|
My violin course is based on Dominique Hoppenot's
heritage of Russian technique
Dominique
Hoppenot has had many students, including several
professional concert violinists, and even a few soloists, who came to her in
order to technique.
Though
she has had her detractors.
I was
lucky enough to meet Dominique Hoppenot in 1982. At
our very first lesson she set down two basic rules: a tuning fork and
properly holding the bow. She made it clear to me that notes were of little consequence:the written score
was simply a blue print. I learned that the violin was played with a bow and
not with the fingers of the left hand.
A
professor who listens and is dedicated to teaching
A
good teacher must listen, understand, explain, encourage with patience.
A
different approach to teaching
I found
that if students didn't understand, it wasn't because they are slow or lack
talent. Their teacher just didn't listen.
Learning
can be fun
With
younger students I teach the violin by blending images and sound.
Improvisations are inspired by a scene or a drawing.
Another
way to learn to read music
Many
children - and most adults - are quickly discouraged and give up trying to
play an instrument when faced with sheet music. It's silly to have to spend
years learning to decipher music before being allowed to touch an intrument.
Combining
the music on the page with the music in the instrument
I
first teach children as well as adults the importance of comfortably grasping
the bow. Then I stress improvisation: the score is written as it's being played. It can't be wrong. It's what the
student wanted to play. Scoring music becomes easy when it is based on what
has just been played.
Forget
those worn out cliches
People
often complain that "The violin is hard to play," "It
screeches;" "Unless you get the left hand right, you'll never play
a note." "You’ll never spell out a
musical idea unless you are precise." "A lesson doesn't go by
without a sour note." "You can only deal with the bow when you get trie left hard right."
So?
With that attitude, you can go for years without ever playing. What matters
is how you approach the instrument.
I
start by thinking that it's in fact easy. There are always going to be
technical problems, but every student can learn to overcome them. Sooner or
later you hit a sour note. So, what? The more you worry about it, the faster
they come. So, play on!
"Classical"
music?
Whatever
it is you like to play: classical, jazz, folk, gypsy... even rock. It all
boils down to the same basic technique. What matters is what you want to do
with it.
|
