The viola is a beautiful instrument; I, more than most, should know that. After all, I have been playing viola for four years. Of course, four years isn't that long, especially compared to some people, and though I am by no means a master of my instrument, I do consider myself capable enough to give some tips to beginners.
In fact, even if you have been playing viola for quite a while, you may find some of the following advice helpful to you. And don't feel left out, my fellow orca dorks! As an added bonus, some of these tricks can be not just applied to viola, but to all string instruments in general. But anyway, without further ado, here are five tips to play viola (or any string instrument) better!
Over the years that I've been playing - or rather, studying, which sounds quite a bit fancier - the viola, I have picked up some helpful tips, many of which are from my private lesson teacher, the principal violist of a professional orchestra in my state. I hope he doesn't mind that I share some of this advice with all of you. Also, feel free to leave a comment below for an further explanation of any of the points or for a definition of a music term or phrase.
1. Practice faster than you need to.
This is a tip that is more useful if you play in/with an orchestra or group. I know that during performances or orchestra rehearsals, I tend to mess up things I can usually play easily enough during practice. This is usually due to nerves - or the world just hates me (probably the former). Anyway, to prevent screwing things up, seeming worse than you actually are, and sounding like absolute trash, learn and practice the section(s) well enough to be able to play them faster than you need to. For example, if a piece's concert speed is 130, I might practice it at 145 BPM. Being able to play faster than the necessary tempo ensures that you are less prone to making mistakes when you're playing at a slower tempo and are nervous.
2. Play the notes backwards.
This is definitely a tip that is only helpful if you're just starting out on your instrument and learning to read the clef. This is also actually something one of my fellow classmates thought of. When you're still figuring out your clef, it can become easy to simply memorize finger placements instead of actually learning the notes when playing songs. Obviously, this is not helpful. To stop yourself from doing this, play the piece backwards, starting from the last note and working your way left and up. This way, you can get some extra practice reading the clef you're learning.
3. Have the right amount of arm and bow weight.
A better tone can be easily achieved with the right amount of weight in your bow and/or bow arm, the arm you hold your bow in (for almost everyone, the right arm). Using the right amount of weight can also give you a much more mature tone and make you seem more experienced and professional than you really are. If you sound airy and almost whisper-like when you play, you aren't using enough weight. On the other hand, if you are producing a scratchy and harsh tone, you are using too much weight. To increase the pressure on your bow with your bow grip, you can press down your ring finger in the right hand. With your right arm, the majority of your weight should come form gravity pulling your upper arm down, not your forearm.
For violas, the right amount of weight is especially important. I find that many violists don't use enough weight, which is something I find myself sometimes guilty of. This causes them to just sound like a bright violin and completely lack the unique warm, rich, and dark timbre of a viola. If you're a violist who's afraid of using too much weight, keep in mind that what sounds gritty and disgusting to you can sound absolutely beautiful to the audience. Recording yourself from a distance can possibly help you judge your sound.
4. Use a "greasy elbow" to have a straighter bow.
A term that's often used is "fishtailing". This typically happens when you're at the tip of the bow and instead of being straight, your bow instead curves towards you - just like the tail of a fish. This can often occur when you keep your elbow locked in place, forcing the bow to have no other option than to fishtail. An easy way to prevent this is to have what my teacher calls a "greasy elbow". This is when you allow your elbow to be loose so your bow can be straight. On down bows let your elbow go forward and away from you, and vice versa and up bows. So for up bows, allow your elbow to move backwards and towards you. Using this technique can help keep your bow from fishtailing.
5. Practice, practice, practice!
You've probably heard this enough, but it's true - practice makes perfect! Or rather, perfect practice makes perfect. You can't just fool around during practice time, you need to actually work and focus. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time. But regardless, practice is incredibly important. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are), the people that practice the most tend to be the same people that get first chair, get the solo, etc. Just like with pretty much anything, it's almost impossible to improve unless you practice.
For me, one of the most difficult things about practicing is not being lazy, getting up from whatever I'm doing, and actually starting to practice. Alas, pretty much the only way to solve this problem is to just force myself to put down whatever I'm doing and just move. It also helps to realize that practicing viola and getting ready for an upcoming concert, audition, or whatever, is a much higher priority than watching an excessive amount of YouTube videos.
These are five tips to improve your viola, or violin, cello, and bass, playing. I hope that whether or not you're a beginner, you took away something useful from this blog post. If you did, feel free to share this post to someone else who would appreciate the advice here using the share buttons below. I also suggest checking back on my blog later because I'll be sharing some more tips to improve your viola playing in the future.
PS: Happy 'Merica day, my fellow 'Mericans! Take pride in our country. America sucks less than most of the world. Warning: some cursing
These are five tips to improve your viola, or violin, cello, and bass, playing. I hope that whether or not you're a beginner, you took away something useful from this blog post. If you did, feel free to share this post to someone else who would appreciate the advice here using the share buttons below. I also suggest checking back on my blog later because I'll be sharing some more tips to improve your viola playing in the future.
PS: Happy 'Merica day, my fellow 'Mericans! Take pride in our country. America sucks less than most of the world. Warning: some cursing
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