In this video I'm gonna go into depth with the opening.
The opening part that's on the G-string.
This piece is long.
There are lots of techniques, lots of different kinds of techniques...
For me to do a really good job teaching, It needs to be long.
So, I didn't want to put it all in one video.
You will be able to follow my instructions on how to find the other tutorials.
I'm gonna have them located on violinlab.com.
That's my website where I have lots of tutorials.
If you follow the instructions you'll be able to find them.
Alright. So, Czardas.
This is just such one of the one of the most popular pieces for violin.
Right at the very opening we set the mood for the style.
This is a very character-driven style.
It's written in the Romantic era. So we have...
There are certain techniques that we use when we're playing romantic music.
We have a really big shift a romantic style shift right away.
So, Let's talk about that shift.
I want you to think of this in a different way than you have been thinking of it.
Perhaps you've been thinking…
“Okay. Well my 3rd finger just is gonna have to move up until...
I find that note.”
…and you just hope you do.
I don't want you to think about it like that anymore.
I want you to think about your body remembering and assuming a posture.
A very familiar posture.
So, Let me put my bow down just for a second.
Alright. I'm gonna find that note again.
Here it is. Okay.
So, My elbow is under. My hand is high.
I have to have a very high hand.
It's like my arm is trying to climb up over the fingerboard.
The reason I need to have that height is so that my 3rd finger can be nice and curved.
A nice curved finger can vibrate because...
The knuckles are in a place or position to be able to move if my finger is straight.
If I'm just kind of climbing up like this...
and my thumb is stuck right here and I'm reaching…
I'm not gonna be able to use vibrato.
First of all the Violin is right here in the palm of my hand.
So, I can't move my arm or my wrist.
So, I have to get out of the way of the Violin.
I have to have my arm higher.
So, This is the posture now; what I want you to be able to do is...
I want you to be able to assume this posture like that.
Okay. So, find the note, take the violin away alright.
This is what it feels like.
This is what it looks like.
Only to be able to just do that. Do it 50 times in a day.
Just get used to the way your body feels when your arm is like this.
It's pretty far turned around.
Okay. My elbow is here, my hand is here, my thumb is loose, my fingers are round.
Then I want you to get the bow.
I want you to place the bow on the string at the Frog near the bridge.
Alright. So, the posture for the right hand is this.
So, Here I am really close to the bridge and into the string.
So, Combine those two things.
Okay. This is the posture. Alright.
So, Without the Violin assume posture.
Assume posture.
Do it. Do it many times in the day.
Alright. So, Now we're gonna practice the actual shift.
But first I want you to go from the note right prior to the shift.
Okay. Right before you move your arm it's an 'A' 1st finger.
We're gonna play it on an ‘Up’ Bow because that's where we're gonna be.
We’re gonna be about three or four inches from the Frog.
Right here.
So, First I'm gonna do is…
I want you to go to your new posture.
Just go straight there. Okay. Don't even think…
“Did I get there?”
I just want you to practice this. You're posture.
You move your hand and it's in that shape.
You know what it feels like.
Hopefully you're really close anyway.
Alright. Next step is refining how we get there.
So, This is a romantic style shift which means...
our new note our destination note is the finger we shift on.
That's a 3rd finger, because we're playing it with a 3rd finger.
So, We're gonna slide on that 3rd finger.
That's a romantic style shift. So, 1st finger.
Now I want you to lightly put your 3rd finger on the string.
Just look just very just... Ghost it, So it's just touching.
Then what you're gonna do is you're just gonna swoop up...
until you get to that spot that you've learned.
So, Swoop up to that spot.
I'm playing a little 'Down' bow.
You can hear this ghosty sound.
So, Now we're gonna go...
Okay. So, It doesn't sound like the note because I'm not pushing it down yet.
But...Ghost in place.
Okay I'm gonna start... I'm going to add pressure.
I'm gonna add a time structure to it.
So, Now I want to do it in the context of tempo.
My tempo is gonna be this...
'A'...'A'...
'Up'...'Down'...
I'm still sliding but now…
When I get there I'm gonna add enough pressure to make the sound.
Keep that bow at the bridge.
Just because you are doing some challenging things with your left hand...
Don't let that bow respond by going over to the fingerboard.
So, ‘1'...'2'...'3’...
You're gonna play…
You're gonna think '1'...'2'...'3'...'A-A'...
'1'...'2'...'3'...
Oops! I'm gonna try that again.
'1'...'2'...'3'...
Now let's add those first few notes at the very beginning.
So, It goes ‘Down’…’Up’…
Then when you get there…
Just hang on to the note. Practice tone.
Practice G-string high position tone which should be very clear.
Again, Bow to the bridge.
Slowish bow speed.
