This article first appeared in the February 2000 issue of The Strad and is reprinted with

permission.

Getting warmer

No sportsman would go into action without a proper warm-up session. Neither should musicians
– but common sense is as important as fast fingers. Patricia McCarty advises on efficient
routines for violinists and violists.

Warming up carefully before practice and performance is as important to a string player as it is

to any athlete. Whether the player wishes to maintain, refresh or develop technical skills,
efficient use of the first part of the practice session optimises the day's musical results, helps to
avoid physical injury and encourages the brain to be in control of the fingers. While the basic
issues remain much the same for all of us, the specific materials played can be tailored to each
individual's level and repertoire demands and may evolve with development of increased
strength and facility. After some 60 years of teaching and playing the violin, puzzlement over the
differences between individuals led Leopold Auer to write, "How are we to explain the fact that
two hands, belonging to two different human beings, which appear to be identical in size, with
fingers which seem to be equally long and strong, nevertheless differ altogether in their action?
Experience may show that the fingers of one hand need to be kept continually active in order to
retain their flexibility; while the fingers of the other may not be used for weeks at a time and yet,
after some slight finger-gymnastic work and a small investment of time, regain all their agility
and be ready to perform their functions perfectly." For both these players there is a wealth of
material from which to design an effective warm-up routine.

The components of the warm-up should address each hand's positions and specific tasks. The left
hand's success depends upon a relaxed and balanced grasp of the instrument, elasticity for
stretching, finger independence and accuracy, shifting, velocity and vibrato. The right hand's
work begins with reinforced awareness of a balanced bow hold and arm location, and continues
with issues of smooth changes in all parts of the bow, control of speed and contact point, string
crossings, bowing patterns, distribution, articulations, attacks, releases, dynamic range and tone
colour.
Research of string pedagogy would indicate that there exists an exercise for virtually every
conceivable mechanical motion of the hands and fingers and efficient time management
encourages choosing material which addresses several issues at once.

The wealth of exercises can be divided into four broad categories:

1. finger independence and stretching

2. shifting
3. double-stops
4. bowing

Within each category are materials of various levels of difficulty. While scales and arpeggios of
one to four octaves play a major part in the warm-up routine and can be imaginatively used in
each of the four categories, other exercises which concentrate on specific physical movements
are invaluable for saving time. My favourite exercises are those designed so cleverly that
optimum hand positions and physical movements happen naturally, such as Samuel Flor's
Exercise of the Independent Fingers (example 4b), Sevcík op.1, part 4 (example 7c), and
virtually all of the Dounis Daily Dozen.

While the viola's size and response characteristics make aspects of both its left- and right-hand
technique differ from the violin's, it is in the vast amount of published instructional material for
the violin that the most therapeutic warm-up exercises may be discovered. Many of these have
not yet been published in viola versions, but are easily adapted by transposing down the interval
of a fifth. Some of the hand expansion and extension exercises common to advanced violin
technique (tenths, parallel fingered octaves in lower positions) could be injurious to violists, and
care must be taken to ensure that stretching exercises are but gentle and gradual increases beyond
the player's present capability.

In addition to volumes by eminent teachers of the past – Hans Sitt, Carl Flesch, Otakar Sevcík
and D.C. Dounis – unique and innovative modern contributions have been made by Ruggiero
Ricci (Left-Hand Violin Technique) and violists Pál Lukács (10 Exercises in Change of Position),
Louis Kievman (Practicing the Viola(Violin), Mentally-Physically) and Katrina Wreede
(Violaerobics), the last two also available for violin. Some of the best warm-ups are anecdotal,
handed down orally for generations through the grapevine from player to player, perhaps with
embellishment along the way. My favourites among these are Josef Gingold's legendary "One
Minute Bow" from frog to tip (and tip to frog), and a left-hand exercise attributed to Brodus
Earle, using fingers in sequence of 2-4-1-3 in sixteenth notes at quarter = 144, for 15 seconds.

Just as in any athletic endeavour, the materials used to warm up can be both a means of
preventing as well as a possible cause of tendonitis and other injuries. In the words of Carl
Flesch, "the Sevcík studies, as a whole, may most appropriately be compared to a medicine
which, according to the size of its doses, kills or cures... All in all, I regard [them] as the most
important and timesaving means for obtaining a modern violin technique, providing that they are
used in the right way." The Korgueff Double-Stop Exercises and many by Dounis also pose this
dilemma. Common sense dictates a calm mental attitude, hands not actually cold in temperature
and playing in slow tempo without tension. A teacher's opinion concerning the appropriate level
of difficulty and some professional guidance through a gradual progression of increasingly
difficult material would be helpful to the nonprofessional player.

