A Guide to Violin Etudes and

Studies
Updated on April 26, 2018

Tong Keat has an M.A. in Violin Perf. from MTSU, TN. He is

currently a member of the Selangor Symphony Orchestra and
Strettosphere Quartet.

Why Practice Etudes?

Etudes and Studies are very useful tools to build good technique.
Students who practiced a wide range of etudes will find it easier
to play a lot of their music pieces. The reason for this is that
these etudes contain similar motives and figures found in the
standard repertoire. On the contrary, the learning process will
not be as efficient if the students practice only their repertoire. In
doing so, they are trying to master a wide range of techniques
from very limited resources.

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 Etudes also serve as supplements when the players feel that they
need to improve a specific technique or a certain area of their
playing. The players can then look for the relevant etudes and try
to develop from there. Some of these etudes are very
entertaining musical pieces as well. While they tend to be very
repetitive, etudes are actually some of the finest idiomatic
writings for the instrument.

The following discussions include some of the commonly used

materials for elementary, intermediate, and advanced players.

Franz Wohlfahrt (1833-1884)

Wohlfahrt was a German violin teacher based in Leipzig. His 60

studies, Op.45 is a classic set of etudes for elementary violin
students. It is divided into two parts: Book 1 (study no.1-30)
plays entirely in the first position, and Book 2 (study no.31-60)
involves the first to third positions.

Most studies in Book 1 are mainly passagework that develops the

left-hand action in various finger patterns. The first few studies
require the second finger to play a half-step from the first finger,
forming a HALF-WHOLE-WHOLE (HWW) finger patterns. This is
a challenge as beginner students usually start to play in the
WHW finger pattern. The distance between the second and
fourth finger in HWW pattern will be a struggle if the left hand is
not balanced and well-positioned.

Some studies can be practiced in various bowing patterns as

specified in the manuscript. In general, each bowing pattern can
be a lesson for different bow speed and distributions. Within
each study, the bowing pattern is fairly consistent and this
provides a chance for the students to really focus on building

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 good habits.

Apart from shifting between the first three positions, the

materials in Book 2 are more complex and less homogeneous.
The last few studies, notably no.53, 56, 59, and 60, are double-
stops studies which require a good left-hand frame and finger
independence.

Wohlfahrt Op.45 No.1

Jacques Féréol Mazas (1782-1849)

Mazas was an influential violin performer and pedagogue from

France. Apart from technical studies, he composed many violin

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 duets, violin-viola duets, and trios of different student levels. His
Op.36 consists of 75 progressive studies divided into three parts.
The first part (Special Studies) includes 30 studies suitable for
the intermediate students. The second (Brilliant Studies) and
third (Artists' Studies) parts get progressively harder and
resemble the concert etudes for advanced violinists.

Etude no.7 is a study on developing rich and expressive singing

tone. It is included in the repertoire for ABRSMʼs Grade-6 for year
2016 to 2019. The use of high positions reduces string-crossings
and made the phrases more lyrical. A thorough understanding
and mastery on the bow is necessary to perform this etude with a
rich tone.

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 Jacques F. Mazas - studio n.7 op.36 - andante

Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831)

Kreutzer was an important figure in the French violin school. As a

composer, he has written some violin concertos and French
operas. His 42 etudes or caprices represent an indispensable
part of pedagogy materials for the violin. It is used by students in
major conservatories across the world and professional violinists
practice it regularly to maintain their skill.

In etude no.15 to 22, it is worth noticing the prevalent use of trills

as a device to develop good finger actions. The trills also help us

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 to be aware of the tension in the left hand as they cannot be
performed effectively when the hand and fingers are tensed.

ABRSM includes etude no.10 and no.35 in its Grade-8's

repertoire for year 2016 to 2019. Etude no.10 is played with fast
sweeping strokes with the bow alternating between the upper
and lower half. There are some ascending and descending
sequences of arpeggios which work like a study on shiftings to
various positions. Etude no.35 is mainly an exercise on double-
stops and hooked bowing, played in the style of a march.

Masterclass on Kreutzer No.10

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 Natalia Lomeiko - R. Kreutzer | 42 Etudes for Solo Violin (…

Pierre Rode (1774-1830)

Rode was a student of Viotti and like Kreutzer, he was an

important figure in the French violin school. He composed
thirteen violin concertos and a handful of chamber music on top
of his 24 Caprices. These caprices not only serves as etudes for
the advanced violinists but they are also highly impressive
concert pieces. It is common to find them as part of the
requirements for auditions or competitions.

Each of the 24 caprices is presented in a different key, covering

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 every major and minor key. Some of these etudes have two parts,
which begin with a slow introduction and followed by a fast
virtuosic section.

According to violinist Axel Strauss, Rodeʼs caprices fit between

the Kreutzer and Dont etudes in terms of difficulty. While they do
not contain the kind of fiery display found in Paganiniʼs caprices,
these works have rich musical value worth exploring.

Shumsky plays Rode Caprices 10 - 12

How to Practice?

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 The difficult spots within each etude are like the training ground
for violinists before they go into the real battlefield, which is akin
to performing the standard repertoire. Therefore, it is important
to understand the technical aspects within each etude that you
are trying to develop. Practicing etude without giving it much
thought will not yield good result. Learning an etude requires a
lot of analytical thinking and the teacher plays an important role
to guide the students.

The following articles have some technical advices that are

helpful to your etude-practice:

Improve Your Violin Intonation

Playing the Violin With Beautiful Tone
Achieving Balance and Ease in Violin Playing

"When you can hear a violinist, that is better than you, then you
learn from him, because if you play with somebody who is worse
than you, then you go down."

- Ruggiero Ricci

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