Jessica Bushkuhl 🎶 Violin Studio 🎻 

 

PreTwinkle Violin Basics

Posture Rest Position Bow Zip (heels stay, toes out to “V” shape) Step (left foot) Planted Feet

Sidedness

Violin side- left Bow side- right

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Violin Hand Position

Violin hand pinky side of hand faces nose. Move hand towards and away from nose.

Violin Hand Fingers

Tap each finger. 1, 2, 3, 4 Tap Twinkle Variation Rhythms:

1. Mississippi Stop Stop 2. Twinkle Pop 3. Zip Twinkle Zap Twinkle 4. Twinkle-let Twinkle-let 5. Wish I had a Motorcycle

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Twinkle Variation Rhythms Mississippi Stop Stop Twinkle Pop Zip Twinkle Zap Twinkle Twinkle-let Twinkle-let Wish I had a Motorcycle

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Bow Hand

Bow Hold Bunny- Place tip of thumb at first joint of 2nd and 3rd fingers and have the tips of these fingers bend slightly over the tip of the thumb. The pinky and first finger remain curved.

Bow Hold Motions

Bows- up and downward wrist movement Rocks- twisting wrist movement Wiggles- 1st finger and pinky flexibility Chews- thumb and 2nd/3rd finger flexibility Mouth Opens- whole hand flexibility Moves- Down and Up Bow. All of the movement comes from the elbow, not the shoulder. Only the forearm should move. Follow Me- Up, down, side to side, circle

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Up Like A Rocket

Up like a rocket, down like the rain. Back and forth like a choo-choo train.

Round and round like the great big sun. Stop on my hand, check my pinky and

thumb.

Suzuki Violin School Volume 1 Listening

Play at home, in the car, during chores, etc. Pat steady beat to music with both hands

March along to the music

Matching Pitch

Vocal sirens high and low Sing “Up Like a Rocket” Sing songs you know

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Getting Out and Putting Away the Violin Case remains on flat surface

Care and handling- pick up by neck Sing open strings (see below)

Wipe off and put away

Open Strings of the Violin Sing the Notes: E A D G

(small to big strings) Each, Each, Each, each and every

Ant, Ant, Ant, digging in the Dirt, Dirt, Dirt, way down under

Ground, Ground, Ground

A E A Stomp A E A Stomp

AA EE A E A Stomp

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Rest to Playing Position Steps

1. Rest Position a. Back of violin should go along the

bow side hip b. Student’s violin hand (in the shape

of a “C”) is placed on the right shoulder of the violin

c. Student’s bow arm holds the violin in place with the bridge showing in front of the bow arm

d. Later: the bow is held in the bow hand with the tip pointing towards the floor

2. Bow with the violin in rest position 3. C-Shoulder-Shoulder Playing Position

a. Violin side hand should be placed on the shoulder of the violin in a “C”

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shape with the thumb on the back of the violin

b. Hold violin by the left hand out to the side “Statue of Liberty”

c. Bring violin to shoulder, turn chin d. Parents should start by placing the

instrument (stand on left side), transitioning to student later

Build Endurance Holding Violin in

Playing Position 1. Sing a familiar song 2. Listen to a Twinkle Variation 3. Sing a Pre-Twinkle Song 4. Tap Violin hand fingers on the

purfling using Twinkle Variation Rhythms (fingers curved with fingertips tall)

5. Play Ant Song, A-E-A song

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Sing Twinkle Variation Rhythms Sing on single pitch, while tapping rhythm on knees. Start with 1 repetition, work up to 24. When 24 are possible, the rhythms may be sung to the “Twinkle” pitches. Listen to the Variations and Theme on the recording and sing along. Twinkle Variation Rhythms:

1. Mississippi Stop Stop 2. Twinkle Pop 3. Zip Twinkle Zap Twinkle 4. Twinkle-let Twinkle-let 5. Wish I had a Motorcycle

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Parts of the Violin Game (See Suzuki Violin School Volume 1 pg. 15) Scroll Pegs Nut Neck Fingerboard Top Strings F-holes Bridge Fine-tuners Tailpiece Chinrest Back Button

Where is the _________? Here is the __________.

