Hi,

I've just been told I have to conduct the string orchestra at a music camp for one of my schools in July. The conducting part is fine, and the repertoire has been chosen (not by me), but I was wondering if you could suggest warm ups or exercises that your ensemble uses to kick off rehearsal.

Thanks!

The late Christopher Bunting wrote some very good string exercises for ensemble warm-ups, under the name "Pro Corda". He kept saying he ought to get them published, but I suspect he never did. The only Web reference to them that I can find is a copy of the composer's manuscript score in the Australia Music Centre, Sidney.

I particularly admired two of the exercises: one was full of hairpins with contradictory bowings (i.e every crescendo down, every diminuendo up); the other had rhythms that were different, but confusingly alike, such as three successive bars of triplet crotchet/quaver, dotted crotchet/semiquaver, semiquaver/two semiquaver rests/semiquaver. Christopher would continue conducting the ensemble at a tempo that I, for one, found too rapid for comfort, meanwhile keeping up a running commentary on our failure to make the distinctions.

As to the musical content: one was excellent pastiche Puccini, another second Viennese school.

I recommend them to any publishers with a large string catalogue.

Thanks Ken for your comments

Anyone else have anything to add?

What level are they? What repertoire are they doing? My answers would be different depending on those two points.

K.

A G major scale. It's the only thing we ever did in the junior orchestra and it worked well. Generally though scales and variations on them are normally good, gets everyone listening.

KTViola - to be honest I haven't been given a lot of information. They are high school students & I won't be given the repertoire for a few weeks.

Musicfreak - Thanks for your suggestion. I was thinking of scales with various bowing patterns, different rhythms, in canon etc.

OK then - yes - scales. Loads of things you can do with them...

All together first - in the key of the piece you're about to play - number of octaves dependent on the ability.

Then in canon at a third, with however many groups you think you can manage. Then half the group going up while the other half go down, etc etc. Then with various dynamics and articulations.

Depending on the size of the group, you can give them each a chance to lead. The aim is to play a simple tune - Twinkle twinkle or whatever, but the speed will be determined by each 'leader'. So - 'Amy' leads in with the first note, then, when 'Bert' has had enough of this note, he leads in the next note, 'Charlie' may decide to up the pace and lead the next note pretty quickly. The idea of this is that they all have to move together, pay attention to speed, and also play a tune and recognise intervals by ear. It does have to be a tune they all know, but that should be fairly easy to find.

Groups of mine have found this last one pretty difficult, but it does get them watching and listening (eventually!)

K.

Thanks KTViola, that last one sounds like a great challenge!

I'm just a lowly student, but we recently did a great improvisation exercise that everyone rally enjoyed. The improvisation included:
- Basic rhythms/tunes repeated as baselines among certain sections
- Individuals playing one note (tonal/atonal) on any chosen beat of the bar (in quavers?)
- A couple of improv solos


We swapped roles as we went along... Including pizz and gliss etc.

Don't know if that helps at all...

To Scurra, re signature....

IT IS NOW AFTER 9 MAY.

GET OFF THAT COMPUTER AND DO SOME REAL WORK / TIDY YOUR ROOM / DO SOME MUSIC PRACTICE

NO CHOCOLATE CAKE TODAY!!!!!!