Harmony Violin Studio

When starting the collé bow stroke, getting enough movement in the finger joints can be tricky, especially from the knuckles/base joints. Practicing the 3 movements in this video will help develop more control and awareness of the finger joints used in collé. All you need is a table or desk. A book will work in a pinch. Blue dots on my hand: base joints!... Blue line on my hand: line this up with the edge of the table. This is a guideline. Go with what is comfortable. In the 3rd part alone, "Movement from top, middle and knuckle joints", I demonstrate a few things: I release the fingers downwards, dropping them I also demonstrate a more controlled movement, lowering them smoothly and slowly I play with range: I raise my fingers above parallel to the back of my hand Aim for a smooth and easy quality of movement. What is the rest of your body doing? Make sure that you aren't twisted or uncomfortable, and than your arm is relaxed and lying on the table. #collé #violintechnique #violinteacher #sevcikop3 #violinexercises #violinmoves #adultlearning #adultviolinlessons #violinstudies #violinistsofinstagram

Bow Technique focus: Theme from Sevcik Op. 3, 40 Variations. The Theme is quite revealing in its simplicity. I see some mindful intonation work in my future I'll be drawing from the 40 Variations in my group repertoire class for adult intermediate violinists, starting in February. Sevcik Op. 3 poses challenges to violinists of all levels, so I'm looking forward to improving my own technique through teaching them!... Some things I chose to focus on here: 1 Listening for the musical direction through harmonic changes 2 Related to the above: Varying degrees of Tension and Relaxation between intervals 3 Tone colour: for a darker sound, I played closer to the fingerboard. For a brighter sound, I moved closer to the bridge. This is a very general way of talking about changing colour, but it's a great place to start. Speed and pressure also need to be manipulated, but it can be useful to choose just one element to bring into our awareness. Would you like to see more of these Sevcik bowing variations? Let me know in the comments! #sevcik #sevcikop3 #adultlearning #adultgroupclass #adultviolinlessons #violintechnique #violinteacher #violinstudies #violinbowtechnique #violinistsofinstagram

I haven't posted for a while, but @sybils.cello and I have been busy creating a special, affordable offering for our adult learner community! The Tadioli Duo has come up with an innovative new way to create community and motivate musicians across the world to get playing even while in lockdown! Are you an adult amateur violinist or cellist at the intermediate level, stuck at home with no orchestral or chamber music performances on the horizon? With several packages on offer, ...this affordable solution to online learning will have your fingers engaged in no time. Feel free to DM us here, or click on "Group Classes" in my Linktree. #classicalmusicians #celloplayer #cello #stringinstruments #violinplayer #violino #violin #violinista #violinlover #classicalbuzz #adultbeginner #adultbeginnerviolinist #cellopractice #celloteacher #violinteacher #cello #violintechnique #cellistsoftheworld #violoncello #violinistsofinstagram #practicejournal #cellotechnique #cellolessons #cellistsofinstagram #musiclessonsforadults #adultlearning #musicteachers #musicteachersofinstagram

Fontana Experimented a bit with ornaments. Also noticed less crunching in my sound. Handling the bow and manipulating the sound is something I've been trying to improve, as well as ornamentation. A long way to go in both respects, but hey, that's playing the violin! Early Italian music is probably the least familiar to me of all music in the Baroque period, but it's the style that I'm the most drawn to. Wait, is that true? I also really, really love playing Bach. And Biber. And so many others. Ok, maybe "most" is not the word! At the very least, I'm so fascinated with the improvisatory nature of this music and would love to move more in that direction.

A few moments from one of our @just.a.tad.duo concerts. If you've visited my personal account, @suhashini_a , you know how much I love gardens. Spending time in nature, even in urban settings...perhaps *especially* in urban settings...is something I crave, and am nourished by. Performing in these urban sanctuaries is magical. #Tadioliduo #bachviolinsonata #unaccompaniedbach #urbansanctuary #gardenconcert #outdoorconcert