Scarcity of practice time is not a problem unique to life in the present day. Compilations of
concise and varied exercises useful as warm-up materials for the less advanced player include
Hans Sitt's Practical Viola Method, Simon Fischer's Basics, and Louis Kievman's Practicing the
Viola (Violin) Mentally-Physically, as well as Marie-Thérèse Chailley's Exercices Divertissants
et Pièces Brèves, unique for their meticulous clarity in teaching bow distribution along with
basic technique. Franz Schmidtner's Tägliche Studien, Watson Forbes' Book of Daily Exercises
and Chailley's Exercices Rationnels are designed to help the more advanced and professional
violist maintain technique. Carl Flesch published the first "emergency" warm-up, Urstudien, "for
violinists who have but one half hour daily at their disposal for mechanical studies, that is to say
teachers, orchestral musicians as well as amateurs of ability and also concertizing soloists, when
travelling." Students who aspire to become professional musicians should note that Flesch did
not mention them as likely candidates! Urstudien begins with silent left-hand exercises for finger
independence, stretching, shifting, lateral and transverse movement, each with prescribed amount
of practice time ranging from 1/2 to 4 minutes (example 1a). In total, 15 1/2 minutes are
allocated to left-hand exercises and 15 to bowing work.

Perhaps the most ingenious and timesaving compilation, certainly the most treasured piece of
pedagogy in my library, is The Dounis Violin Players' Daily Dozen, designed to get the player
"into form in the shortest possible time." Dounis gently advises 15 timeless, common sense
"rules", such as "in practising finger-exercises watch your bow; in practising bow-exercises
observe a good position of the left hand. Try to forget the existence of the thumb; never press it
against the neck of the violin. Do not strike the fingers with too much force; cultivate a very
sudden and elastic spring-like finger action. Retain always a balanced hold of the bow; try to feel
every stroke with your fingertips. Cultivate at all times a feeling of absolute comfort while
practising."

After silent exercises (example 1b) similar to Urstudien, there follows an exercise with the bow
which I like to play very slowly, making the first note of every four a drone, as well as rapidly
for facility (example 4c). Next there are vertical and sliding finger-exercises, thirds, and then
shifting (example 3d). Among the bowing exercises is one "to develop a powerful, large tone"
(example 5). To play all twelve exercises carefully may take an hour or more, but Dounis makes
good his promise to help the player regain "that feeling of ease, fluency and surety which the
violinist experiences at the end of his daily practice."

Below is my recommended plan for an eight-step warm-up. Choose one item of appropriate
difficulty from the list of possible materials for each step, with the exception of the double-stops
(7), from which several different exercises could be played if time allows.

A strategic etude (8) is optional, and it could be replaced with rapid passagework from the day's
repertoire. Some steps may be more beneficial to some individuals than others, and advanced
players could shorten the warm-up to steps 3–4–6–7, played with slow bow speed and constant
attention to tone quality.

1. Silent finger exercises such as Urstudien (example 1a) (violists might avoid exercise 1b);
Dounis Daily Dozen Exercise 1 (example 1b). After a few moments spent with the bow-tilting
exercise (example 1c), these could be done simultaneously with the Gingold anecdotal One
Minute Bow.

2. Long tones played with smooth bow change exercise (example 2a) before a mirror to check
bow's contact point, then various left hand finger exercises played slowly for intonation
accuracy, especially combinations such as 0–1, 0–2, etc., all with vibrato once intonation is
secure. Choose from materials such as Sitt Practical Viola Method, Dancla School of Velocity,
op.74, Wreede Violaerobics (example 2b), Schradieck vol.1, Sevcík, op.1, parts 1–2.

3. Shifting: one octave Carl Flesch Scale System scales, arpeggios, broken thirds; Sevcík op.8,
Lukács 10 Exercises in Change of Position (example 3a), Ricci Left-Hand Violin Technique
(example 3b), Dounis op.12 (example 3c), op.25, or Daily Dozen (example 3d).

4. Strength/stretching: Whistler exercise (example 4a), Flor exercise (example 4b), Dounis Daily
Dozen Exercise 1 (example 4c) through fourth position with very slow bow and drone.

