String Making at D’Addario

Ever wonder how strings are made?  Or why violin strings are so much more expensive than guitar strings?  This has come up during string purchase trips with the band, mostly because mine run about four times what the other ladies’ cost and everyone wonders what makes violin strings so special, including me. Instead of asking at the store and exposing my total lack of knowledge about strings (so embarrassing – I’ve been playing most of my life!) I decided to turn to the wonderful world wide web, which surely gives definitive answers to life’s most pressing questions.

Laurie Niles of violinist.com wrote an article detailing the process after she visited the D’Addario string factory a few years back. Also there is a video about the physics of why a beginner often produces scratches and squeaks by Fan Tao, lead researcher in the bowed strings department at D’Addario. Fascinating stuff for string players, enjoy!

http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20118/12542/

Beginning Vocabulary for Strings

Probably the most important vocabulary words for any music student to learn at first are the names of the parts on his or her instrument.  For the violin these include: bow, horse hair, frog, screw, scroll, pegs, fingerboard, bridge, fine tuners, names of strings, and the list goes on. I encourage parents to make flash cards to use at home as they can make learning a bit more fun!  These terms can be divided into several weeks depending on the student’s age and ability to memorize.  Some of the more nuanced terms can be saved for later, say purfling or sound post.

Aside from instrument terminology, here are ten vocabulary words for stringed instruments I believe are good ones to start weaving into your teaching as soon as possible.  Of course these can and should be modified to be age appropriate. If a student is very young the memorization part can wait a while until they are able to handle some of the trickier words, but you can still use them during lessons and while speaking to parents to increase the child’s awareness of vocabulary terms. Exposure is key!   You can introduce these words during the lesson, make a list with definitions for students to take home, use flash cards, whatever you feel will be most effective.

bow – how to thank an audience for listening to what has been played.  Start in rest position, bend forward from the hip for three seconds, and return to standing rest position. With a smile!

bow hold – the correct way to place fingers on top of the frog, thumb around the bottom, and pinky resting on top of the screw.

focus – concentration and attention to what is happening during the lesson. Shows mutual respect between the student, teacher, and parent.  The Suzuki Triangle!

intonation – proper placement of fingers on the fingerboard, so the note sounded is exactly in tune.

playing position – violin up on the shoulder, left hand extended and fingers ready to play, bow set between the bridge and top of the fingerboard with a solid bow hold.

posture – standing up tall with a straight spine, feet firmly planted about shoulder width apart, no slouching.

practice – devotion to musical studies by accurate repetition of exercises, new songs, and review. Practicing should happen daily, until assignments come naturally and new ones are given.

rest position – violin tucked to the side under right arm, bow in right hand and hanging straight down. Feet are together, facing forward.

rhythm – organized movement of music through time, can be sounds or silence.

scale – sequence of notes ascending or descending at least one octave.

These are some words I find myself using and explaining on a regular basis.  As my beginning students practice and mature we will definitely be adding to this list!

American Music History: A Learning Journey

It is a desire of mine to become more acquainted with some of the great songwriters of the 20th century, specifically the American ones, to start. That should keep me busy for a while until I get distracted by something else!  I am curious about nearly everything and sometimes have trouble sticking to one or only a few tasks. I am hoping that giving myself a structured timeline to research and post about American composers will keep me on track.

I have a collection of postcards printed with old Vanity Fair covers from the first half of the 19th century.  I thumbed through them to see if any referenced popular music of that time, hoping for some inspiration or insight. There were a few, and I also set aside one of a cowboy wrangling a shape of the states because he seemed so quintessentially “American.”  “Hoedown”  from “Rodeo” came immediately to mind so I definitely need to study up on Aaron Copland.

There’s so much to learn. I am interested particularly in what their upbringing was like, if they (probably) came from a musical family, what was happening culturally and politically, any monumental travels, occurrences or tragedies that shaped their perspective?  How did they learn, where did they study, and who were their patrons?  Which instruments were they particularly fond of and why, what about their personal life?  What were the triumphs and troubles that chiseled them into the distinguished figures they are today?