DAY 15 Picking up where I left off. Didn't practice during my Body Mapping course, but came away inspired with so many ideas, which I hope to share in future posts. Believe it or not, I have a socially distanced rehearsal in 2 days, with actual people! Went for my required Covid test today. Hope it's negative! ... Back to practicing 2nd violin parts! Orchestral parts remind me that I need to finesse my bow technique! I noticed some neck/ shoulder area tension in my videos, so the first clip is me playing on the string, trying to use minimum effort. The next bit is up to tempo. There are some awkward string crossing patterns. My strategy to deal with them was to: 1 Identify and mark the phrases, which can be easy to ignore in running, non-melodic parts. In this case, the phrases are not all the same length. 2 Decide on the shape of the phrase 3 Play under tempo, on the string, with the phrasing you want and good sound quality 4 Use minimum muscular effort. Eventually I tuned into how my body felt, but I hadn't noticed it initially! I saw my tension in the video. We can use multiple senses to guide us, but our 'felt' sense is the quickest way in, in my experience. Rhythm strategies are also great, but I didn't do those tonight. One of my former teachers, Burton Kaplan, has the most comprehensive guide I've ever seen, for speeding up a passage using rhythms. It's in his book, Practicing for Artistic Success. Highly recommend. My copy is tattered and dog-eared.

Fontana Experimented a bit with ornaments. Also noticed less crunching in my sound. Handling the bow and manipulating the sound is something I've been trying to improve, as well as ornamentation. A long way to go in both respects, but hey, that's playing the violin! Early Italian music is probably the least familiar to me of all music in the Baroque period, but it's the style that I'm the most drawn to. Wait, is that true? I also really, really love playing Bach. And Biber. And so many others. Ok, maybe "most" is not the word! At the very least, I'm so fascinated with the improvisatory nature of this music and would love to move more in that direction.

DAY 13 3rd day of BMSIN (Body Mapping Summer Intensive Newfoundland) The workshop gives us trainees a chance to practice presenting one hour of the 6-hour course, What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body. I've done so much teaching, but not much presenting. I was extremely nervous, but my mental skills/ performance training work paid off here just as much as when I'm performing. I've done some work with amazing performance coach Lisa Chisholm. I've attended her week...-long 25hr workshop on mental skills for performers. It was one of the most comprehensive and practical courses I've ever had on the subject...and she brought in a Body Mapping Educator for an hour. I don't think Lisa is on Instagram, but there is Google! Here's some of the reading material that I've been consumed with this week. I highly recommend any of these books.

My stretching video got cut off! Here's the whole thing. This helps my fingers to be more agile, especially if I've built up neck and shoulder tension. #stretchesformusicians #stretchesforviolinists

DAY 10 continued. My stretching video got cut off, so reposting now,! This stretch helps my fingers to be more agile, especially if tension in my neck and shoulders has built up.... #stretchesformusicians #stretchesforviolinists #100daysofpractice

This helps when my fingers feel slow due to tension ín my neck and shoulder area, as well as forearms. See my previous post: the full video didn't upload so reposting here. #stretchesformusicians #stretchesforviolinists

DAY 8 Baroque Violin Grave from Bach a minor sonata Working on pacing and flow today. I wanted the first chord to carry a emotional weight with a certain gravitas, but still with enough movement, or "fall" towards the open G. Feeling out the bow planning here, including where in the bow I'll aim to cross the strings. I'm apt to get stuck on a detail like this first chord, so I consciously forged ahead to the rest of the piece! ... #100daysofpractice #bachviolinsonata #bach #baroqueviolin #baroqueviolinist #violinflow #practicemakesprogress

DAY 7 Recital day for the kids in my violin class! Working on creating a separate opportunity for my adult students. Minimal practice for me..warmed up with scales and performed some Telemann to open the recital. Before sharing each students' prerecorded video, I asked each student to share something about their process. One told us about how effective mental practice has been for her, and how she meditates before practicing. Another talked about her progress surrounding the ...technical goals goals we set together in September. Others spoke about what they found challenging about the pieces they had recorded, and also what they liked/loved about the pieces. It's rare that my students get together, and their performances are so fleeting compared to the amount of work they've put into them. As much as I want my students to love performing, my greater goal is to cultivate a love for the process of getting there. #100daysofpractice #zoomrecital #violinkids #violinteacher #practiceprocess #mentalpractice #goalsetting #performancepreparation

Baroque Violin Practicing some Fontana today. Slow rhythm practice on the fast sections, making sure that every note speaks/every note gets good bow hair contact. I know many people mention the index finger when it comes to articulation and "speaking" with the bow, but in my opinion the movement begins in the larger structures, and the bow receives the messages from quite a distance away. Even when I'm playing fast notes, I really feel connected to my entire arm, especially the weight of my entire arm. #100daysofpractice #fontanasonata #baroqueviolin #baroqueviolintechnique #bowtechnique #rhythmpractice

