Three areas of adaptation, namely physical, technical and cognitive, have to be considered if a successful transition from the violin to the viola is to be achieved. This qualitative study followed an interpretative phenomenological design. Data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with six participants from Pretoria, South Africa, all of whom had taken up the viola after becoming proficient in playing the violin. The aim of the study was to explore the physical, technical and cognitive adaptations made by violinists studying the viola as a second instrument. Findings derived from the analysed data were divided into five superordinate themes. The first superordinate theme, "Physical differences between the violin and the viola as instruments", revealed that, because the sizing of the viola is not standardised, the chosen size should be synchronised with the physique of the violist. The size and weight of the viola in the transition process were also regarded as representing a significant adaptation. The second superordinate theme pertains to left-hand technique as affected by the physical differences between the instruments. Although there is a similarity between violin and viola techniques, subtle technical differences distinguish them. Topics occurring in this section were elements of fingering, the longer viola fingerboard, shifting, and vibrato. The following superordinate theme, “Right-hand technique as affected by the physical differences between the instruments”, revealed the challenging adaptation involved in acquiring the correct bowing technique for the viola. This section further investigated issues relating to bow hold, the concept of transmitting natural weight rather than artificial pressure into the bow, and the resistance by the viola strings. It was suggested that, once a viola-specific bowing technique had been learned, violin bowing technique would be improved. Injuries and pain caused by the transition to the viola represented the fourth superordinate theme, particularly emphasising the issue of set-up, which, in the case of choosing an appropriate viola, should be customised according to the unique physique of the player. The fifth and final superordinate theme, "Methods for mastering the alto clef", showed that transitioning violists apply methods both requiring note-reading and not doing so. The findings indicated that methods which do not require the active reading of notes on the stave are not as effective as those in which the performer learns to identify note names and pitches. The study concluded that an understanding of the physical, technical and cognitive adaptations required for a successful transition process, should be cultivated by the transitioning violist. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

I denna uppgift kommer jag presentera resultatet av min självstudie där jag lär mig tekniken vandrande bas på elbas genom lärarledda elbaslektioner. Denna process är videoinspelad, semistrukturerad intervju har hållits och dokumentationen analyseras genom transkription. Jag kommer bearbeta begreppet kunskap och redovisa några teorier om vad kunskap är och hur man kan kategorisera detta begrepp genom antingen uppdelande av praktisk och teoretisk kunskap. Jag kommer också undersöka huruvida pragmatismens kunskapssyn är applicerbar på denna studie. Studien behandlar hur jag använt mig av mina kunskaper som klassisk gitarrist i min inlärning av elbas. Hur jag kan använda mina kunskaper funna i elbasspelet i mitt klassiska gitarrspel. Även hur de pedagogiska upptäckterna jag gör i elbasspel kan användas i min framtida roll både som elbaslärare och gitarrlärare. Detta behandlas med ett sociokulturellt perspektiv i grunden samt mästarlära. Resultatet visar att förkunskaper i klassisk gitarr är mycket användbart om man vill lära sig elbas och att flera aspekter av gitarrspelet är direkt eller indirekt överförbara till elbasen. Det kommer också visa sig att det finns flera olikheter som kan försvåra inlärandet av elbas. Jag har också hittat grundläggande kunskap i metodik för elbasspel på nybörjarstadium. / In this project, I will present the result of my self-study where I learn the technique of walking bass on electric bass through teacher-led electric bass lessons. This process is video-recorded, semi-structured interview has been held and the documentation is analyzed by transcription. I will process the concept of knowledge and report some theories on what knowledge is and how to categorize this concept through either the division of practical or theoretical knowledge. I will also examine whether the knowledge view of pragmatism is applicable to this study. The study deals with how I used my knowledge as a classical guitarist in my learning of electric bass. How I can use my knowledge found in the electric bass game in my classic guitar play. Even how the pedagogical discoveries I make in electric bass games can be used in my future role both as electric bass teacher and guitar teacher. This is dealt with a socio-cultural perspective in the basics and master-apprentice perspective. The result shows that prior knowledge of classical guitar is very useful if you want to learn electric bass and that several aspects of the guitar play are directly or indirectly transferable to the electric base. It will also show several differences between the instruments that can make learning electric bass more difficult. I have also found basic knowledge in methodology for electric bass games at the beginner stage.