! 😊
I've gotta try this. Getting back into practice after 10yrs left me bereft of technique; shifts are always uncertain and beyond 5th is an exercise in anxiety.
Nice video very nice background
super helpful and easy/fun to watch!
Never miss a viola shift again? Don't make one. ;-)
Dear Nathan! There is not only solo violin, there is violin II and the viola. We often have to shift from first position into second position, in a fast tempo.
There will always be a halftone. Take the finger and make a half vibrato swing upward. It only works in fast tempo. Then move your fingers as if you were in second position. Switching downwards is the same. You won't hear a shift. See Mozart, Kegelstatt Trio. You can play fast notes in the ambitus of a fifth in this way.
More than "hearing" is "feeling", and that's all we need! thanK You ...Ps " I never miss a Nate's Video "
Very insightful. Thanks for sharing.
Bless ya (on sneeze) ;-)
Great video, Mr. Cole!!! Keep doing this fantastic job!!!
fantastic And Perfect .You are always Good and to the Point. Thank You.
This is SO USEFUL! THANKS!
Awesome! Thank you!
Great tip!
You're great. Thank you!!
fantastic! it's like violin is common sense after watching these videos!
Sometimes it is!
too true! thank you for these videos, extremely helpful.
Never miss a shift again?
A shift is a movement from A to B. That needs time. There is some situations you can add time to music an it sounds all right. First is "before the one". The one will come to late then, but it doesn't sound like that, it sounds as if the one is a bit louder.
The second way is between two phrases. This is where a singer would take breath. End the phrase a bit earlier, take time for a save shift, and then - good luck!
thank you!
wow this helped so much, thank you!
Tremendously helpful video. Thanks so much. Wondering if U anything on practicing Bow Division, say as in the 1st movement of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat even just the first page and perhaps some of the 3rd mvt., 1st page. Thanks again.
Wow. Great video.
Very valuable lesson, one that can never be emphasized enough! Especially valuable for bass players as well. The tendency with large shifts, especially in orchestral passages with successive ascending figures (i.e. Heldenleben Reh #9), is to shift too fast. Aside from being difficult to play in tune, keeping a relaxed bow arm relative to bow speed and contact point is always a challenge. Any additional comments on cultivating precision and a relaxed bow arm with successive shifts that basically span the entire fingerboard in a short time? Thanks. All your videos are exceptional
Thanks Taddes! For that, you may have people try practicing the "macro" shift; one shift from bottom to top that spans the whole range, without worrying about the intermediate ones. Then it's great to do it in rhythm, changing the bows at the points where the shifts actually occur. So if there are 3 shifts, there would be 4 bows. Finally you can fill in the remaining notes. Sometimes this helps folks who get too hung up on each shift as a separate animal.
F'n brilliant! Many thanks!
great. Thanks
Hi Nate, thanks so much for this. I'd love to hear you talk about how to improve accuracy when you have a fast sequence of multiple shifts, say in a 4-octave A major arpeggio. The faster I go, the less reliable each shift becomes, and especially in an orchestra, it can be difficult to hear yourself clearly. Thanks! - Dave
Right, there are a few strategies... the simplest would just be to use the tip in this video to get the first shift, then add to that the second, etc. At some point you have to go from a shift-by-shift basis to feeling the rhythm of the whole arpeggio in your hand. But most people get tripped up because they don't allow the note after the shift to fully sound before their hand (or finger) is already moving off of it. So in most cases, I still recommend solidifying each individual shift.
Also don't forget about the strategy of working backwards from the end of the arpeggio! In tempo, but adding one note backward at a time.
Ah, yes, I think when I'm afraid the target pitch might be out of tune, I have a tendency to get past it too quickly, which then makes it even harder to play the rest of it in tune. I also watched your video on grouping notes, and re-read what Simon Fischer wrote on it, and that has helped tremendously in just the last few days. Also, do you have a video on fingered octaves? I'm working on Paganini 17. Many thanks for your great videos! - Dave
I still believe that the shift is a bit audible. Is that ok or is it like a romantic shift? Also I am not sure about the intermediate note where you shift with first finger and drop the third. I know this is the way but why can't we directly shift with third finger where no pressure is applied first and then drop the note on F sharp. Thanks.
An option could be to shift from 3rd to 3rd finger. Starting with first, drop the 3rd and shift with that finger.
Good point, Z. Use of an intermediary note is OK for intermediary practicing. In actual playing, most shifting has to be lightning fast and one only has time to concentrate on the target . So both techniques should be practiced: 2-putt, and 'aim and shoot'. Ultimately, you will develop a memory of where that target is and how it feels. That said, use the intermediary finger whenever there's time to do so. And be as still and relaxed as you can before the shift. A good way to get a feel for shift velocity is to practice small same finger shifts (1-1, 2-2 etc.) without an audible slide.
nice! but how to shift down properly?
