HAT Journal #9

Summary:
Chapter 3 begins with a list of goals for intermediate string classes including bowing, instrument
position, left-hand technique, music reading, and aural skills. Intermediate students should be
able to improvise multiple measures in different keys. The book gives reasons for the
importance of teaching parallel bowing including a clearer tone, a greater range of timbres and
dynamics, and better bow control. There is a list of pedagogical techniques for teaching smooth
direction changes. Teachers should have students practice different bow speeds, weights, and
contact points to build their dynamic range and sound production. To practice slurring more
than four notes, teachers can have students practice one octave scales in one bow as well as
trilling while slurring. The book provides pedagogical techniques for teaching martele bowing
and spiccato bowing. The book also states that having a lengthened and balanced body position
is important, so teachers should have students practice breathing and moving their bodies with
the music. There is also a checklist including descriptions of each instrument’s position in
relation to the body. Intermediate strings should be able to play the F, A, D, Bb, and Eb major
scales as well as the left-hand techniques involved with these scales. Violin and violas should
also be learning new hand frames such as the open hand finger pattern. The book provides
pages of intermediate scales and arpeggios. The book describes left-hand skills for intermediate
cello players including extensions and fourth position. For bass players, intermediate skills
include second, second-and-a-half, fourth, fifth, and fifth-and-a-half positions. To refine left-
hand shapes, teachers can have students practice things such as playing a scale by adding a
note each time. For shifting, students should move their left hand lightly and quickly while
releasing some weight on the bow. Students should have acceptable left-hand skills before
beginning to shift. The chapter provides general principles for vibrato including the hand
movements involved and the speed of vibrato. To introduce vibrato, students can practice the
motion of vibrato off the string first. When bass players have a passage outside of the normal
hand shape, some bass players roll or pivot their thumb instead of shifting their thumb to a
different location. To develop intermediate level aural skills, students can practice echoing pitch
patterns in complex scales or matching double stops. Along with aural skills, intermediate
students should develop their tuning skills. This routine should involve all students using their
ears to tune to other students. The chapter ends by providing solutions for common problems
with intermediate players. Some of these solutions address problems involving sound
production, extensions, and wrist motions.

H
 The chapter suggests purchasing an app for $16 called iReal Pro to create chord
progressions for students to improvise over. I never practiced improvisation in school,
so I don’t know how helpful this app would be. Would this app be worth the money, or
would it be better to have students or a piano play the chord progression?
 In the section about pedagogical techniques for teaching smooth direction changes, the
book talks about having students practice flexing their fingers in different positions. I’m
not entirely sure what flexing fingers means. Is this the same as flexing any other
muscle? How does flexing fingers help create smooth direction changes? I assumed
flexing fingers would build tension and make the direction change less smooth.
  I had not considered that the contact point of the bow on the string would affect the
dynamic level. I understand what the contact point is, and I would assume that bowing
closer to the tip would produce a softer sound. However, I’m not sure how a player
would decide where the contact point should be. Is this a trial-and-error issue? Would
the first chair violin player decide this and then tell the others?
 Figure 3.1 in the book contains many scales and arpeggios written out for each string
instrument. These look very similar to the excerpts we had in our final for string
techniques. I struggled with those excerpts, especially when labeling the cello and bass
fingerings. The book provides roman numerals for positions, but it does not actually
write out the fingerings. Since this is a skill that we should all be able to do, could we go
over some of these examples in class sometime?

A
 The section on parallel bowing pedagogy was very helpful because I struggle with
bowing parallel to the bridge. Even though I know I am supposed to bow parallel to the
bridge, it is hard for me to tell if I actually am when I am playing. I am excited to try
circle bowing to isolate each bow direction. I will also practice bowing in different
sections of the bow because I tend to only use the bottom half of the bow.
 The pedagogical techniques suggested for moderate-to-faster tempo string crossings
were helpful because I tend to make string crossings a large arm motion. At faster
tempos, however, string crossings mostly come from wrist and hand motions. Having
students practice keeping their arm still and waving their right hand while in playing
position can help isolate this motion to the wrist. Practicing this helped me understand
the correct plane that my wrist should move in when performing a string crossing.
 I appreciated the pedagogical techniques listed for teaching martele and spiccato
bowings. These were bowings that we briefly touched on in string techniques, but I
didn’t feel very confident in my ability to perform or teach them. Now I understand that
martele bowing includes an accent followed by a release of the weight on the bow. I
also liked the spiccato bowing technique that involves having students move the bow
slightly back and forth with their fingers on the balance point of the bow.
 I did not realize that extensions on cello could be backward or forward. I only had to
play backward extensions in class, but it makes sense that you could also move the hand
closer to the bridge to create the extension shape.

T
 It’s important to keep monitoring intermediate students’ instrument position. The text
provides a list of checkpoints for each instrument’s position. Because constantly talking
about these points myself could become boring or annoying for students, I could use
this checklist in other ways. I could form the statements on the list into questions to ask
students what they know about instrument position. I could also ask students questions
about their non primary instrument because other students might retain information
better if it came from their peers. This would also work to create a student-centered
classroom.
 The book describes backward extensions on the cello with five steps. This includes
descriptions for the elbow, first finger, thumb, side of first finger, and the first two
fingers. I can use this checklist to appeal to different learning styles in my class. Some
students will prefer a more aural approach to extensions, while others would prefer the
explanation in words. This section also encourages me to create detailed lists for other
string concepts to hold myself accountable for completely understanding the concepts I
am teaching.
 The book describes new skills for intermediate bass players including new positions and
new pitches in old positions. In class, we discussed how young bass players often aren’t
introduced to new skills through repertoire. This section encourages me to continue
using a method book through the first couple years of playing. After this, to continue
developing my bass players’ skills, I could look into having an actual bass player come in
to teach my bass students periodically. Many schools have a teacher come in once a
week or once a month to work with a specific instrument. Once my bass players are
ready for more complex skills, I could have a bass player teach them these advanced
concepts.