Another foot/leg related post: walking while playing is a good way to remind ourselves of keeping our knees, hips and ankles responsive and mobile. In some situations, I like to think of movement being the opposite of tension, rather than relaxation or release. While playing scales in bowing patterns, I was concentrating so hard, my knees locked and my legs were tight. I was unaware of this for the first couple of minutes, but then I caught myself, and went for a (very) littl...e walk. If one is not already used to walking around and playing, it adds a level of complexity because we're managing another movement. I definitely felt myself letting go of the "concentration", and felt almost on autopilot once I'd done this for a few minutes. I think it's a useful tool to try out for coordination purposes, and can be made more complex by taking steps only on certain beats, etc. I was reminded of Suzuki group classes, where our teacher would get us to stand on one foot and play. As I remember, walking/marching while playing was a regular part of group classes. The weather here is getting warmer, so I might try a few things outdoors where there is more space, and no place where my bow can plow into a ceiling pipe! #100daysofpractice #scalepractice #movementawareness #bodymindmusic #bodyawareness ##mentalskills #mobility #bowingpatterns #smallapartment #bookshelf #violinist #violinteacher #Suzukiviolin #suzukigroupclass #walking #adultviolinlessons #adultviolinlearner

I'm working on the first page, and coming up against an old pattern; equating intensity and tension in the music with tension in the body. A former teacher of mine gave some great advice; 70% emotional intensity for much of our practice. While it's hard to quantify emotional intensity, the basic message is clear, but I'm finding it incredibly difficult to stay "cool" while practicing this music. I think Sevcik was a genius with his Analytical concert studies, because they ma...ke it easier to detach from the full intensity of the actual music, focusing on efficient, beautiful mechanics before merging the elements. I'm reminded of my foot post yesterday, where I mentioned that the toe/foot movements should happen without clenching our hands or tensing our neck. Translated to practicing and performing music, I'd like to find the lowest degree of physical effort that will convey the appropriate degree of emotional intensity. I don't mean that we should be floppy and flaccid, just that one can search for the right balance. Thoughts? The rest of the video showcases one of Bob Skeleton's legs. Let the tibia bear your weight, not the fibula! Walk, stand, sway, play and enjoy your movement. Continuing to deepen my knowledge of the body as a Licensure Trainee of @bodymappingeducation #100daysofpractice #skeleton #anatomy #skeletalanatomy #anatomyformusicians #bodymappingformusicians #bodymindmusic #bodyawareness #legs #Brahms #brahmsviolinconcerto #intensity #emotionalintensity #tension #tensionandrelease #movementformusicians #movementpractice #movementawareness

I've taken a few more days than usual off posting, because I needed some private thinking/percolating headspace. I've started learning the Brahms Concerto, which is my most loved concerto in the world, but I've put it on a pedestal and have not allowed myself to learn it. It could be a throwback to an overall wonderful teacher of mine who said, "I don't think ANYBODY should play Brahms until they have NO problems". Tall order! Anyway, here I am, problems and all, reading thro...ugh part of Sevcik's Analytical Concert Studies for the Brahms Concerto. Here's where the feet come in: I'm feeling supported and mobile, and shifts of balance are occurring naturally. My sound quality, especially in very low or high registers, improves when I check in with my feet and improve my alignment and balance. Just one part of the whole, but a significant and oft-neglected one. In the preface to these Concert Etudes, Sevcik writes, "Detached stones out of the great magnificent mosaic of the masterpieces, cut with diligence, may resplend in the bright sunny radiance of the inspired soul." And now, to follow those beautiful words...foot health! In the video I've demonstrated some movements that can help us feel supported and reduce foot and leg fatigue when we practice. I didn't show this, but continue with the ball around the entire foot, then do the other foot. Try it before practicing! #brahmsviolinconcerto #Brahms #Brahmsandbalance #balance #foothealth #footawareness #bodymindmusic #sevcikviolin #sevcik #100daysofpractice #violinpractice #mindfulpractice #healthypractice #movementpractice #musicianshealthandmovement #musicianshealth