5. Tone/string crossings: Dounis Daily Dozen Exercise 11 (example 5), or similar made-up
exercise with different double-stops, played very slowly with vibrato, and with dynamic plan of
crescendo from pp to ff on the down-bow and the reverse on the up-bow.

6. Three-octave scales and arpeggios with strategic bowing patterns and key signatures from
repertoire, vibrato work, different distributions, dynamic plan, prescribed articulation or rhythm,
etc. For ear training challenge this material could be supplemented with Sevcík (example 6a),
Ricci (example 6b) or Glaser/Viola Jazz Chord Studies for Violin (example 6c).

7. Double-stops: Trott Melodious Double-Stops, Books 1–2 (example 7a), Sitt Technical Studies,
op.92, book 3, or Double-Stops Etudes, op.32; Chailley Vingt Etudes Expressives en Doubles
Cordes, Schradieck vol.2, Korgueff Double-Stop Exercises (example 7b), Sevcík op.1, part 4
(example 7c) or op.9; Dounis op.12 (example 7d), Ricci (example 7e). Experience with a variety
of intervals and key signatures is important.

8. Strategic etude to address specific problem, such as Mazas, Kreutzer, Rovelli, etc; materials of
step 2 played rapidly, or passagework from repertoire.

SOURCES OF MATERIALS

Auer, Leopold, Violin Playing As I Teach It, Dover Publications Inc, 1980 (original edition
Frederick A. Stokes Co., NY, 1921)
Chailley, Marie-Thérèse, Exercises Divertissants et Pièces Breves, Leduc, 1974
Dancla, Charles, School of Velocity, op.74
Dounis, D.C., The Artist's Technique of Violin Playing, op.12, Carl Fischer, 1921; The Dounis
Violin Players' Daily Dozen, op.20, Harms (Warner Bros), 1925; Specific Technical Exercises
for Viola, op.25, Carl Fischer, 1953
Fischer, Simon, Basics, 300 Exercises & Practice Routines for the Violin, Peters Edition
Limited/Hinrichsen Edition, 1997
Flesch, Carl, The Art of Violin Playing (Carl Fischer, NY, 1939); Scale System, Carl Fischer,
1942; Urstudien, Carl Fischer, 1941
Flor, Samuel, The Positions, Henri Elkan Music Publisher, 1975
Glaser, Matt and Viola, Joseph, Jazz Chord Studies for Violin, Berklee Press Publications,
1984
Kievman, Louis, Practicing the Viola (Violin), Mentally-Physically, Kelton Publications, 1969
Korgueff, Serge, Double-Stop Exercises, Castle Enterprises, 2000
Kreutzer, 42 Studies, ed. Blumenau, G. Schirmer, Inc., 1950
Lukács, Pál, 10 Exercises in Change of Position for Viola, Editio Musica Budapest, 1960
Mazas, F. Etudes Speciales, op.36; Etudes Brillantes, op.36
Ricci, Ruggiero, Left-Hand Violin Technique, G. Schirmer Inc, 1988
Rovelli, 12 Caprices, op.3 and op.5
Schradieck, Henry, School of Violin (Viola) Technique, Vol I-II
Sevcík, Otakar, School of Technic, op.1, parts 14, Bosworth & Co., 1952; Shifting, op.8, Elkan-
Vogel (Presser), 1946; Preparatory Studies in Double-Stopping, op.9, Bosworth, 1990
Sitt, Hans, Double-Stop Etudes, op.32, Kunzelmann, 1982; Practical Viola Method, Carl
Fischer, 1924; Technical Studies, op.92, Book 3 (Double-Stopping), Otto Forberg (Carl Fischer),
1905
Trott, Josephine, Melodious Double-Stops for Violin, Books 12 (first position), G. Schirmer Inc,
1931
Whistler, Essential Exercises and Etudes for Viola, Intermediate Course for First Position,
Rubank, 1954
Wreede, Katrina, Violaerobics, (also for violin), Vlazville Music (MMB Music, St. Louis),
1993
PREPARATION STRATEGY FOR SUCCESSFUL ORCHESTRA AUDITIONS by
Patricia McCarty (revision of article originally published in the
JOURNAL of The AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY,
Vol. 4, No. 3)

HELP WANTED: Accomplished violist to perform in ensemble. Must demonstrate technical

facility, impeccable rhythm, accurate intonation, tonal spectrum from pp to ff, command of
wide variety of articulation styles, religious dedication to composer's instructions,
sensitivity to differences in musical styles from baroque to avant-garde, and the ability to
blend and play together with other musicians.

