2007 all-state violin excerpts

Violin Practice Guide with Suggested Fingerings and Bowings
for All State Excerpts 2007 by John McGrosso

Scales-Mendelsshon-Smetana-Mozart
The first piece of advice, and probably the most important, is to start working on this music seriously right away. All excerpts, even the "easy" ones, are chosen for a reason, generally a nasty reason. There are specific traps to avoid, and challenges to overcome (if it was truly easy, it wouldn't be there). I will go over a few of these, and point out some ways to practice so you can sound your best. Another piece of advice is to be sure to listen to recordings of these pieces so that you can get the feel of the whole piece and how your part fits in. For example, in the Mendelsshon it is a big help to know what comes right after the end of your excerpt, so you know what kind of crescendo to make. Knowing this is also a help in playing the opening, because you will want to start with a character that contains a distant version of that same energy.

I do recommend changing some of the bowings in your music. I do this for two reasons: 1) What you have been given are unbowed parts from the publisher rather than parts prepared by a violinist or used by an orchestra, and 2) you'll be behind a screen anyway, so you might as well change what you need to change to sound your best. The bowings I use may or may not work for you. Try to determine the reason for my wierd bowings, then see if you can find a way that's better for you. If you're mystified by anything, e-mail me at John_McGrosso@umsl.edu.

I made the CD they're sending out this year, so hearing that also may clarify some of the advice and ideas that follow.

Working on excerpts is challenging because you know that when you're performing you will have only a matter of seconds to demonstrate not only your playing ability, but also your knowledge of the composer's style and your own musicianship. So it's very important to know with each excerpt exactly what you want to convey. For me, it all starts with trying to understand the musical character of each excerpt, trying to find out what story it has to tell, what makes it different from the others on the list, and figuring out what you will then have to do technically to express your musical ideas. It is also important to play with a consistent and appropriate tempo, and as in tune as you can, but nobody's perfect all the time so most audition committees are happy to overlook a tiny slip if they're hearing musical content. So I think it's best to focus on the music first, and then on your playing.

Scales
In the scales, the tempo they ask for is not too fast, so there is time to focus on tone, in addition to intonation. Play lyrically and with a narrow but warm vibrato. To sound better in tune, I like to shade the notes according to their tendencies: in Major: a slightly higher 3rd, 6th, and 7th, and in the minor a slightly lower 3rd, higher 6th and 7th going up, and lower 7th and 6th coming down. I shade all the second degrees slightly high. See what you think sounds good. I also recommend to my students a different fingering than they would normally use, shifting on ½ steps and bow changes so that they will sound their best (see the fingerings on the edited audition materials, below). To work on tone, try playing only a few notes at a time, no more than six, and repeat them until you are confident enough with the intonation and left hand articulation that you can really listen to and improve your sound. Then start on the last three in your group of six and add the next three, until you've covered the whole scale (each string and part of the string as you go higher requires a slightly different approach with the bow). Think of the scales like a piece: play as warmly and lyrically as you can. All you have to go on to derive the musical character is the key (Bb Major and g minor), but that should be enough. Think of pieces you know in these keys. Bb is a warm and happy key, and g minor is for me not so much sad as determined and serious, alone but not lonely. See what you can express through the quality of these keys, and your imagination.

Mendelsshon
In the Mendelsshon, play energetically but keep the bow away from the bridge till the last crescendo. I look for a sound that expresses suppressed excitement, mixed with nostalgia. That's a useful combination for Mendelsshon. To get this sound, you need to be in control of how much arm weight is going into the string at any point in the bow, and you don't want much at all. I have my students experiment with different elbow heights to find the right balance. Vibrato is also an important part of this sound character: you will want a fast and thin vibrato on every note, if possible. You also need to make sure that your bow is parallel to the bridge, even in the area toward the fingerboard, to prevent the sound from becoming either too whispy or too focused unintentionally.

I changed the bowing from what's indicated in the part. I found that by separating the two hooked eighth notes, I could have better control of the motion over the bar line, and I found that starting 'backwards' gave me a better 'lift' on the quarter notes in measure 64 and 65. Then, I turn the bowing around for the second phrase, which is in C Major, and can sound brighter, more cheerful, but not louder. Experiment freely to find the articulations that work for you. There is a difficult bowing here that I do use:

This is challenging because you want to be really legato between the first two notes, but to play the second note short to articulate the third, and also to be in rhythm.
A good way to practice this is first to play:

Try not to stop the bow during the rest, just lift it off the string. Then add in the middle note, keeping the bow the same. Be sure to practice this up-bow and down-bow so that they sound the same.

One trap in this excerpt is that in the second line: as you get higher, you will want to crescendo. Even if you don't, the fact of going higher can sound louder, so I consciously play softer starting at the pick ups to 76. In the next three measures, you need to work your way to the lower half (use more bow on the up than the down) for the long E without getting louder. Practice this effect, a sort of "traveling" stroke, on open strings. Lighten the up-bows, and you may also need to move them toward the fingerboard.

This excerpt is a must for the metronome. If you have a fancy one that also does triplets, use it. If not, you can get the same effect by dividing the beats yourself:

It is not always necessary to count rests in excerpts, but here I think you can, and even that it is helpful in making the transition in mood for the next entrance. Hearing the theme in the woodwinds (during the rests) helps you to keep in the swing of the rhythm, to enter in the right part of the phrase, and to make the transition to C Major in measure 89. Feeling the return to 'a' minor is essential for me in heating up the sound for the crescendo. Become more outraged with each sfortzando! I also add an eighth note A at the end, just to finish off the phrase.

Smetana
In the Smetana, the opening rhythm is a bit tricky, you just have to get used to it. First, take out the ties, so that you can articulate the main beats. Then, after that's familiar, try the first two measures as written. Then add the third. Eventually, I advise thinking in one beat per measure, so it's not too fussy. Try starting from the string, with a heavy click, and strong bow changes in this opening ff. I have some tricky fingerings to get to the G string for the end of the crescendo, and another trick to start the piano subito on the D string. In the piano, use very little bow, and well away from the bridge. I think this part should sound like people excitedly whispering about the upcoming wedding. Try just tickling the string: don't worry about bouncing the bow.

Mozart
All Mozart is very challenging to play well. I try to use my bow efficiently and play energetically but also lightly, trying to make a 'happy' forte sound, and avoid unwanted accents. A forte in Mozart is more about energy than volume. Be energetic with the vibrato, and very narrow on the first doubled D. One thing key to the style here: don't hold the long notes out all the way, and release the sound energetically. A bit of separation makes the long notes sound noble, clear, and buoyant, while sustaining all the way sounds soggy. For example, in the first measure I only play a dotted half note (three beats). This is also true in mm. 29-32 (try holding the half notes for a dotted quarter). Even the quarter notes sound better to me as eighths with eighth rests.

Phrasing and sound quality are very important, and the music should always flow easily (that's easy to say, tricky to do). I practiced the 16ths with dotted rhythms and various other groupings for evenness. Try my fingering for this passage-it takes some getting used to, but has the potential to be cleaner than shifting. Use very little bow on the separate 16ths in measure 23. Don't worry about being loud here.

Practice alternating between a measure of half notes and a measure of 16ths to get the feel of how much less bow you need in measure 28 than in 27. Part of bow efficiency is to use the right muscles for the amount of bow you need. In these 16ths, try to only use your hand.

In the piano at the end, think pp for maximum contrast. I think the character is still energetic, so I keep the vibrato going, and the rhythm precise.