From my previous topic about Grade 7 Scales, I said they were rusty, especially double stop scales. Any tips on playing them, controlling the bow, fingers etc? PLEASE!

NO REPLYS! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!!!!

I assume you mean that there were no replies so you want some, not "No replies please"...

Um... my teacher said that for double-stop scales you should practise them splitting the chord first, as in, bottom note, top note, then together, all the way up and down the scale. When you can do this just play them together.

I think that on the slurred scales, you have to fit so many notes to the bow that you have to use the whole of the bow instead of just 2/3 of it, as I found myself doing!

Also the intonation is very important so try playing them listening very carefully to make sure they are perfectly in tune, when you can do them slowly like this then speed them up.

These are just things that have worked for me... I hope they help!

Thanks cecilia. That's really good advice

Double stop scales???? ooh....they sound hard.

what grade are you?

If you mean me, I'm on Grade 5.

don't worry. you don't have to do double stops until grade 6, i think!

QUOTE (violingirl @ Sep 5 2004, 01:00 PM)

don't worry. you don't have to do double stops until grade 6, i think!

not that far off though!

ooh bet you can't wait Jade LOL

No Natalie, not far off at all!!!

and no, I am NOT looking foward to it! I didn't even know they existed until now!!!

well im afraid they do exist!

but you wont have to do grade6-7 ones coz ur going straight to grade 8!LOL

only joking, you'd probably still ave to know them anyway!

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Sep 5 2004, 04:58 PM)

well im afraid they do exist! but you wont have to do grade6-7 ones coz ur going straight to grade 8!LOL only joking, you'd probably still ave to know them anyway!

Hehe, that's one thing I do not like. Double stops.. have been watching this thread for weeks to see if anyone has a solution for it. Ahhh.. most of my stops do not come out even. Either one string is missed here and there in one bow, or I get a thrill. LoL..

I am playing a song called Paragon Rag for grade 5, and its full of double stops, and i always end up missing a string or getting it out of tune, or maybe, if i am lucky, i get it right. but that is not very often at all

I played that for my grade 5!!i also played it for my GCSE performance exam! loved it.

Oh yes!! I played Paragon Rag for my Grade 5!!! I loved it too!!!

Cool!!! Didn't you find it hard doing those double stops all the time??? I've been listening to the CD though and it sounds brilliant when it's played perfect!

Yes, the double-stopping sounded a bit... um, wobbly at first, but I got the hang of it eventually!
I got distinction in the end...

QUOTE (cecilia @ Sep 11 2004, 04:26 PM)

Yes, the double-stopping sounded a bit... um, wobbly at first, but I got the hang of it eventually! I got distinction in the end...

WOW WELL DONE!!!!!!!!

the best thing to do with double stops is to relax. if you tense up you'll never get them in tune! just imagine you're playing two separate notes, but with your bow crossing two strings instead of one. also try and remember your hand position for each double-stop. they don't come into the syllabus till grade 6 though.

scales in one bow are nasty though. at grade 8 you have to do 3 octaves in one bow. i took my grade 8 at the age of 13, and i'm really small for my age so i was still on my 3/4 size violin. i had to borrow my violin teacher's full size bow to get all the notes into one bow!