There is no abstract available for this thesis.

Two important parts of violin pedadogy are left hand and right hand technique. Of these two parts, the right hand technique is eminently more complex, and causes greater frustration for the player. Bow technique Is a combination of many diverse functions in the left arm, and requires great agility and cooperation from the arm and back muscles. Because most of the expression and interpretation of the music comes through the bow, it is important that there be no obstacles confronting the player that would hinder a quality performance.How, then, is such a complicated art taught to students of the violin? In the years preceding World War II, the majority of teachers developed their own methods based on personal experience and pedagogic knowledge. Because pedadogic knowledge was often scant, personal experience was the basis of one's technique, which consisted of a system of rules designed to work for that individual. This method could be impractical when applied to others.By the twentieth century, two schools of bowing technique had been developed and proved to be the most successful in producing superior violinists. Both the Franco/Belgian andRussian methods of bowing are grounded in the Viotti tradition, which, through the past two centuries, has proven to contain the basic, fundamental principles of successful bow technique.It took a few more years to commit these methods to paper and be published, which allowed standard bowing technique to circulate beyond the few prominent music schools and conservatories. Yet, even today, many teachers are unaware of these two schools of bowing, and how they can guide both the teacher and pupil to satisfactory results when confronted with bowing problems.This dissertation presents the history of bowing technique from the first appearance of the violin to the development of Franco/Belgian and Russian bowing techniques. It compares and contrasts the two methods, and examines how the use of either bow grip will affect the execution of the bow strokes. Finally, this work analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each method, and how one determines which method will accomplish the desired results and help each student to develop to his/her full potential by allowing for individual differences. / School of Music

Dissertation (MMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Music / unrestricted

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of instructing beginning violin students in the initial lessons with long bow-strokes as compared to short bow-strokes in terms of production of a different level of tone quality, bowing problems encountered, and length of bow-strokes typically used.There were sixteen fifth- and sixth-grade subjects in the study sample: nine in the experimental group and seven in the control group. The subjects were of average intelligence and were from lower or lower-middle socio-economic levels of a midwestern town. Subjects in both groups were taught in like manner by the same instructor except for instructions on how to draw the bow in the initial lessons. The nine students in the experimental group were taught to use long bow-stroke: in the initial lessons; the seven students in the control group were taught to use short bow-strokes in the middle area of the bow in the initial lessons.Because none of the subjects had previously received violin lessons, there was no pretest. The Gaston Test of Musicality and the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Tests were utilized as covariates in the study. After sixteen weeks of instruction, the subjects were administered a posttest of tone quality consisting of three melodies of different levels of difficulty performed two times for a total of six replications. The tone quality samples were arranged in random order on an edited tape and evaluated by four judges. During the posttest, the researcher evaluated the typical length of bow stroke used by subjects. Bowing problems encountered during the study were also reported by the researcher.Statistical processing of the data consisted of a five-way partial hierarchical analysis of covariance using intelligence test scores and musicality test scores as covariates. A 2 x 2 x 3 x 4 design was employed with the independent variables being the method of instruction, the performance of each melody, the level of difficulty of melodies performed, the judges, and the subjects nested within methods Factors and interactions were tested by the F ratio at the .05 level of confidence.The study was designed to answer one null hypothesis and two research questions. The null hypothesis was as follows:1. After sixteen weeks of instruction, there will be no significant difference in the tone quality of beginning violin students employing the long bow-stroke approach in the initial lessons as compared to students employing the short bow-stroke approach.The research questions were as follows:After sixteen weeks of instruction, does the beginning violin student who is taught by the long bow-stroke approach actually use longer bow-strokes than does the student taught by the short bow-stroke approach?Does the beginning violin student who is taught by the long bow-stroke approach experience more bowing problems than does the student taught by the short bow-stroke approach:The null hypothesis was accepted and the two research questions were answered affirmatively. Review of the data led to the following conclusions:There was no significant difference in the tone quality of the two groups after sixteen weeks of instruction. It could be inferred that the experimental group produced a more consistent level of tone quality at this stage of development.Forty-four percent of the experimental group developed the use of long bow-strokes by the conclusion of the study as compared to fourteen percent of the control group. The mean length bow-stroke of the experimental group was also substantially greater than the mean length bow-stroke of the control group.Three students in the experimental group encountered four bowing problems while one student in the control group encountered one bowing problem. The circular bowing problem, which is difficult to correct, was encountered by two subjects in the experimental group. Students trained by the long bow-stroke approach encountered substantially more bowing problems than students trained by the short bow-stroke approach. However, there did not appear to be a relationship between length of bow-stroke used by individuals after sixteen weeks of study and encountering bowing problems.Neither method of instruction was clearly superior. The level of tone quality resulting from the two methods of instruction was not significantly different. The long bow-stroke approach resulted in the development of longer bow strokes and a more consistent level of tone quality but resulted in more bowing problems. The short bow-stroke approach resulted in the development of shorter bow strokes but resulted in fewer bowing problems.