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Flower Song

See the pretty flowers Growing in the garden See the pretty flowers

Red and green and purple

Monkey Song

I’m a little monkey Climbing up a ladder

Climbing way up high to Pick a pink banana

I’m a little monkey

Climbing down a ladder Climbing way down low to

Eat a pink banana

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Violin Hand to Playing Position

1. The “Butterfly” (left hand) flies to playing position with forearm and wrist straight

2. Place thumb and first finger a. Thumb on the side of the neck

lying flat and soft (sticker) b. First finger placed on other side of

the neck in front of thumb placement. First finger should naturally curve down onto the first finger tape.

3. Practice putting the fingers on the tapes.

a. Tap fingers on the tapes instead of the purfling, keeping fingers curved like small bridges.

b. Fingers should not collapse when finger tip depresses into the string.

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Care of the Bow

“We tighten the bow when we want to play, we loosen the bow when we put it away.” Bow should be tightened enough to run a pencil along the stick of the bow and not touch the hair. Rosin the bow 10 times back and forth everyday. Wipe off the stick when it is dusty.

Name Parts of the Bow (See Suzuki Violin School Volume 1 pg. 15) Tip Hair Stick Grip Frog Screw

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Add: metal clip Beginning Bow Hold on the Bow

Review “Bow Hold Bunny”

1. Tip of the thumb is placed on the silver clip of the frog

2. Middle two fingers hang gently over the stick touching the side of the frog

3. First finger rests on top of the stick with the tip hanging slightly over the stick

4. Pinky is curved and placed on top of the stick

Movement/Singing Without Violin

Up Bow and Down Bow movements Up Like a Rocket E String Concerto, A String Concerto Flower Song, Monkey Song

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Twinkle Variations The Violin with the Bow

Rest position to playing position 1. Feet 2. C-Shoulder-Shoulder 3. Bow hold- set bow on the string and

make a beautiful bow hold 4. Butterfly- fly the “Butterfly” (violin

hand) into playing position

Preparatory Bow Exercises 1. Bow landings on the E and A strings 2. String Crossings: land on the E string

and then rock silently to the A string (elbow raises)

3. Set bow on the string, keep it silent and double check the bow hold. Next, play Mississippi Stop Stop (first the teacher moves the bow, then the

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student). Move from the elbow, not shoulder. Like a gate opening with the upper arm staying immobile like a wall.

a. Repeat on all four strings (first teacher moves the bow, then student)

b. Same thing with the other Twinkle Variation Rhythms

4. Play from 1 to 24 Twinkle Variation Rhythms in a row without stopping

5. Play the E String Concerto (Mississippi Stop Stop 8 times on E string) and A String Concerto (Mississippi Stop Stop 8 times on the A string)

6. Bow Rocks with Mississippi Stop Stop- land on the E string and play Mississippi Stop Stop, then silently rock to the A string and play Mississippi Stop Stop.

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This can be repeated multiple times for control

Steps to Learning a Piece 1. Sing entire piece from memory while

“soaping” in rhythm with bow hand along extended violin arm

2. Sing the piece and move the fingers on the violin

3. Student moves the fingers and parent moves the bow

4. Student moves the fingers and parents helps them move the bow (student uses bow hold)

5. Student moves the fingers with the bow

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A-E-A Song

A E A Stomp A E A Stomp

AA EE A E A Stomp

Flower Song

(all bows are Mississippi Stop Stop) E See the pretty flowers 1onE Growing in the Garden E See the pretty flowers A Red and Green and Purple

See Saw E-- A-- E-- A--

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111 111 A-- A-- (repeat)

Monkey Song (all bows are Mississippi Stop Stop) (fingers and bow stay on A string) A I’m a little monkey 1 Climbing up a ladder 2 Climbing way up high to 3 Pick a pink banana 3 I’m a little monkey 2 Climbing down a ladder 1 Climbing way down low to A Eat a pink banana

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