"So, if a great soloist came in and played (as themselves) at an audition, would they pass the first round?" - Nathan Cole
This is the question Nathan Cole proposes in a new blog on Violinist.com, where he writes about his experience after watching famed violin soloist Joshua Bell rehearse with the LA Philharmonic recently. Read it here!
Hi, I wanted to share with you something I just posted at violinist.com: a blog about my time at Curtis, including the time I said "no" to Lang Lang! I call it, "Say Yes"!
In this sample violin lesson from the Online Violin School with Nathan Cole, he takes you through an important piece for violin auditions - the Kreutzer Etude #1.
This Kreutzer Etude is a very versatile piece that can vary greatly in the amount of difficulty based on the tempo you play it. What makes it unique in that it is actually harder when it is played slower. The challenge is saving the bow to play all the beats at the particular tempo while maintaining your tone, and also playing dynamics that don’t match with the bow placement (reverse dynamics).
Because the placement of the bow are in reverse of the conventional and advantageous placements, it is important to remember other important variables of bow control while practicing this etude which include:
We're pleased to bring you another "Profile in Online Learning," this time a violin student named Boyoung who plays in the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra where she goes to college.
AW: How long have you been playing violin?
Boyoung: I have been playing violin since I was in 3rd grade - about 10 years now. I played piano prior to picking up the violin, since I was 6 years old, so I didn’t have to learn to read music when I started taking violin lessons. My learning curve took off very fast from my background in piano. I did start later than many of my peers, but I would say because of my early piano background, I was never at a disadvantage.
We're pleased to bring you another "Profile in Online Learning," this time a violin student named Boyoung who plays in the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra where she goes to college.
AW: How long have you been playing violin?
Boyoung: I have been playing violin since I was in 3rd grade - about 10 years now. I played piano prior to picking up the violin, since I was 6 years old, so I didn’t have to learn to read music when I started taking violin lessons. My learning curve took off very fast from my background in piano. I did start later than many of my peers, but I would say because of my early piano background, I was never at a disadvantage.