This hypothetical ad might well solicit applicants for a distinguished string quartet or
chamber ensemble, but it is really an attempt to describe the desired qualities in a candidate
for a viola vacancy in a major orchestra. One might argue that in reality, an orchestra of
100 musicians performing simultaneously may not always achieve the ideal of chamber
music on a large scale, but the attainment of that goal depends chiefly upon the abilities of
each individual player. Hence, the need persists for strenuous auditions in an effort to find
the player who best satisfies our hypothetical job description. Although the outcome of any
audition is subject to human judgment rather than computable proof, much of the mystery
surrounding this qualitative analysis can be dismissed by defining the standards expected
and identifying common audition pitfalls. Paths To Accomplishment

The word "experienced" is conspicuously missing from the hypothetical job description in
favor of "accomplished." While the former may be the term most frequently used by
veteran orchestra players to describe desirable qualities in prospective colleagues, its most
positive connotations lie more in the way a candidate presents the music than in the long
list of positions in his dossier. Experience may indeed be the best teacher, but specific
experiences and the ability to benefit from them vary greatly from person to person.

There are many paths to accomplishment. While inappropriate for listing in a resumé,
valuable audition preparation is accumulated from attending live concerts, listening to
recordings, studying scores of both large and small ensemble works, and from active
mental participation in the ensemble problem solving at hand whenever making music with
others. It is not necessary to have previously performed the requested symphonic passage
from a specific Beethoven symphony. It is necessary, however, to know intuitively how to
play in the classic style, what sorts of bowing articulations are peculiar to Beethoven, and
how this passage relates to the rest of the orchestra. This expertise is best developed in high
quality chamber music performance, most specifically of string quartets and trios.

Previous performance of the requested repertoire, while not essential, does provide a head
start when tackling an audition list. It is practical to collect a personal library of the most
difficult passages you have encountered in the symphonic repertoire, supplemented with
complete parts to the most commonly used audition works. These are quickly identified in
the American Symphony Orchestra League's compilation entitled Facing the Maestro, by
Akos, Burlingame, and Wellbaum, or by consulting the current audition lists of major
orchestras. Diagnostic lessons with respected violists in major orchestras may be helpful in
gaining the perspective of someone intimately involved with the audition process. But,
there are few if any "secrets," and you should not be surprised if such a lesson focuses on
the basics of rhythm, intonation, and articulation.

Screening Applicants
The first stage of a professional orchestra audition involves sending a one-page resumé,
stating your experience playing in professional orchestras as full time member or substitute,
and/or participation in summer festival orchestras. Other important information to include
falls into the categories of education, teachers, chamber music experience, and competition
prizes. Applicants who do not appear to have significant professional experience are often
requested to send a recording of specific solo and orchestral excerpts to be evaluated by the
audition committee before a live audition will be granted.

The industry standard format is CD, and it is wise to invest in a good recording system as
early in your career as possible. Assuming that the equipment is of good quality for home
use, poor recording quality is more likely to result from incorrect placement of the
microphone and inappropriate acoustics than from inferior equipment. Making
representative recordings improves with practice and experimentation, and if you are
accustomed to practicing regularly with a recording device, each new critical assessment
brings about dramatic progress. An audition CD presents a performer's abilities in perhaps
as little as six minutes of music, and it is of the utmost importance to ensure that it
represents the most proficient playing you can produce, without editing, of course.
Discernment of tone color subtleties may not be realistic from the recording, but the CD
round does enable the committee to eliminate candidates anonymously on the basis of
rhythm, intonation, and, to a certain extent, style. Recorded sound can prove particularly
unflattering to timbre in string playing, and it is in this area that microphone placement,
sound level, and acoustical matters are most crucial. These variables can have a peculiar
effect on the clarity of tone, vibrato, and articulation. You should work carefully when
recording to avoid an unrealistically vague or brutal impression in extremes of the dynamic
spectrum of your playing.

