Student Info Page
Links
to Favorite Sites
Need an online tuner for your violin/fiddle?
How about an online Metronome? Here are 2 choices:
Digital Library of Appalachia - Amazing authentic recordings of Appalachian Fiddlers playing all sorts of archaic AND commonly known tunes
Hetzler's Fake Book - great list of tunes in the keys they are most commonly played
Hill Country Tunes by Sam Bayard - lots of sheet music of Appalchian tunes collected in Southwestern Pennsylvania
Studio Children's Recital Feb. 2010
Jim Wood announcing
Pop Wagner, fiddler
at a house concert that followed fiddling workshops
Pegramjam.com - a site with free guitar chords for many of your favorite fiddle tunes, over 60 pages of tunes
Fall/winter 2009/10 Studio Schedule
Mon
TueWedThursFri
TueWedThursFri2:30 –3:15 2 - 2:45 X 2 - 2:45 Possible
X 2 - 2:45 Possibleopen open Erin floating
open Erin floating lessons3:15 - 4:15 3:00 - 3:45 x 3pm - 3:45 Scheduled
x 3pm - 3:45 ScheduledRenee Ted open on a
Ted open on a week to
4:30 - 5:004 - 5:15 x 4 -4:45 week
4 - 5:15 x 4 -4:45 week Hanila Temp open basis
Temp open basis 5-5:45 availablex 5 - 5:45 4 - 5:15 Ashlynn Leila Hannah
availablex 5 - 5:45 4 - 5:15 Ashlynn Leila Hannah 5:15 - 6:15 6:30 - 8:30 & 6 - 6:45 Zachary Metro class 6:15 - 7 Grace
6:15 - 7 GracePat John K
6:15 - 7 7 - 7:45 Tristan 7 - 7:45
Peter Henry
7:15 - 8
8 - 9 Kate 7:45 - 8:30
7:45 - 8:30 Informal Travis W.
Drop-In
Group
Jessica - floating days 5pm or laterQuestions or additions to this page?
Email me: mhunke@cox.net
Sign up for the
March Practice Contest
Group Drop In Advanced Beginner lessons Mondays at 8pm all students are welcome.
No pre-registration/reservation necessary
(no group lessons on Wednesdays at this time)
Playing St. Patrick's Day March 17th
American Legion Post # 1
78th & Davenport
5 - 7:30pm
there is a cover charge
Meeting Saturday, March 27th, 3pm at Jim Harvey's house. email me if you need the address Mindy
Contra Dance
Come dance or just come for the music of Rivertown String Band and Friends 3rd Saturday, every month Seymour Elementary School - Ralston adults $7 admission, kids free
Violinmasterclass.com - a site with lots of violin tutorials for proper bowing, left hand and many other interesting topics
Metro Class Assignments
Week #1
1. Essential Elements exercises 1 - 8
2. Essential Elements exercises 9 - 13
3. Ode to Joy (in handout packet) first 4 measures
4. Memorize the string names (G-D-A-E) Good Dogs Always Eat - and where the open D string note and open A string note are positioned on the staff
Technique
Be sure your violin is held up and in front just slightly to the left (not out to the side). You should be able to sight down the fingerboard.
Check your bow hold. Your thumb should be bent and should sit betweent he frong and the wrapping on the stick (thumb doesn't stick through). First finger is on the stick between two knuckles. Middle two fingers relaxed over the stick. Pinky to the inside of the top with pinky bent.
Don't smash your imaginary mice with your left hand. Thumb and first finger sit approximately an inch from the end of the fingerboard. Bend your fingers at both knuckles and push down on the string with the fleshy part of the finger.
Down bow: pull the bow from the frog towards the tip
Up bow: push the bow from the tip towards the frog
Extra Credit
Show a co worker, family member or friend how to hold a bow using a pencil.
Clap your hands or tap your feet to the beat of songs you are playing on cd or the radio
Define pitch, tone and rhythm
Helpful Tips
If you don't like the tone you are producing, check your shoulder. Is it moving back and forth? If it is, make it stop! Try to bow from your elbow, wrist and fingers.
Having a hard time getting a good bow hold? Wave "Bye Bye" and let your hand flop, bring your bow up to your relaxed hand.
Week #2
1. Essential Elements exercises 15 - 24
2. Boil Them Cabbage (in handout packet)
3. Review Ode to Joy (in handout packet)
4. Practice the String Crossing Exercise (in packet), line 3 & 4 - be sure to hold your fingers down while playing on the A string
5. Count using "and" i.e. one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and
6. Practice Tapping your foot and counting then practice tapping your foot and playing
7. Review the chromatic scale, make sure you understand the concept of half step and whole step intervals
Technique
Check your bow hold before starting to play anything. (see week 1)
When bowing, keep your shoulder still and move from the elbow, wrist and fingers, keep wrist loose
ARE YOU SMASHING IMAGINARY MICE? If so, your thumb could be the culprit, be sure it isn't sticking way up above the fingerboard.
To play successfully on a higher string while holding fingers down (i.e. string crossing exercise), bring your elbow underneath you and keep your left hand fingers bent at both knuckles.
Extra Credit:
Identify and write out the three whole step intervals (two note names each) that you have been using most frequently so far. Identify and write out the one half step interval. Sing the note names for "Ode to Joy" (in this case it is ok to say "F" instead of "F#" as long as you think "F#" in your head.
