Warming up on your string instruments is essential for working on and maintaining a healthy posture. Playing with a healthy posture makes sure that you don't damage any muscles or tendons from strained playing, and it helps you sound better! Use this warm-up time to work on fundamentals: whole body posture, left hand position, bow hand position, and bow arm movement. I recommend doing a posture and sound warm-up and a scale or finger technique warm-up every day before you practice your music.
Sound Warm-up: Open String Practice
- Practicing opening strings is a great opportunity to work on producing a resonate sound.
- Open String Exercise: This lesson is demonstrated on violin, but can easily be transferred to any string instrument.
Scales
Scales are important. If you know your scales, you will be able to play music easier because you will understand it better.
I recommend following these steps:
Scale Sheet Music: find your instrument on this website. Start with the one octave scales (both Major and Melodic Minor), and then move on to the two octave scales.
Scales are important. If you know your scales, you will be able to play music easier because you will understand it better.
I recommend following these steps:
- Start with D Major and other scales that start on an open strings (Violin- G, D, and A Major; Viola and Cello- C, G, and D Major; Bass- E, A, and D Major).
- Practice it slowly at first, and build up speed over time.
- Memorize the key signatures (sharps and flats) and finger patterns in each scale.
- Play it with different articulations. (Slurs, staccato, legato, accents- be creative!)
- Move on to a new scale, and repeat steps 2-4.
Scale Sheet Music: find your instrument on this website. Start with the one octave scales (both Major and Melodic Minor), and then move on to the two octave scales.