Kreutzer Etude #4, Practice Guide (Staccato)

(Etude Themes: Up-bow/Down-bow Staccato, Note endings)

This video offers some suggestions for how to practice Kreutzer Etude #4.

Etude #4 introduces a new stroke: the down-bow and up-bow staccatos. I love this stroke because I feel it is a companion to our martele exercises from Etude #2. However, instead of focusing our energy on the start of each note, we focus our energy on the end of each note - grinding to a halt to transform a smooth legato stroke into a series of staccatos. Slow practice will help develop your attention for this feeling of energy, and then you can bring up the tempo to release your arm and create a more listen-able sound.

Practice tips:
- Really feel that this staccato arises out of legato arm motion. Remind yourself with a few legato bows when you forget this.
- Make sure you are paying attention to the end of each staccato note, rather than the start. No martele accents in our staccato!
- Start with downbow staccato, as it is easier to avoid giving those martele impulses at the start of the notes.
----

@00:00 Introduction
@1:30 Preparing the stroke: From legato to staccato
@5:00 Downbow staccato as a foil to divided martele
@6:15 Bowing recommendations (full bows, downbow/upbow)
@8:10 Practice consideration #1: Accented vs. unaccented notes
@9:30 Practice consideration #2: Full note values + bow division
@11:20 Practice consideration #3: Stop not start
@13:10 Additional exercise: Releasing fingers from the bow grip
@15:25 Play-through

----

Resources:
1) Mimi Zweig teaches downbow/upbow staccato: https://stringpedagogy.com/members/vo...
2) Massart's "Art of Studying Kreutzer": https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu...
3) Winn's "How to Study Kreutzer": http://hdl.handle.net/1802/12714

----

Playlist of all 42 Kreutzer Etudes:    • Kreutzer Etudes: Violin Skills Practi...  

#violin #classicalmusic #lesson #etude

- Ben Bregman
https://www.santacruzstrings.com/