Importance of Tempo
In all phases of the audition process, it is essential to be certain of the appropriate tempo for
the orchestral passage and to maintain that tempo for the entire passage, unless a change is
indicated in the music. During preparation it is helpful to consult various recordings to get
an idea of the possible range of tempi for a given passage, and if a recording by the
conductor of the respective orchestra can be found, so much the better. Tempo extremes at
an audition indicate a candidate's unfamiliarity with the excerpt in its context, i.e.,
an .inexperienced" player. Any illogical fluctuation within the chosen tempo is dismissed
simply as erratic rhythm, a deadly flaw in a prospective member of any ensemble. A
surprisingly common fault is the imprecise measurement of longer notes and rests,
revealing an absence of attention to the underlying subdivision of the beat. Meticulous
preparation with the metronome and recording device will eliminate these problems.

Intonation
Defining good or bad intonation is not a matter of tabulating mishaps; it is an impression of
the candidate's general sense of pitch, indicated as much by the kinds of intonation flaws as
the quantity. If certain intervals are consistently out of tune, or if the fourth finger is always
flat in first position, no amount of facility will mask the general impression of faulty
intonation. Unfocused vibrato can also obscure pitch, and here again recorded practice is
helpful in pinpointing the problem. Vibrato in all of its variations should be used as an
essential expressive technique, with attention to relating its intensity and continuity to the
musical context.

Articulation
The ability to vary articulation is probably the most obvious component in evaluating a
player's sense of musical style. This expertise is best cultivated by the violist in string
chamber ensemble settings in which the group is small enough to be able to hear clearly the
effect of a particular bowing, attack, or release. The viola solo repertoire offers few lengthy
examples of the ponderous articulation required in ensemble works of Brahms or many
opportunities to practice meeting the fp and subito p demands of Beethoven. The most
critical articulation problem for violists appears to be spiccato in all its permutations, and if
one has not encountered any of the classical solo sonatas or played a great deal of chamber
music by Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn or Beethoven, the mere mention of this bowing
may cause panic. Passages involving spiccato are guaranteed to appear on audition lists,
and daily practice of this bowing in its many variations can produce a valuable asset. There
are instances in which the interpretation by different orchestras varies as to whether a
particular passage is played on or off the string. This is one area in which a diagnostic
lesson with a violist of a professional orchestra can be helpful.

Musical Context
The audition repertoire is chosen with an ear toward all of those qualities in the
hypothetical job description. The concerto, sonata and solo works give a general impression
of the candidate's mastery of his instrument as well as his musicianship in a repertoire for
which the viola is the predominant voice. This repertoire is thoroughly familiar to most
applicants, and it is fair to say that many do not bring the same quality of presentation to
the orchestral excerpts. This is hardly surprising, because we all know that these passages
were never meant to be performed by themselves away from the rest of the orchestra, and
many of the best viola audition passages are not even melodic lines! This may well be the
most crucial challenge to overcome in audition preparation.presenting the passage in
musical context by conveying to the listener not only the appropriate tempo, precise
rhythm, and accurate notes. but the shape of the phrase, tonal color within the stated
dynamic level, awareness of rhythmic and harmonic tension, attention to articulation details
of attack and release of notes, and so forth. All of these concerns would naturally enter into
the preparation of chamber and solo repertoire, but are often overlooked when the rest of
the orchestra is absent.

Auditions are just as likely to be lost for neglect of these matters as for messy passagework
or, said in a more positive light, a player is more likely to perform with distinction the
difficult passagework if he is conscious of its musical context. The idea is to present the
orchestral passage with the same attention to detail and musical involvement as if it were a
solo sonata, at the same time being aware of the need for it to fit into the whole. It can be as
simple as feeling a silent upbeat in the character of the music which follows, thereby
ensuring a definite and rhythmic start to any number of passages in Don Juan, for example,
or an extremely hushed but articulate opening of the Eroica Scherzo. And, the underlying
harmonic tension of Brahms demands continuous crescendo and sustaining of line in lyric
passages, such as found in the last movement of the Fourth Symphony. Examples abound,
and once one adds focusing on musical context to the basic problems at hand, not only does
practicing orchestral excerpts become more interesting, but performing them at an audition
seems less intimidating and unnatural.

The standards and techniques brought to the highest quality solo, chamber, and orchestral
performance are by no means mutually exclusive. Today's most successful violists are
actively involved in playing and teaching vast amounts of repertoire from all these areas.
We cannot possibly learn every note of all repertoire while in school, but by devoting
ourselves to developing a mastery of the instrument and a general intuitive understanding
of music, we can better prepare for a multifaceted career assuming any of the viola's roles.