Yeah how haha
I believe the same principle would apply: practicing slow glissandi-shifts downward to listen for the approaching target note, then stopping/slowing just as soon as one reaches the (vicinity of the) intended pitch.
excelente.. me gusta la técnica. . siempre le comento a mis alumnos... que de manera anticipada deben saber como suena la nota a la cual queremos llegar, con que dedo y que nota haría el primer dedo. . el dedo guía.. y por supuesto acompañado de una correcta posición para tener soltura al cambiar. .. saludos desde Venezuela. .... 😊😊😊
Great video lesson as ever Mr Cole. Fascinating technique... It’s past 1am here in France as I watch this and as always, the question one must ask of oneself is: ‘should one sleep, or should one fiddle and thus risk waking the neighbours?’ Darn, I must sleep! But I’ll certainly try out this shifting technique later in the day. Thank you for posting. :)
Haha! Wake them up, it's for a good cause.
3:23 AM in Germany! Not shifting anymore tonight! :D but great video again!
Practice mute might be a good idea to get some late night shifting practice in!
Subscribed your channel watching single video
Thank you so much Nathan. This is videos has been the best one, simple and straightforward. However, I have a question; how can I train my ear to the pitch of each note so when shifting I know I am there on the right note? Someone said I need to use piano for ear training. I appreciate your suggestion on that.
Thanks
Javad
Nathan, I love playing without a shoulder rest because I’m more relaxed and free. Love the sound, also. BUT I struggle with Down Shifting. Any suggestions? Thanks for great videos🎻👍👍
hi nathan! thanks so much for making these helpful tutorials! I have no problem shifting up but it's always shifting down to lower positions which gets me, especially when I'm playing 3-octave scales, there's always some "clicks" or one or two notes unheard as soon as I am in a new lower position. could you possibly help us on how to play fluidly? thanks :-)
I happen to be sitting right here, so here's a quick answer without seeing you play! It helps me to think of those scalar shifts (just a half or whole step) as between the fingers, rather than between positions. In other words, rather than a big process (shift the hand/arm down two positions, drop the new finger) just feel a small process (exchange the fingers). Often the shift will then take care of itself.
Nice video!
Curious what you think about this idea regarding the practice of guide notes and mechanism of shifting in general: is the priority to maintain the correct scalar/positional frame for our hand, or is it to maximize the natural feeling of comfort for the hand during the shift?
For example, shift on D string, E(1) to C#(4) in a lyrical setting. The frame dictates that the guide note be a G#(1). My approach has me playing G natural there every time, creating an out-of-key diminished 5th (let's assume A major). This is just what feels most expressive and comfortable to me and I find examples like that in many places, especially shifts that take you through several positions. Same thing when you do a high position shift from 1-3 (substituting the 4th finger for strength/expression purposes). My natural-feeling guide note in those situations still creates a perfect 4th. I would never make that 1-3 an actual interval of a 3rd.
My theory is that naturally (physically) the hand prefers not to have to follow the distance compression as it shifts up the fingerboard for a particular shift, that it would like to travel "suspended" and arrive comfortably, oblivious to what has happened to the distances. So in that example, maybe the 1-4 distance in 1st position is sort preserved up the fingerboard so a perfect 4th ~ becomes diminished 5th. If I shift to the standard G# guiding note, my 4th finger note feels unexpressive and mechanical because the hand is restricted in a frame. You see masters of old finger shifting, like Kreisler and Szeryng, doing this. We without question do it for expressive new finger (Heifetz) shifts - like you show with the Saint-Saens. You have to abandon frames and throw your hand up there commando in order to create the effect.
I noticed you generally have a remarkably high comfort level within positional frames for technical and lyrical playing alike, so I am wondering if you even experienced this as well. Probably this only applies lyrical playing? It seems in technical passages this riskier, complicated and potentially disastrous :)
Thanks for humoring me ;)
A lot of great questions and comments! This is probably different for different people; and not a lot of folks actually think about this. In the end, the shift should just be a natural way to connect two notes, so your intuition about what feels natural means a great deal for your consistency.
That said, for technical passages (and so many passages blur the line between lyrical and technical, don't they?) it is risky because you're likely going to be playing that guide note soon.
Maybe a good example is the beginning of the Paganini 1st concerto? I would shift from 1 to 3 for the high A, and would probably use the guide note of F-sharp even though it would compress the hand a bit. I'd feel secure that way. Practicing octaves in all positions helps me solidify this frame.
Yes I see what you mean. Thank you for the insight!
I do a rather perverted fingering for the Paganini opening. even a particular 'paganini expert' praised it (or pretended to).
1-1-2-1- 3 1 (on A string, compressing 1 and 3) 4 (doing a 10th, stretch, no shift) then arpeggio down as normal
Creative! It's certainly worth something not to worry about that first big shift!
You are the boss!! :D
These backgrounds are hilarious btw
I've tried to up my background game since then! :)
Clear simple and easy to understand! Sub to see more and improve with your videos! :)
The caugh was the astrix
Amazing! Thank you so much for the lesson!
Edit: my shifts are much better now. However, I'm having a problem with the bow. How to "lift" it so the notes going up, say, the slide to the new position, isn't heard. My shift falls right on spot, but mushy between the two notes. If anyone can help, I thank you in advance!
why am i getting such anxiety? I guess I just doubt my ability lol
Hi, I really love your videos, just a question what violin do you have? It's sounds wonderful
This is a Strad on loan from the LA Philharmonic.