Enough pressure so that your bow is not skating.
Then sustain.
Sustain means you keep the sound going.
That's just a hallmark of romantic style playing.
Just practice.
Alright. Now we need to add some sizzle and character to this…
because as I mentioned it is a very dramatic romantic style piece.
There's a grace note right away.
That grace note is an opportunity to add flair.
So, We bring it out.
We can accentuate that with a little extra bow speed and...
a little leaning in with the index finger to create more pressure.
That's how I can really make it pop out.
So, I start on a ‘Down’ bow.
Then I'm just gonna scoot my bow along.
Lean in with my 1st finger. Index finger right here on the bow.
As, I mentioned hang on there.
Now, let's look at the fingerings for this.
We are essentially in 6th position because I'm playing the 3rd finger...
...on that 'A'.
Here is the 'F'.
Now, I'm gonna leave it down.
I need to leave it down because I'm gonna come right back to it.
Now I have these two little grace notes.
My 1st finger is already down.
So, I'm gonna play ‘1-2-1’…
Just like that.
Now I do have do something now.
I have to shift back a half step.
It's gonna sound like this.
Look how fast this little shift is.
The movement itself is quick.
You don't want it to be too slow.
That doesn't sound great.
Now, When I am playing this 'E' look what my 3rd finger is thinking about.
I'm already stretching it because I'm gonna reach for the ‘B-flat'.
You could play 4th finger.
I prefer 3rd finger for it for the vibrato.
So, my finger lifts up and reaches...
Now, I'm gonna let go and go all the way back to 1st position.
When we go from that ‘B-flat' up here...
all the way down there... We have to slide back.
We are essentially doing a Glissando with our 3rd fingers.
The 3rd finger stays on the string.
It's like a big slip and slide.
So, The 3rd finger goes all the way back.
Once your hand is fully in 1st position that means...
your thumb has to get all the way back.
Often people's thumbs get stuck.
So, they start to shift.
The hand keeps going but that thumb does not.
So, You have to release with your thumb.
Get all the way back to 1st position...
via sliding on the string with a 3rd finger.
Now, How much you want your audience to hear that slide is up to you.
You could keep finger pressure on the strings.
Okay. That's very dramatic.
I think that's a little too dramatic.
So, I release pressure with my 3rd finger.
I release the bow pressure as well at the last minute.
You hear the slide but it's not quite as loud.
Now, Let's talk about fingerings again because now we have to shift.
Do some more shifting.
'1'...'3'...
Now I'm gonna do another shift to a 3rd finger.
'1'...'3'...'3'...
'2'...'1'...
Let's talk about that bowing.
So, What I'm doing is…
I am doing an ‘Up’ Bow Staccato.
Staccato essentially means that each of those...
little articulated notes start from the string.
It starts with a good amount of friction.
The only way I can do that is to lean in substantially with my index finger.
So, I dig in and it pops off. I dig in it pops off.
So, right in the middle...
Guess what! Back to our big shift.
Then it's just like the rest just like the beginning.
You'll continue and then we're just going to close out that phrase.
We're in first position.
We're going to shift a 3rd position...
and in character.
I'm going to shift into the 2nd finger.
I'm changing my bow.
You can't see it but I'm changing my bow.
I'm gonna slide with my 2nd finger.
It's just such a quick slide.
You almost don't even hear the 2nd finger sliding into spot.
Now, From this point if you want to reach for four you can.
I'm a big 3rd finger vibrato advocate.
So, I'm gonna shift.
Now, To get from the ‘C#’ to the ‘G’...
It's not far...
but I'd still need a strategy.
So, I'm going to shift to 5th position...
because I know in 5th position my 1st finger is on the 'E'.
It's the next note that I have to play right after the G.
So, I'm really preparing for that.
So, I'm shifting to ‘E’.
Although you don't hear it I put my 3rd finger down...
now that ‘E’ is there with the 1st finger…
Now I shift back to 3rd position...
where I finish the phrase.
That's a big first phrase. A very important first phrase.
It really sets the tone for the rest of it.
To find the other tutorials for the rest of this piece go to‘violinlab.com’.
You're gonna go to where…
You'll see the different levels. ‘Beginning Level 1, Level 2’.
It's where I have all these lessons organized into levels.
Then right at the top you'll see this little link it says ‘View all videos’.
If you click that and this big long list of videos pops up.
In the search box just type and don't add any fancy characters.
Just see 'C-z-a-r-d-a-s'. Just Czardas, like this.
Then click some submit or search or enter on your keyboard.
Then you'll see these other videos that that I have set for free for you to watch.
Hopefully you'll just fall in love with my ‘ViolinLab’ and decide to join.
But anyway I wish you all the best working on ‘Czardas’.