4-Octave G major scale, speeding up detache, practicing shifts omitting the note before the shift, a idea from Simon Fischer's "Scales" that I saw on a post by @minjeongkoh1 , who has wonderful practice tips. Admittedly, I have avoided doing scales in separate bows and it's coming back to haunt me! I'll be spending some time sorting out a few right hand issues I can see. I keep saying this, but videos are so amazing for this sort of thing! #100daysofpractice #detache #worki...nprogress #practicemakesprogress #scalepractice #shifting #violinpractice #violintechnique #dailypractice #simonfischer See more

Intonation practice in 6th position with 4th finger extensions: Sevcik Op. 1, Part II, 38. Each bar is meant to be repeated and practiced carefully. Hand frame/feeling the distance relationship of one finger to another is important, especially moving across the strings. Playing these intervals as double stops is helpful, as you'll hear me do in part of the video. On the E string especially, the bow's contribution to good intonation is significant, literally helping to "intone..." and colour the pitches in a way that connects them musically/doesn't cause notes to stick out where they shouldn't. I'm hoping to improve this as I go, and create a smoother and more singing phrase. The video goes backwards to show a possible practice process; from 8 to a bow to 4, then 2 in a rhythm (many options here), then double notes, always keeping the phrasing/colour of the notes in mind. #100daysofpractice #sevcik #evík #evik #violinintonation #intonation #violinpractice #dailypractice #violinstudy #slowpractice #detailedwork

Excerpt from Dounis, Op. 33. A great exercise! Best to separate L and R hands, then put together, using the metronome. In video: slow version. Next, bow model with metronome. I've found that sound quality can suffer in exercises like these because there is so much to manage in the left hand! It's helpful to make an open string "model" of good bow division with phrasing in mind (with metronome!) and then add the left hand. Next, everything together. Listening to improve intonation in lateral finger mvt./chromatic sections. Coordinating everything with the metronome, aiming to line up the pizz exactly with the click. That's a challenge! #100daysofpractice

Just a tad of spirit from the Tadioli Duo! Dedicated to our front line workers...The Log Driver's Waltz, a Canadian classic. For the complete video with our "acting debuts" involving syrup and a friend, visit Tadioli Duo on YouTube! #logdriverswaltz... #violincelloduo #violincelloduet #canadianclassic #canadian #newfoundlander #toques #plaid #canadianwomen See more

Practicing trills in thirds, something I want to improve. Biggest challenge has been playing the minor 3rd with 2 and 4 while keeping 1 and 3 down. What I can do is far from perfect, but is a huge improvement from before. Some of my colleagues have been talking about this difficult reach as well. I used to have difficulty finding a position in this trill where my 2nd finger had a good shape. I've done a lot of work on the balance and elasticity of my left hand, through the ...lens of Body Mapping. It's tough to articulate here because it's due to many factors and a lot of experimentation. Next is a "popcorn" bow is one of our #Violympics assignments for @natesviolin . I had never heard of this; it was a great challenge! Tried it in all parts of the bow and all strings. It works well in the frog with pretty much just the weight of the bow, and the only variable there is how fast you pull the bow. I tried to keep the weight the same in the other parts of the bow. It wasn't intuitive for me because there was no sound to guide me! You can see an arm level adjustment I made to put more weight into the string near the tip. The fingers should not initiate any movement but should be responsive and have great tactile sensitivity. #100daysofpractice #simonfischerwarmingup #persistencepaysoff #practicingisfun #violintechnique #violinteacher #trills #thirds #bowtechnique #violinpedagogy #bodymappingformusicians #bodyawareness See more

Well, I was so caught up with figuring out how to overdub a click track using Audacity that I forgot to record my actual practice. Here's a snippet of Bach double that I recorded with a click in my ear. It's always so weird recording things like this with a click...but I had better get used to it for now! Some of my actual practice was exploring soundpoint 4 using bow speed as the variable and adjusting pressure (part of @natesviolin #violympics) well as trills with 3rds, from the #simonfischerwarmingup trill exercises.

From our individual homes to you! Tadioli Duo brings you a Canadian classic, dedicated to our front line workers! Until we can reach you in person, Sybil Shanahan and I are teaching and working on recording projects to help raise your spirits. Enjoy!