No surprise it has such a soft and great sound.
Hey! I'm just learning to Speak in English, so I beg your pardon because I feel more comfotable writting in my native language: Portuguese.
Existe um tipo de memória, a Memória Processual, que também poderia explicar como conseguimos chegar à qualquer nota no violino, viola ou violoncello. Alguns especialistas defendem um tipo de Memória 'Muscular' para utilizar e acessar a Memória Processual. É isso que nos faz saber onde encontrar cada nota em nosso instrumento, penso eu. Mas para chegar lá, o exercício ilustrado por você, Senhor Cole, é fascinante.
Um abraço. Best Regards.
You are asking about "muscle memory" or "procedure memory", and this is also valuable of course! The best case scenario is when these different types of memory complement each other. The problem is that most of the time, violinists prevent muscle memory from helping because they lack confidence. When you "miss" at least half of the time, your muscles can't memorize anything. The two-putt method lets your ear and your muscles work together, so that they can form a positive association. Then both types of memory are stronger on their own.
Nathan Cole , Thank you very much for your time! I am very grateful for this opportunity to talk with you. I always thought I was wrong when I was searching connected all types of memories to study the violin.
Now I see it was right all the time! You made a violin student very happy and now I return home very satisfied about this. Moreover I'm full of expectations and
excited to study violin!
Thank you, Mr. Cole.
P.s.: I'm sorry about my poor English.
Maycon de Souza Carneiro Your English is great!
Mr. Cole, I am now 24 years old. I played the violin for 2 years when I was younger, but I don't remember anything. If I start back and dedicate myself, do you think I could be able to play the Bach sonatas and partitas for solo violin eventually? A lot of people seem to think I shouldn't even bother.
I don't know why people would say that! I think your goal is a great one, and the fact that you can make your own timetable means that you can enjoy the journey. The great thing about Bach is that even though it's all great music, some movements are easier than others. So you can start work on it pretty early on, and advance to the more difficult movements when you're ready!
Nice video! Would you say shifting down follows the same framework? I often find it more difficult than shifting up. Perhaps I don't practice enough :P
In general, yes! So it's important to support the instrument "up" even when shifting "down".
The shift down developed in history. At the beginning they had no chinrest or shoulderrest. Shifting up was easy, you push the violin to your body. There it is fixed. The other direction you pull the violin away from your body and it falls.
1722 Bach wrote his first fugue. He makes you being in a position. Then, in this sixteents passage he composes an empty string to give you the opportunity and the time to change into first position again. It was a matter of the composer to care for this.
Around 1800, Kreutzers time, they prepaired the change. First they moved the thumb into the new position. Then the hand followed. This is not so antique. I could see it by a teacher of mine who had learned it from Carl Flesch.
Then , again around 1800, Spohr invented the chinrest. You can fix the position of the violin with your chin and then switch downwards. Fixing the violin is also helpful for a vibrato. Don't forget to solve the violin again, otherwise you will become ill.
Great video.
How many repetitions does it take to have a shift on lock if you practice it that way?
Hi Javier, I was just finishing putting up the subtitles, you're fast! The nice thing is that you'll know it's ready when the timing is the way you want it. If you're not able to hear the shift on the way up, you're doing it too fast for your ear. Especially in the beginning, it may take a few days to get the tempo up for a shift. But then every shift afterward is easier. And every repetition will be in tune.
+Nathan Cole Thank you very much :D
what is that shoulder pad called?
im a beginner and im having trouble responding to the notes quick enough. I changed a teachers 3 times mmy first one taught me by air and now im stuck with it I can't sight read. I always need to hear the song. my second teacher wasn't even a teacher so I guess I didn't learn any thing. my current teacher is the best on I have so far and im slowly catching up. do you have any videos on how to my that ringing sound?
I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you looking for ways to get a better violin sound?
Hi Nathan, i need ur email atleast to contact u in regards to violin practices and advices. Please do provide me. Tq.
Whats the name first Song?
Saint-Saens violin concerto b-minor
Hi Nathando you have any tips for double stop and/or string crossing shifts?
Yes, for string crossings you can practice the shift as though it were on one string. For example, in the Sibelius concerto cadenza, from the low B-flat to the high one... let's say you are shifting from 2 on the low note to 4 on the high one. Practice just on the E-string, from first position 4th finger to the high 4th finger (B-flat to B-flat).
For double-stops, pay special attention to the spacing of the fingers on either side of the shift. For example, if you're shifting from a minor 3rd to a major 3rd. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same concept as single-note shifts.
Was that cough intentional I wonder…
Youd don't use a shoulder rest?!? I do that, and my violin starts falling off my shoulder!
First make sure you have the best chin rest. Even subtle differences can make the instrument more secure. No shoulder rest can free up your hold so you can more easily move and avoid getting tired.
Mr Kim brought me here
I. the youngest on here! everyone in the comments plays violin I assume.
Archers always shift better🤣
`never` ... subconcious impulse coughing, never...