Viola, Cello, Bass Technique Juries
All string studies majors are expected to participate in juries as prescribed by their degree program.
YEAR ONE
3 octave scales: 1st semester G, Bb; 2nd semester A, Ab, C (major and both forms of minor)
- Bowing: --
- Slurs: (8, 12, and 24)
-
Combination bowings:
3 slurred - 3 separate
4 slurred - 4 separate
8 detache - 8 spiccato
Viotti Stroke |
On one bow strokes:
2 slurred-2 staccato
3 slurred - 3 staccato
4 slurred - 4 staccato
8 slurred - 8 staccato
|
3 octave arpeggios:Flesch Scale System sequence of 7 arpeggios per tonal center
- Bowing: --
- Slurs:
- 3(4 for diminished and dominant)
- 9 (12 for diminished and dominant)
Double stops: same keys as above (major and harmonic minor)
- 1st semester: octaves only
- 2nd semester: add in 3rds and 6ths
Double stop scales start on the G string with the lowest possible dyad
- Bowing: separate, and slurs up to 4 dyads per bow (thirds)
YEAR TWO
3 octave scales and arpeggios: B, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#
- Bowing: same as above, specific strokes
1 octave, 1 string scales and arpeggios (Flesch sequence)
- Bowing:
- one bow each way in scales
- one bow for each arpeggio
1st semester: 2 octave chromatic scales in first position, both fingerings
2nd semester: add third octave (up to Eb)
Double stops: same keys as for three octave scales (3rd, 6ths, octaves)
Violin Technique Juries
This section can be downloaded as a printable .pdf.
All music majors taking one‐hour violin lessons will prepare and perform a technique jury near the middle of each semester of study. The purpose of this jury is twofold: it emphasizes the importance of a technical foundation in violin playing, and it affords students and teachers alike the opportunity to assess technical prowess and progress at periodic intervals.
A solid fundamental technique is essential and indispensable to artistry on any instrument. Few musicians favor working on technique over repertoire. Yet any successful artist will likely tell you that there are no shortcuts; no way to attain a masterful knowledge of the violin without regular, extensive, and disciplined commitment to learning technique. Students' approaches to technique juries tend to fall into one of two categories: many focus intently on passing each jury as it comes up, then relegate technical study to a lower priority until a few weeks prior to the next jury. This approach may serve to get past the jury process, but it will fall well short of attaining and maintaining crucial skills and habits that make violin playing easier on all repertoire.
A much better approach is to develop a daily regimen of technical practice that incorporates a multitude of technical studies on a regularly rotating basis. A student who takes this approach will find that technique juries aren't unduly stressful, since they will be performing familiar and well‐rehearsed tasks. A two‐ or three‐hour regimen can be spread across two or three days and repeated, thereby making each day's workload reasonable while ensuring sufficient familiarity through repetition.
The jury will generally be performed in two rooms. The first portion will consist of assigned fundamentals found on the following pages. Next, you will go immediately to the second location and perform etudes as assigned by your studio teacher. The jury is graded pass/fail, as are its separate components. Students who do not pass any or all of the jury will need to repeat the failed portion in a group session at a later date in the semester, and will be assessed a point reduction in their studio grade. Students failing the repeat jury will need to demonstrate appropriate remedial progress before continuing in the ensuing semester. Please note that any material repeated may be requested in any assigned key, and is not limited to the key requested at the initial jury!
Should you have questions about the jury, please ask your studio teacher for clarification.
Cello Requirements
Applied Instruction Repertoire and Levels:
Level I
One movement of Bach’s Suites or equivalent unaccompanied work from memory: Suite No. 1 in G major , Suite No. 2 in D minor
Technique: Major and minor scales in three or four octaves; arpeggios in four octaves. Etudes by Popper (Op. 73 or Op. 76), Piatti, Duport.
Level II
One movement of standard sonata; one movement of a standard concerto from memory; Bach Suite No. 3 in C major; Sonatas by Beethoven (No. 1 or 2), Brahms Sonata No. 1; Standard concerto by Haydn (C major), Saint‐Saens (A minor), Boccherini (B‐flat major); orchestral excerpts; Technique: Sight‐reading; all major and minor scales in three or four octaves; arpeggios in four octaves; 3rds in C, D, Eb, F in three octaves; etudes of Popper, Piatti, or equivalent.
Level III
Several movements of Bach Suites or an equivalent unaccompanied work from memory. A standard sonata, a standard concerto from memory; Bach Suite No. 4 in E‐flat major; Beethoven Sonatas (Nos. 3,4,5), Chopin Sonata; Mendelssohn Sonata; Lalo Concerto (D minor), orchestral excerpts Technique: Sight‐reading
Level IV
A concert etude; a Bach Suite or an equivalent unaccompanied work from memory; a standard sonata; a major concerto from memory.Bach Suite No. 5 in C minor or Suite No. 6 in D major; Cassado Solo Suite; Sonatas by Brahms (F major), Shostakovich, Prokoviev, Debussy, or Strauss; Concertos by Dvorak, Haydn (D major), Tchaikovsky, or Elgar; orchestra excerpts Technique: Sight‐reading
String Bass Requirements
This section can be downloaded as a printable .pdf.
Concerto: Prepare one of the following Bass Concertos per year: Dragonetti, Koussevitzky, Bottesini no.2,VanHal, Dittersdorf, Capuzzi.
Transcriptions, Sonatas, & Show Pieces: Prepare one piece of your choice per year.
Bach Cello Suites: Prepare a movement of your choice each semester.
Studies and Etudes: As needed to address technical issues.
Orchestra Excerpts: One of each of the following per semester:
- A Mozart Symphony (35, 39, 40)
- A Strauss Tone Poem
- A Beethoven(3,5,7,9) or Brahms(1,2)Symphony
- An Orchestral Solo (Mahler 1, Lt. Kije, Ginastera, Pulcinella, Otello etc.)
Technical Drills: Two tonalities (C,F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,B,E,A,D,G)per semester of the following scale sequence at Quarter Note = 60:
- Galamian Scales: Major, Harm
- Minor 3-8ves
- Major Diatonic 3-note arpeggios and scales
- Major Diatonic 4-note arpeggios and scales
- 2-note shifted Major, Mel-Minor Scales 3-8ves
- Three Octave Major, Minor, Dominant Arpeggios
…to the next key.
Auditions: prepare one audition per year.
- Summer Festivals
- New World, Civic, Grad Schools
- Regional and Professional Orchestras