In its short history, Talent Education, also known as the Suzuki Method, has had a profound impact on the teaching of music to the young. However, despite continued guidance from its founder, Shinichi Suzuki, misconceptions about the method persist among both its practitioners and critics. One route to understanding of pedagogical theory is to look at its origins. To that end, this thesis makes a study of history of the method and its founder, drawing on available sources. Further investigation is carried out on the philosophy and teaching techniques. An exploration is then undertaken of the possible antecedents of Suzuki's method taking into account the prevailing ideas and practices of his cultural environment as they relate to the history, philosophy and teaching techniques of Talent Education. Findings indicate that, while Suzuki's method is clearly appropriate to contemporary society, it represents, in many of its aspects, a continuation of several beliefs and practices of traditional Japanese arts.

In the study of the violin, teacher and student are involved in an on-going process of identifying, analyzing and overcoming technical and musical obstacles on the way to complete mastery of the instrument. Etudes often bridge the gap between exercises and "real music," and, as such, are extremely valuable as a step to mastering various playing skills in a musical setting. Nevertheless, without an encyclopedic memory, a teacher may find it difficult to locate appropriate etudes for an individual student with a specific technical problem.The charts from this study are designed to be used as an aid in locating and assigning etudes to students based upon their grade level and the technical difficulty they are having. The etudes selected were determined by their availability in three or more published editions to be those most commonly used.First, each etude was assigned a grade level. Next, each etude was catalogued by performance difficulty. Each performance category was carefully defined and limited. Finally, the writer determined whether the performance problem being studied was a "primary" difficulty of that etude, or whether the problem existed as a "secondary" component.After determining the technical difficulty to be studied, a violinist may consult the list of etudes addressing that particular difficulty. The list of etudes is organized from the simplest to the most difficult, and for each etude it is noted whether the problem is of primary (P) or secondary (S) importance. Finally, each etude is cross-referenced with other technical problems, and a teacher or student may make the decision whether to study the problem in isolation or in conjunction with other technical difficulties. / School of Music

Despite the many innovative contributions made toward the improvement of violin playing and teaching in the twentieth century, there is an abundance of pedagogy and musical literature which continues to propagate "old school" thinking. Many editions of violin music from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are still in print and do not present to student violinists the technical or aesthetic possibilities now considered by recognized artists. Consequently, these flawed versions of the repertoire hinder the development of aspiring violinists.Whether or not an edition is good, editorial notations reflect the violinistic idiosyncracies and peculiarities of individuals and should thus serve only as sources for reference and study. This is because the violinist's perception of and reaction to music would suffer compromise if he were to be unduly influenced by the editings of others. Therefore, it is for the good of his musical growth that he experiment with and discover which interpretive ideas and combinations of bowings and fingerings ultimately bring performances of compositions closest to his conception of them.Although numerous volumes have been written on performance techniques for violin, they usually do not address matters specifically related to deciding bowings and fingerings for given passages of music. Thus, by default, the major texts on editing music for violin might be said to be the books of Carl Flesch, Elizabeth. Green, and I. M. Yampolsky. None of these writings, though, presents both bowing and fingering in a complete and logical sequence of principles and supporting rationales. Conse4uantly, there has been a substantial need for a single volume which thoroughly covers such material in a style suitable for classroom use or for individual study.This presentation of principles for editing violin music is a comprehensive distillation, simplification, and clarification of the beliefs and concepts of others, combined-with those of the author. Systematically grouped and prefaced by rationales, the principles are enunciated in separate chapters on bowings and fingerings and are illustrated by excerpts selected from the violin literature.The author hopes that this approach to editing will facilitate the learning of good editorial practice in violin music and will challenge violinists to continuously seek better bowings and fingerings.The violinist must frequently make alterations in the printed bowing of notes to accommodate the mechanics of playing the instrument and to attain the desired nuance (subtle variation) involving tempo, rhythm, phrasing, dynamics, and tonal coloring. These changes are implemented by the transfer, deletion, or addition of slurs.Bowings considered conventional or "standard" are classified under (a) The Down-Bow Penchants dynamic, tonic, and agogic accents; resolutions; and dynamic gradations; (b) Uniformity of Articulations chords and successions of identical strokes; (c) Compensational Bowings: retaken, combined, and divided strokes; (d) Linked Bowings; for dynamic constancy and bow distribution; (e) Division of Prolonged Strokes: long slurs and long, sustained notes; (f) Oscillation between Strings; rapid alternation and slurred string crossings; (g) Pizzicatos use of the index and middle fingers and thumb."Optional" bowings, which are personal and not essential for efficient performance, are listed as (a) Phrase Accommodation, (b) Melodic Profiling by Slurring, Reslurring, or Separating, and (c) Pulse Dilution.Well chosen fingering reduces or eliminates unnecessary physical tensions, permits velocity of movement with greater accuracy, and promotes maximum expression. As with bowings, fingerings are distinguished by two types: "standard" for efficiency of mechanics and "optional" for personal expression.Principles of standard fingering are grouped in the following sections: (a) Positions, (b) Chromatic Passages, (c) Interval Congruity, (d) Determining Which Positions to Use, (e) Shifting: semitone, contraction, extension, open string, natural harmonic, and alternate finger shifts plus melodic fifths and reduction of shift spans or shift frequencies, (f) String Crossing, and (g) Sequential Patterns.Optional fingerings include (a) Exclusion of the Fourth Finger, (b) Regulation of Timbre, and (c) Portamento.

No description available.

The problem of the study was manifested in the question: Does the use of the Suzuki violin method of instruction with young children affect achievement in selected academic areas? Also, do children, where parents evidence interest in their school activities, make greater achievement than children where parents do not indicate such an interest?