Of course I can only read about these things from a distance, trusting others to sift fact from fiction for me. I have a tendency to put composers and legendary songwriters on a pedestal, as if their talent was given freely and their creative brain divinely blessed.  It’s so easy to gloss over the steps they invariably took to get to those places, it’s not as fun to read about the blood, sweat, and tears.  What about the years it took to hone their skills and the time they spent writing dozens, if not, hundreds of works before maybe one made them smile with satisfaction? It helps to form a more holistic view of a person’s life and struggles and work if some of the gritty details are shared. But we don’t often hear about the details.  And I want to know the details!  Not many people produced their piéce de résistance in their twenties, and by that I am encouraged.

 

Though I wouldn’t boast being a music history buff by any means, I did study music a bit during college and with that pursuit came a few requisite music history courses. These covered mostly European composers of the Baroque and Classical periods and I did learn so much I hadn’t before.  My knowledge from younger years was a parade of hazy dates, character idiosynchrasies, and a few well-formed opinions about men wearing tights and powdered wig trends.

While there is always plenty more to learn, I found myself wishing I could take a Jazz history course or something that covered the indigenous peoples of North America. My awareness of what was happening on this continent before colonization is shameful. I hardly know about the people let alone what they were singing about, or instruments they were making – the amazing sounds of their tradition.  Jazz is huge in my home town but most of middle and high school we were learning how to play it, not studying the accompanying culture and history. But that’s what being done with formal schooling means, right?  You can learn about whatever you like, however you like. If immersing yourself in a textbook is so intriguing you could do that. Or casually read a few chapters in a smattering of library books whenever you are feeling in the mood. Learning things you’re curious to know, on your own time table – is one of the perks of being an adult I suppose.

So even though I just talked about Native American music and Jazz, I’m not going to get into contributors from those genres just yet.  I’ll start with someone else, maybe with more of an emphasis on strings. I’m sure I’ll come around to the others at some point on my learning journey. Any suggestions I definitely shouldn’t miss out on?

 

This Violin Teacher’s Wishlist

Here are a few things I’ve been eyeing that I think will definitely make me a better teacher!   What’s been lurking on your wishlist lately?

Jeffrey Campbell Pencil Flats  – I’ve had my eyes on these for quite some time. They are adorable and have such strong teacher vibes, how could I resist?!  $100  modcloth.com

Large Structured Handbag  –  This bag is the perfect size to hold loads of music books, teaching supplies, and other daily essentials.  $70 dailylook.com

Stories of Women Composers  –   Catherine Wolff Kendall introduces us to some female composers.  $14 sharmusic.com

Evah Pirazzi string set  –  My favorite strings, offered with a steel synthetic or gold E string.  $86 sharmusic.com

Bonmusica shoulder rest  –  I’ve been wanting to try out this shoulder rest for quite a while, it offers adjustable height and width, and a unique curve-over-the-shoulder feature. $35  sharmusic.com

Heart Washi Tape  –  This cute tape would be perfect for cutting into strips for intonation placement on the fingerboard. The boys might not be as into it though..  $3 etsy.com/shop/howjoyfulsupplies

Apple Of My Eye charm  –  A sweet silver teacher charm for my bracelet.  $45  pandora.net

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte  –   This adds just a hint of glossy color and is packaged so beautifully.  $32 sephora.com

Branch Colored Pencils –  These bring a bit of whimsy to tasks like filling out practice charts, taking notes, and marking reminders in music books.  $12 etsy.com/shop/twigpencil

Animal Band of Push Pins  –  These are quite adorable and would look even more so on my cork board.  $8 etsy.com/shop/yumyumbuttons

Suzuki Membership Mishap

So I was looking for a few notes I had taken at my teacher training yesterday and came across my Suzuki Association of the Americas card.  Much to my surprise (and dismay) I had accidentally let my membership expire… two months ago!  At first I was a bit sad and began scolding myself for being blissfully unaware, not caring enough to keep track, etc. What if parents had been searching for teachers in this vicinity and my name didn’t pop up? It did seem rather unprofessional of me, after all.

But then I decided to stop chiding myself about it and do something to fix it.  So I logged into my account at suzukiassociation.org and lo and behold, there awaited a renewal notice. I paid my fee and noted that my membership expires every year in May, so I can be sure to be on top of it going forward.  Lesson learned!