Getting back into scale practice. Inspired by @avaluwho and her mom to do 4-8ve scales with up and down-bow staccato, and also by @violynnkuo's recent post...it''s true that this rarely comes up in orchestral playing, and as a second violinist I'm generally not playing in very high positions either! It's fun to work these things into the routine. Trying to have less extraneous noise between notes, especially on down bow. The "give" of the E string feels so different to the others and it's difficult to adjust quickly enough. More work on this tomorrow. Checked out @kersonleong's staccato video on YouTube, along with his gorgeous playing of Rode studies. Currently looking at no.3, continuing to work on the left-right divide...smooth and active. #100daysofpractice #staccato #scalepractice

A full day of recording, so not much practice. This morning, however, I attended a zoom session led by Pavlo Besnosiuk on Dounis's ideas surrounding technique. I had the opportunity to ask him some questions, including one about staccato development. In addition to the Dounis exercises specific to staccato, he demonstrated this tone exercise, which is #11 in the #dounisdailydozen. In addition to developing tone, it develops the "engage and release" movements necessary for staccato. I thought I'd explore that tonight so here it is, slightly modified. It's very difficult to execute in smaller divisions! #bowexercises #violintechnique #100daysofpractice

Back to ensemble playing... sort of. I'd forgotten about the challenges of playing parts like this that aren't technical but present challenges in maintaining a nice sound quality. I'm practicing to record the 2nd vln part for a chamber opera. This wonderful and innovative organization is committed to paying their musicians despite cancelled performances, so we are trying out some new things. Here, I'm hearing click track, piano reduction and watching conductor and hearing/s...eeing 1st violinist. #100daysofpractice #musicinisolation #musicforanewsociety #musicandtechnology #musictechnology #tapestryopera #wsoathome #windsorsymphonyorchestra #hamiltonphilharmonic

Octaves tonight! More experiments with vibrato, going for a "live" feel in left hand. Trying out tiny changes in arm position when playing on G and and D, i.e. I can feel a more natural and easy finger drop without bringing my left elbow quite as far to the right as it was. Some tension building up between the shifts, I'm noticing. Wish I had my balance board! It would help with the "sticky fingers". Will play around with this more...some things to sort out. Il #100daysofpractice #octaves #violintechnique

Waking up my baroque violin for a tone exercise, revisiting gut strings. I love playing on them because of the enhanced sensory experience, but it takes some time to feel at home with them again. Placing awareness on feet. Feeling for weight transfer and distribution, playing with movement. Experimenting with what kind, and what degree is beneficial/detrimental? #100daysofpractice #baroqueviolin #gutstrings #bodyawareness ... #musicianshealthandmovement #movementformusicians #playforfun #sensoryawareness See more

Late- night Vocalise!

Day 5: thinking about recent 4th finger posts. Demonstrating healthy forearm rotation, the setting up hand and feeling for stability in base joint of 4th finger. I often use this tapping exercise from Simon Fischer's Warmups. I'm aiming for a curved 4th finger, which is tricky to maintain while tapping with 3rd finger. From what I understand they share an extensor muscle and their nerves are intertwined. Don't quote me on that and consult another source. For the finger tappin...g, I'm looking for a springy drop from the base joint, resulting in a little "thud" sound on the fingerboard and very very slight natural rebound, similar to what happens when you bounce a ball but with a rebound that is felt more than seen. I chose a clip of my 3rd finger, because it has been the most challenging finger to tap with. It is definitely possible to gain more independence and strength in the 3rd finger if it's done with care and mindfulness so that it doesn't result in injury. #100daysofpractice #simonfischerwarmingup #violinteacher #bodymindmusic See more

Accepting violin students for 2020, in Little Italy! Contact me through my fb page, instagram, or website. I offer a 30 minute "meet and greet" lesson at no cost. Online lessons also available. Here's a clip from our lecture-recital for string students at Port Credit Secondary School. Cellist Sybil Shanahan and I spoke about and performed music from the 17th Century onwards. This is a fantastic sent of fiddle tunes arranged for violin and cello by Alistair Fraser and Natalie Haas.

Hi everyone! My youtube channel is up and I'll be posting new videos to help with practicing at home. They'll be Suzuki Book 1 pieces for now, but some technique videos for more advanced players are in the works. Link to my first video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkgA9oZS57o

Congratulations to Ethan Wang, who received First Class Honours on his RCM Grade 4 Exam. He has only been playing for 2 years, so he has come a long way in a very short time!